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5.3 water pump question.

4xcrazy

4xcrazy

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Elma, Washington
This is the first 5.3 I have ever had. It's really kind of been a pain too, anyways, I just replaced the alternator due to fluttering lights and bouncing volt gauge, thinking maybe the first morning start up squeak was possibly coming from the bearings as well because there is a dusty debris around that area and on the bracket...

Anyways... the squeak is still present. I have already replaced the tensioner pulley, removed, cleaned and checked the idler pulley, even removed the belt completely and started it to ensure it was in fact a belt driven squeak. It is... the noise was not there with the belt off.

I cannot positively pinpoint where this noise is coming from even with the stethoscope. It's not the AC belt or its tensioner either. Not a power steering as the sound is not that low and to the right.

It almost sounds like it's dead center, like a water pump.

I have never, in my 23 years of working on engines, ever heard a water pump squeak. Have I just been neglected in this phenomenon? I have only ever had to replace them when they start leaking or flat out break.

Anybody know or heard about this new design style of pump squeaking?

It only does it when it's dead cold, mostly in the morning after sitting all night and will only last about 3-4 minutes or as I would think whatever is squeaking, warms up and stops. Won't do it throughout the day though at all.
 
Did you replace the belt? They can make weird noises.

Never had a water pump make those noises on the 5.3 or 6.0 I've owned.
 
I hadn't changed the belt just yet, I wanted to make sure the stock one we have here was going to work with this alternator. Supposedly there are different belts from a 105 amp to the 145 amp, and I just installed a 160amp.

Gonna be heading to the store here in a few to buy a new one though, it was going to be done, just wanted to make sure the stock size would work.
 
serp belts do NOT like oils / anti freeze on them or they can have a squeak .

I know a guy who put on 3 water pumps on a 318 mopar and still had a squeak . local parts store kept giving him new under warranty .

I told him change the belt even tho it looked fine. . . . . no more noise. :D

don't forget if original vehicle ls engine with a/c the lower tensioner for the a/c only belt does go bad . I have changed a lot of them in my years cause the pulley is bad or tensioner frozen .
 
Yes, I had planned on replacing the tensioner and belt on the AC in a few weeks, when I had the belt off i did notice a bit of play in the pulley, it rolled smooth and quiet, just seemed to have a bit more slop in it than I would prefer and the belt is starting to show cracks... It's on the list..

I just got back from buying a new belt, unfortunately, I won't know for sure if it was the belt until tomorrow morning now.:doah:

Just so there is no confusion, the squeak I am hearing is not the typical belt squeal you'd be used to hearing from a V-belt slipping. This is more of a metallic type of squeak that you'd hear when a pulley bearing is going dry. That's why I initially thought it was a pulley and replaced one that didn't roll as smoothly as they should.
 
4xcrazy said:
I just got back from buying a new belt, unfortunately, I won't know for sure if it was the belt until tomorrow morning now.:doah:

Just so there is no confusion, the squeak I am hearing is not the typical belt squeal you'd be used to hearing from a V-belt slipping. This is more of a metallic type of squeak that you'd hear when a pulley bearing is going dry. That's why I initially thought it was a pulley and replaced one that didn't roll as smoothly as they should.
Click to expand...

I just went through this with a friends V8 jeep, we both thought it was a bearing or a tensioner and it ended up being the serpentine belt.
 
Dealt with this on my wife's 06' 6.0. Same water pump from what I know. Did the same thing your doing with parts replacement and still didn't get rid of the squeak on cold start only.

But many thousands of miles down the road it started leaking out of the pump seal at the front and when I replaced the water pump the squeak went away. I would do the easy things first then just be ready to replace the water pump when it leaks.
 
Pretty much it, these other things needed to be done anyways, nothing is flat out broke, but they are showing signs of wear and the need for replacement soon. That's the way I prefer to replace things, before they break. :D

As far as the water pump goes, it was supposedly replaced back in about mid-2010 at some shop that charged her well over $600 for that part of the repair that were done to this thing.. that annoyed me when I saw the receipt, and we've put quite a few miles on it since then. So I dunno...

They aren't THAT crazy expensive so I'll probably grab one in about two weeks if the noise is still there tomorrow.
 
2nd day, still no squeaks. Appears to have been the belt. Another odd one I've never heard from a serpentine belt setup.
 
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