2003 Chevy Suburban Water Pump Removal & Install

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In this video I show how I changed the water pump on my 2003 Chevrolet Suburban with the 5.3L V8. The process is very simple though time consuming. Follow along for some good old fashioned automotive entertainment.
**This channel is for entertainment purposes only! Do not do what I do. Do not take my advice. I am not a professional. The methods I use may be completely wrong and/or dangerous. Please seek professional help with anything and everything and do your own due diligence (research). Working on cars is extremely dangerous. I am not responsible for any loss of life or limb or property. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. THIS CHANNEL IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!**
FTC Disclaimer: I am an Amazon affiliate. As such, I earn a percentage of sales made through Amazon Affiliate links found in the description of my videos and on my website and other places.

[@byronking7803]

Great video very detailed one thing I seen that helps me putting the pump back on to keep your gaskets in place is to put a thin layer of sealer on the gaskets and mate it to the new pump don’t let dry completely place your new pump in place your bolts back in also the red rtv silicone will not only hold gaskets in place but will help create a extra seal with the gaskets

[@patricknugent771]

I did my water pump on my 02 Silverado then now I'm doing my fan clutch . I found out it's bast to do them together because they usually wear out together seeing that they run together. Just thought I'd pass the info best of luck keep up the good work

[@lovinlivinrvin7261]

Great video! Thanks for sharing the process. I’m on my 2nd water pump at 240k miles on a 00 Silverado 5.3L. I suspect I will be doing this again very soon.

[@trooperthorny9783]

use a big crescent wrench for the fan clutch assemble. its heavier and helps with the inertial force on loosening that nut

[@Fix-it-tony]

Just a quick tip, the hose on the side of radiator next to drain. You need to pull the hose down and only partly unscrew the drain and the coolant will drain from the hose.

[@jhuntosgarage]

This video makes me glad I have a '99. So much easier to deal with. Thanks for sharing.

[@1RoadGarage]

+J. Hunto's Garage I also have a '95 and have to say it wasn't any easier to change that water pump.

[@user-ez7ky9tc2k]

This was extremely helpful thank you for making this video I'm swapping my water pump out now and so far so good.

[@AlphaGMale]

Great video! THANK YOU! Installed on my 2001 GMC Yukon XL 1500. Just thought I would add I used Lisle 43580 (GM Fan Clutch Spanner Wrench) and a 36 mm wrench to remove the old fan blade. The Lisle wrench is $20 on Amazon and at O'reilly Auto.

[@RobertSmith-di5ll]

When I changed my thermostat cover I did not use a torque wrench and it was an aluminium housing and I cracked the housing - so always use a torque wrench and the side to side star sequence

[@KindCreature1]

Hi Jimmy, I bought a 2001 Chevy Tahoe in 2020, and your video is very helpful. Thank you. Mike in Oregon

[@bdog792]

Jimmy, another great video. Now that you have two different Suburban body styles you will have to monitor how the two rust and let us know what you see. I had a 2003 GMC pickup as well as my 99 Sub and my pick up dissolved before my eyes while my 99 is still intact and looking great. I'm not sure what they changed, but they rust proofed the older sheet metal and frame better.

[@1RoadGarage]

+B Dog Will do. Neither of my Burbs have an ounce of rust and I plan on keeping them that way but will keep an eye.

[@missingremote4388]

I scrubbed my 1995 suburbans frame today. It was covered in light rust. Never been Zebarted /just original frame paint. The body doesn't have any rust except lower driver's door ( from my shoes, salty slush I guess) in Wisconsin. I going to treat the frame tomorrow with "Rust stopper"by Sta-bil

[@stephenjones2404]

future tip 1 road when you clean up mating sufaces on a engine use scotch brite pads they work charms on rust and gunk

[@1RoadGarage]

+Stephen Jones 👍

[@alkarim5890]

I bought the same torque wrench 🔧 you used and it’s not torquing at all even in its lowest setting ! Not worth the risk as it has many bad reviews ! Great video however it would had been nice to go over the air bleeding system.

