Waterpump: wait or swap preventatively

[alvocado]

I'm looking for input on a water pump replacement. I have quite a bit of long highway trips coming up and my Yukon has the original factory water pump with 222k miles on it. It is operating with no issues and I've changed coolant per the maintenance schedule since the truck was new.

I have only experienced one water pump failure on a GM truck many years ago and the pump had a slow leak develop. I swapped an Audi pump a couple of weeks ago and that unit started leaking profusely in one day; it would have never made it home on a long trip.

Question for the group: do these GM pumps tend to show signs of failure with enough warning that it's reasonably reliable for long trips or is it common for them to leave you stranded? I'm looking at 1000 miles round trip for both runs.

I hate changing parts unnecessarily but it continues to amaze me how long the factory pump is hanging in there.

 

[bill1013]

I’ve never had to replace water pumps on the three GMC trucks I’ve owned. Radiators…Oh Yeah. The plastic on the return port always cracks after around 140K. But if you have doubts about the pump then to eliminate your doubts replace it. It will make your trip less stressful and you can get your mind focused on more important things. Hope that helps. Aloha!

 

[Geotrash]

I'm looking for input on a water pump replacement. I have quite a bit of long highway trips coming up and my Yukon has the original factory water pump with 222k miles on it. It is operating with no issues and I've changed coolant per the maintenance schedule since the truck was new.

I have only experienced one water pump failure on a GM truck many years ago and the pump had a slow leak develop. I swapped an Audi pump a couple of weeks ago and that unit started leaking profusely in one day; it would have never made it home on a long trip.

Question for the group: do these GM pumps tend to show signs of failure with enough warning that it's reasonably reliable for long trips or is it common for them to leave you stranded? I'm looking at 1000 miles round trip for both runs.

I hate changing parts unnecessarily but it continues to amaze me how long the factory pump is hanging in there.

These usually start weeping before they fail but we've seen a few instances of the back cover getting blown out and a few impellers coming loose over the years.

It's an easy job and the parts are cheap. It would bring you peace of mind, so my vote is to replace with either OEM or Gates. I did the same on both of my Yukon XL Denali's when I was in there doing other work. Be sure to replace the thermostat with OEM, too. And you might as well replace the belt tensioner(s) and idler pulleys, too. Again, OEM or Gates would be the best choices, in my view.

Then at that mileage you might as well do the radiator, all hoses, and coolant tees by the firewall, too. You'd have a whole new cooling system for not that much money. For reference, I got about 220K out of the original radiator in my 2007 before a crack in an end tank appeared and started weeping on a road trip. Nursed it home and replaced the radiator with a new Denso (OEM manufacturer) from Rock Auto.

Come back here any time and we'll help you spend your money.

 

[alvocado]

It's becoming far to easy to spend money as the mileage creeps up @Geotrash , despite the truck being incredibly reliable since new. I experienced some trauma over the holidays when the torque converter imploded 5 hours from home so let's say I'm a little more focused on high wear items that have outlasted their typical service life.

 

[PPV_2018]

Replace it. Both my water pumps failed within a week of each other. One truck with 130k and the other with 40k (but also 23 years on it)

agree with @Geo with OEM or Gates.

 

[donjetman]

be proactive, change it now.

 

[alvocado]

Consensus wins. Parts are ordered for a swap this weekend including new hoses. I might even do @rdezs rear heater core rubber line retrofit if I'm feeling ambitious.

Does anyone recall how much coolant drains out with the water pump off and rad drained? I'll use a coolant vacuum fill tool but I know it won't require anywhere near all 18.3 qts.

 

[Doubeleive]

lik

I'm looking for input on a water pump replacement. I have quite a bit of long highway trips coming up and my Yukon has the original factory water pump with 222k miles on it. It is operating with no issues and I've changed coolant per the maintenance schedule since the truck was new.

I have only experienced one water pump failure on a GM truck many years ago and the pump had a slow leak develop. I swapped an Audi pump a couple of weeks ago and that unit started leaking profusely in one day; it would have never made it home on a long trip.

