Aluminum Water Pumps

[anotheridiot]

our work van a 2003 Chevy 3500 has blown its second water pump gasket after a year. Last time this happened we changed the pump, alternator and even got the timing chain and oil pump since we were all the way down there anyway and its got 130k, so we figured we would have been good for a while.

I know in the old days there was the trick to take a center punch and dimple the gasket surfaces on the aluminum side, but that was way before these gaskets got so technical looking with molded in o rings on metal sammiches. Is it just maybe getting it hot and retorquing or is there something else I am missing?

[squirrel]

LS style motor? The only experience I have with them is the 99 silverado 5.3, the gaskets started leaking around 60k miles. replaced them, and it's been fine and now has 263k on it. I think the problem was you replaced way too much stuff.

Dimpling parts to try to keep gaskets in place is pretty lame.

[anotheridiot]

yeah, I was kinda pissed when the pump came in, its got the pressed or glued in water neck that I really was not happy with the design. Got the AC Professional pump, came in an AC box, but stamped made in mexico. I guess there is an original equipment model of AC that was 25.00 more, but usually AC Professional is top of the line, at least wagner and raybestos stuff looks a little better in their professional duty parts. Put the felpro gaskets on, ordered victor reinz and AC Delco gaskets to see which one looks better.

[squirrel]

The dexcool may have something to do with gasket problems, with these modern aluminum-with-a-seal type gaskets?

[68scott385]

I've been running an Edelbrock aluminum water pump on my sbc since 1999 and only had to replace the gaskets once.

Had to replace intake gaskets on my '97 Vortec twice in less than 10 years. Stopped using dexcool after the second time...no problems since and it's been seven years.

[anotheridiot]

what are you using in place of the dexcool? the ford style or all model gold?

[squirrel]

I use the normal green stuff. Well....as normal as you can get, these days. I guess it's more yellow colored.


btw if you're not familiar with the water pumps on the "modern" LS type engines, they're quite different from the old small blocks, and nothing we know from back then, applies now.

[silver_bullet]

We had the same issues with all of our late model GM vehicles. Dexcool eats aluminum... It has microorganisms that will eat, and then oxidize, forming a sludge that clogs the cooling system
. Our advise is to flush the system completely and refill with your choice of glycol based antifreeze. We haven't had any issues since... One left to go!