[@chiphill4856]

I had the same experience with that torque wrench, it was junk. I'm looking for a decent one that is inexpensive.

[@tomm4462]

Thanks for the video! Replaced the water pump yesterday.

[@snakejr.9196]

Great video. Step by step instructions that any person can understand. Great job.

[@jimparker7778]

Another commenter said the same---don't reuse old anti freeze unless you can't afford the few extra bucks for a jug of Dexcool. Dirty anti freeze is one thing but the chemistry of the coolant is another matter when you have so much aluminum alloy in systems today. Don't cheap out on something as fundamental as coolant.

[@rrcoster]

Nice how to but next time i wouldn't chance reusing old coolant as it does age and should be changed every 100k 5 yr and with that low of miles a doubt it every been serviced since new

[@terim84]

Water pump went out on my 03 chevy suburban z71..very helpful!

[@probeteam9936]

What do I think? I think your the one person that works on his suburban more than I do ... lol. I'll let the masses be critical ... great job ... thank you for the video ...

[@MikeBeatzcom]

I got this fixed yesterday with new parts. I saw a few dripping this morning. Not like before a huge puddle. I think it needs to be tightened down more.

[@MrEyad1990]

Sorry for commenting so much , it's just that I really like you and your videos , I have same cars you have and I'm a mechanic and have been working in these kind cars all my life and just want you open your eyes on new fixing methods instead of replacing everything .

[@enriquericcardi1378]

Great videos. Keep them Chevy's on he road!!

[@1RoadGarage]

+Enrique Riccardi Thank you!

[@roymaclean2884]

hey Jimmy great job on the water pump there my friend I put a water pump on a 2003 Chevy S10 4.3

[@1RoadGarage]

+Roy Maclean Thanks! How was it on the 4.3?

[@roymaclean2884]

wasn't too bad you just had a clean up the gasket surface get a good and clean and they had the paper gasket just had to give it a little bit of a high heat silicone just a little skim of it

[@tydonreynolds8884]

the leak was on the clean part of the gasket because antifreeze is designed to clean the inside of the engine and it would clean the gasket where it was passing by

[@charlessuhr6910]

Hey Jimmy, the belt tensioner for the AC compressor always goes bad on that truck and snaps the belt or throws the belt off. Its a very good idea to replace it. Plus you already replaced the belt, right? You wouldnt want to mess up the new belt. Its a tell tell sign when you ac goes bad on that vehicle. -Charlie

[@Jeffroson78]

If you ever heard it to where it sounds like you have a lifter or some type of a tapping knocking noise I noticed that the tensioner is probably causing the noise on my 06 Chevy Silverado it's a very strange noise

[@muleblues71]

Great video. Attempting this tomorrow

[@ManuelRodriguez-zj5zv]

Thanks for showing how you put the fan on 😢

[@jankybobax8540]

Why is it that the card board bolt template was the most impressive part of the video for me😂

[@flt842]

Cleetus McFarland will be hunting your 5.3 for his Corvette)))

[@1RoadGarage]

Haha! Love that channel. Been watching it a lot lately!

[@LincolnSP150]

From my experience the pump rear cover actually corroded causing it to degrade and separate creating a void where water leaked. Similar to the oxidation of aluminum wheels causing tire rim leaks, the aluminum turns to power and no longer seals.

[@kenlaing7529]

thanks Jimmy explains very well have a great day and ride

[@maverickrider4591]

Water pumps have weeping eye underneath, this will leak to tell you you are about to have a water pump failure. If you keep driving the weep will get larger until it ruptures and fluid blows out the weep hole.

[@gr8livn]

Just subscribed you make good suburban videos I also own a 03 suburban 4x4 with 128k runs great had mine for 4 years

[@isidrorodriguez5573]

Very helpful video thanks

[@condor5635]

great job - should have used new coolant though after all that work. I flush the entire system with 4 or 5 rounds of distilled water a few days before i replaced the pump. Then you can roughly put 100% coolant in to get it down to the 50/50 mix. Little more work but i know my system has only Dexcool and distilled water in it now. I forgot when i did it - did the Tstat have a hole for the directional fit in the housing or not? Thanks for posting.