Question for the group: do these GM pumps tend to show signs of failure with enough warning that it's reasonably reliable for long trips or is it common for them to leave you stranded? I'm looking at 1000 miles round trip for both runs.

I hate changing parts unnecessarily but it continues to amaze me how long the factory pump is hanging in there.

like a few other things I would say the typical life of a GM waterpump is 160k, but...... that's a "average"
they can either start to weep out the main bearing seal OR just flat out blow out the main seal
I have seen them do both
for peace of mind if it were me I would go ahead and do it @222k IF I was anticipating traveling such as you are just to be on the safe side.
yes it's a little investment for OEM one but then you are good to go, I would not use aftermarket for the waterpump.
like already mentioned I would also do the heater hoses and T's also with OEM those T's if original are past there expected life and are 100% prone to just snapping right off at the worst possible moment because they get brittle from heating and cooling for years and years.
Radiator on these also can "crack" on the plastic end tanks and start to leak, typically though that's not a "emergency situation" and they generally will give you time to replace it and still make it down the road by topping the coolant off.
the only good thing is if a heater hose snaps off at the T you can pinch the hoses off, fill up the coolant and get down the road still you just won't have any heat

 

[Doubeleive]

Consensus wins. Parts are ordered for a swap this weekend including new hoses. I might even do @rdezs rear heater core rubber line retrofit if I'm feeling ambitious.

Does anyone recall how much coolant drains out with the water pump off and rad drained? I'll use a coolant vacuum fill tool but I know it won't require anywhere near all 18.3 qts.

if you are just swapping parts out and not flushing the whole system 2-3 gallons max, I usually just grab 2 of the concentrate and am good to go, I don't leave the coolant in there long enough to require using distilled water so I just use the hose and concentrate

 

[petethepug]

Just had mine done @ 185k on my 6.2L. Not a wise idea to prolong the repair. I thought these trucks had a low coolant sensor. NOPE.

By the time you had an idiot light show or see the engine temp creeping up, your engine is 60+\- seconds from needing to be shut down or damage.

 

[rdezs]

2 gallons of concentrate as mentioned above should be adequate. If you replace the radiator, plan on a third gallon of concentrate.

At your mileage the most pressing issue probably is those rear heater hoses. Followed by the plastic t connectors, and then the water pump. Long road trips with Summer coming? I would do the radiator as well as the inexpensive coolant temperature sender directly in front of your driver side exhaust manifold, and of course the thermostat.

I've done a lot of preventative maintenance on my wife's Escalade, as she plans to keep it forever. New front hubs, axle shafts, u-joints, rear axles and bearings, all new brakes, control arms, tie rods, AFM delete, the entire cooling system and using silicone hoses. She's at about 175,000 miles ... And the only thing I found that was really in dire need of replacement, were the rear heater hoses, and the oil cooler lines started seeping at the crimp.

We would without a doubt take it on any road trip at any time with total confidence.

Working on and restoring cars has been a hobby for me going on 40 years, and I have to admit the Escalade has been a bit boring..... Extremely reliable and no drama out of it. Planning on doing the fuel pump with an AC Delco unit probably this summer. While many go over 200,000 on the original fuel pump, I think that's really pushing it. According to GM, the advice for long service life on the fuel pump is to never let the tank get below one quarter. Keeps the fuel pump cooler. Also before 200,000 miles, I will do her power steering pump and hoses.....

 

[Geotrash]

At your mileage the most pressing issue probably is those rear heater hoses.

I share your maintenance philosophy. But this particular item is a new one for me. I mean, I know what and where they are, but I have seen very few cases of them failing with the same frequency, or as early as, the coolant tees at the firewall. My old '02 Suburban is still running around with 308K on the original rear hoses and connectors (I know this because I sold it to a friend back in 2018 and we keep in touch on it). Its original tees at the firewall failed for the PO right before I bought it. My '07 still has the original rear hoses and connectors as well, at 250K miles. I keep a close eye on them but haven't been worried about them, yet I'm willing to change my mind if I learn good new information.