[@amandaanderson390]

Jim very good idea to make a template for the bolts. I know a guy who put his back in the wrong order and did a lot of damage to the engine.

[@punker4Real]

did not change the coolant it must be like 17 years old did not change the bad hoses yeah what a waste of time

[@carnelllewis6993]

Good Video Help me out Alot on Replacing my water Pump Great Job thank You.

[@jewllake]

I'm sure glad my trucks have electric cooling fans - makes the job much easier. Your fine with Dexcool.

[@1RoadGarage]

+jewllake Aftermarket electric fans? If so which ones?

[@jewllake]

factory; mine is an 06. I believe they started in 05. I have an 06 Sierra and Yukon and they have dual fans. Great running trucks by the way!

[@DJR5280]

@@jewllake Yeah my 05 Tahoe has electric fans

[@bunzino8617]

Thank you Jimmy helped me out big time

[@williamstevens4824]

Thanks Jimmy , I enjoyed your video.

[@sayedjalil3606]

thanks bro that going to help me lot god bless you,takecare.

[@charlesdprovostii8878]

Appreciate Jimmy Baron forms of man thank you for your help. Have a blessed day your friend Charlie Brown

[@f.r.r.3898]

Very well explained Jimmy! Thank you!

[@esehhlkoo8701]

Relly. Good. Thanks

[@earnestmarkham5703]

A 36mm wrench will work fine. Tap to the passenger side it will come off. Leave the belt on . After fan is removed then take belt off and remove water pump.

[@moejr14]

How is that ac Delco pump holding up?

[@MrDan-pf9ge]

Gasket failure is correct. Replacement cost < $15. Access rotor to inspect. Water pump may be fine. Mine was. The serpentine belt n pulleys should be replaced. An 03 is due an alternator replacement at < 100k.

[@Reaglesracing44_]

you don’t need to replace the t-stat housing unless it’s cracked.

[@m00nchildblues]

Tstat housing would crack before the pump housing if over tightened?

[@jjesusrramirez45]

thank you 1 road i got to do the same job to my 03 sub that will help me much GOD BLESS

[@gflores7018]

Thanks for the video , it will me know how to do it myself. Thanks

[@andrewhiggins9835]

Never use the old coolant when replacing the water pump. Most pumps generally fail around 100,000 miles.. And more than likely... the coolant has never been changed .. While you were right there, you should've changed the tensioner and idler pulleys. Then you will have peace of mind if you need to take a trip.

[@rossdawson7630]

Great job however I wouldn't put it back together I'll tell you why I was replace the tensioner is a Tyler pulleys and the belts from experience living out here in the desert area Nevada I don't take any chances specially in the summer my Tahoe my pick up a my Suburban all have the same setup one time on my other vehicle I didn't change the tensioner I thought it was kind of noisy and left me stranded out by Death Valley so I don't do that anymore. Have a nice vehicle you'll get a lot of miles out of that.... Also I never use those metal type with the silicone gasket I've had those fail also not enough s e a l i ng for me otherwise great job thanks from Pahrump Nevada

[@CORITOPANA]

Good work 👍👌

[@whitetiger8652]

Great job Jimmy!

[@VanisleNSX]

Great video, Jim.

[@anthonyedwardson7290]

Very helpful thanks for the videos.

[@deanwharepapa8561]

Awesome work 👌

[@andyanderson4604]

Too neat and clean can’t handle it...good job though

[@JamesJones-og3kc]

Cool video.

[@joelavila1005]

When you change the water pump in the thermostat istil is hot 🔥 what is drow

[@RichHall-tk8cc]

Good job

[@wolfhound1a]

should of replaced that tensioner. it would have been easy since you had everything off already

[@1RoadGarage]

Yes, you're right. 👍👍

[@philvelasquez5982]

Did you put any rtv on the metal gaskets or just put them in dry?

[@stevekreibach2889]

dry

[@dynamicdopamine]

Don't use those metal gaskets...they are notorious for leaking. You need to get the ones that look more like paper and put RTV on both sides of it... but just a little thin coat. All your leaking problems will go away. Your water pump was probably fine you just had gasket failure. You'll know that water pump is bad there is a hole drilled into it and water will come out of it when the water pump is bad.

[@SadBoiiPanda]

im running into all kinds of problems on my 5.3 sierra now, its a 2004 with 200k miles and everything in the coolant system just took a crap on me :c

[@1RoadGarage]

TheSavagePanda Dang man. Get AC Delco stuff on Amazon it's cheap.

[@SadBoiiPanda]

1 Road wish I had the time, it’s my “work” vehicle and I only have the one, after failing to fix a couple of leaks over the past two days I finally broke down and took it to a shop, water pump is done for along with the fan clutch :(

[@MrEyad1990]

Just a tip , water pumps have a leaking whole underneath of it , so when it fails it will start to leak water so it tills you that im broken and replace me .

[@9thGenAccord]

Eyad Jam its a “weep hole” not a “ leaking whole”

[@MrEyad1990]

9th Gen Accord okaaaay

[@michaelmartinez5523]

How do I take out a stuck bolt on my old water pump

[@MegaHowtoMan]

How much fluid do you put back in?

[@armandomunoz846]

what is the torque specs in a water pump of a 2018 gmc sierra 5.3

[@UncleSarkis]

Awesome videos, awesome vehicles. Oldies but goldies, just like MILFs.

[@ranyel3314]

Awesome. Thanks..

[@250gtskyline5]

Lmao looking back water pump was easiest job I’ve done on my Tahoe+ Silverado 5.3s

[@MrEyad1990]

Replace the AC pulley only it's damage .

[@aaronyork6173]

Hey Jimmy is it recommended to tighten them down to 22'foot pounds or can you just leave them at 11'foot pounds? Thanks for any info I cant find anything on the internet about it thanks so much.

[@UncleSarkis]

You need to do 11 to start with, sheet completing all then you do 22.

[@kevinduder7237]

Sweet

[@mikhailgoncharov3207]

when you were torquing the water pump I seen you do the 3 on the passenger side with a click and only 2 on the driver's side. bottom driver's side was missed in the video unless rechecked it off video.

[@MrEyad1990]

Mikhail Goncharov these are aluminum screws and they can be torn if installed wrong and I guess one with the screws almost got torn so he didn't over torque it thank God or then he will be having a really really bad bad bad day m

[@gabrielmilligan9824]

How long will it take

[@moejr14]

What temp on the tstat

[@flakitorendon6775]

How is purge cooling air

[@jonbob8181]

First of all, please, what are the signs that the water pump is damaged and needs to be replaced

[@joshuaavila9710]

Do you use any gasket glue to seal other gaskets?

[@Localyhated]

You know its weird i have a 04 z71 surburban with the 5.3....its an awesome truck and it has 165k miles on it and the water pump hasn't been replaced and its not leaking....I mean low mileage vehicles are awesome but sometimes with low mileage ones especially over 10yrs old the develope issue from sitting...fuel pump filter gaskets tires oil a number of things can happen...I also have a 97 s10 with the 4.3...I just started noticing that its making like a weird noise from the front and i belive jts the water pump so I'm going to replace it but that truck has original 143k miles on it...both trucks are daily driven most of the time but not all the time....

[@1RoadGarage]

+NAE NAE'S GARAGE I agree with the sitting vehicles potentially having leaks and such...

[@Localyhated]

1 Road. Yeah you just got to watch that stuff ive had chevys in my family a lot and I own 2 and do my own work kinda like you do...so I lve seen a lot and I can judge a truck by the way it was takin care of or by the way it runs and drives or just the shear ownership...the greatest things about chevy...they lost a long time..and there "like a rock"....the song bob seiger sung for the chevy commercials in the 90s and early 2000s..that's what really got me in to chevys...