 

[rdezs]

It's actually quite common on the higher mileage. Most postings on it deal with one of those hoses rupturing, and literally emptying all the coolant from the system.... Leaving you stuck wherever you are. Unfortunately, without a coolant level sensor on most of the newer ones, you don't have a clue until you notice you have overheated. And it's definitely not a simple hose repair on the side of the road....

 

[Geotrash]

It's actually quite common on the higher mileage. Most postings on it deal with one of those hoses rupturing, and literally emptying all the coolant from the system.... Leaving you stuck wherever you are. Unfortunately, without a coolant level sensor on most of the newer ones, you don't have a clue until you notice you have overheated. And it's definitely not a simple hose repair on the side of the road....

Thank you. Just to be clear, you're talking about the hoses that run from the coolant tees at the firewall, under the vehicle, to the rear heater core, yes? And also the associated elbows under the rear of the vehicle?

 

[rdezs]

It's a half inch aluminum pipe that carries a coolant back to just above the rear axle. From there to a 90° elbow the base of the heater core behind the right rear tire. Those hoses get all the road spray and everything. And they're crimped on to the half inch piping. I used a compression fitting and converted to an AN fitting to make future repair easy. GM wants to sell you the entire line set, the aluminum piping with the crimped on hose.... No thank you. There's room to access the end of the half inch piping if you drop the spare tire.

 

[Geotrash]

It's a half inch aluminum pipe that carries a coolant back to just above the rear axle. From there to a 90° elbow the base of the heater core behind the right rear tire. Those hoses get all the road spray and everything. And they're crimped on to the half inch piping. I used a compression fitting and converted to an AN fitting to make future repair easy. GM wants to sell you the entire line set, the aluminum piping with the crimped on hose.... No thank you. There's room to access the end of the half inch piping if you drop the spare tire.

Got it, thanks! Looks like Rockauto carries the Dorman replacement kit for $230 in case anyone wants to go that route. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=13960921&cc=0&pt=6900&jsn=328

I'll keep a close eye on the ones on my '07. It was an Arizona vehicle for the first 11 years of its life, then Colorado for 2 and now Virginia for 4 so there haven't been many thermal cycles on those rear connectors, and zero corrosion on the lines themselves.

 

[alvocado]

It's a half inch aluminum pipe that carries a coolant back to just above the rear axle. From there to a 90° elbow the base of the heater core behind the right rear tire. Those hoses get all the road spray and everything. And they're crimped on to the half inch piping. I used a compression fitting and converted to an AN fitting to make future repair easy. GM wants to sell you the entire line set, the aluminum piping with the crimped on hose.... No thank you. There's room to access the end of the half inch piping if you drop the spare tire.

Do you happen to have the Dorman part number for the 90 degree elbows you used at the rear?

 

[rdezs]

I've heard that orrosion is a problem with the aluminum tubing in the areas that use a lot of salt in the winter. That tubing, along with the air conditioning line set, are directly under the passenger side step with no protection. Just like the rear heater hoses behind the right rear tire, those lines under the step get all the road spray up from the front tire.

 

[rdezs]

Do you happen to have the Dorman part number for the 90 degree elbows you used at the rear?

Very difficult to find for some reason. GM does not stock it as a separate part. Only with the entire line set.

Dorman 800-419 Heater Hose Connector 3/4 x 5/8 https://a.co/d/eO3N1Cz

You could always skip the quick connect, if you can find a 5/8 heater hose with a 90° on the end that goes to 3/4 in.... That would slip right on the nipple in place of the quick connect with a clamp of course

 

[rdezs]

Here is the hose I was talking about. It's a 5/8 hose and when it makes the 90 degree it goes to 3/4 inch ID. A bit on the expensive side, should be able to find it cheaper somewhere else.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...WXBSZtvYHjqJWz1wpNammeIN6QCDd5KuXh-4#overview