[@genecenora7176]

Great videos, make a video showing hoe to convert to electric fans:)

[@hasanalzaabi]

So the old water pump was fine only the gasket was leaking .

[@gr8livn]

hasan al zaabi probably right but while you are down there and everything is apart it’s a no brainer to invest the extra cash and just get it done. You try to save a nickel you end up spending a dime later

[@hasanalzaabi]

I would flush out the whole coolant system b4 installing the new water pump.

[@UncleSarkis]

Do you run a garden hose through to flush out the old coolant?

[@hasanalzaabi]

@@UncleSarkis yes normal pressure.

[@armandomarin-arias4021]

Why not change only the gaskets instead of the whole pu,mp?

[@neilhuston5579]

when your water pump starts leaking its usually from its weeping eye, telling you that you are about to have failure in the water pump

[@vicmo5837]

What was the total cost?

[@aday1637]

Dexcool is junk and will form solids in the engine cooling passages. Also I cannot believe you did not replace those hoses as they looked shot. And of course the pulley wheels you detected while you had it apart. You must like to assemble/disassemble a very much lot. Other than that the vid was great with good incite for those too timid to do their own work.

[@JeS-ii6yp]

Penny wise pound foolish. Jim doesn't like to spend money unless absolutely a must. Remember, he and Farris keep telling us how cheap they are in their other YT channel Farris and JImmy Show.

[@helivesonforever]

Dexcool itself won't clog stuff up unless it is low, air contamination does that. However, when you mix green antifreeze with dexcool like he did with his 95 Suburban, it really destroys everything. Seen many trucks have a ton of issues due to this. Makes a mud/sludge in your radiator, heater core, and engine coolant ports. Also damages head and intake gaskets! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER mix dexcool with anything other than dexcool!

[@punker4Real]

just change the coolant every 20,000-30,000 miles Then you have no issue

[@samsquires2877]

A Day I have a 2000 Silverado with a 161,000 miles and its only had Dexcool in it and guess what its never ever had an issue. You sir are an ignorant idiot.

[@condor5635]

This is a bunch of crap in my opinion. Always used it in my 03 Suburban with 240k and never had a single issue. Forms solids in the cooling passages. Please. Initial years may have had an issue with some gaskets being the wrong type but people who have issue with it have predominantly used some coolant sealing crap in combination with it or have mixed it with other coolants which were incompatible and any coolant will have that issue Those people that had issues also probably did not know the history of the coolant system like what coolant was in there before etc. Dexcool on engines where required is fine if you have maintained it and always use it properly

[@eksine]

omg do not use sanpaper, use a plastic abrasive rotary wheel or just a flat razor blade and do it by hand. also do not put grease in there WTF

[@dennisberg2474]

Place a C clamp on the old belt on the pulley to break it too. Just don't do it if you plan to reuse your serpentine belt. There is a peacock on the bottom of your radiator to avoid that

[@UncleSarkis]

The petcock you speak of is no longer there on the 04+ models.

[@MrEyad1990]

What's with you and waterpumps lol , of the gasket only got failed , why you hade to replace the whole water pump ??

[@1RoadGarage]

+Eyad Jam Doesn't it make sense that if I'm already removing the water pump for gaskets that I should just replace the pump and be done with it? But, yes I know I feel like a water pump professional now. Thanks for commenting! 👍

[@punker4Real]

because the parts on the pump wear out or get corrosion

[@yamhammer]

Love when haters be hating

[@ethans6.0]

beware with amazon products might have the same issues as jimmy

[@carsonfoster3058]

I got a 2004 tahoe

[@MrEyad1990]

Grease the bearings don't replace them .

[@MrEyad1990]

@Bones McGillicuddy you can remove the seal .

[@chrisf9738]

😊👍 i999

[@danhambrick6331]

You just void your warranty on your water pump by not flushing your coolant system..lol...

[@MrEyad1990]

Clutch fan , ewww . Electric fan new project ?!!

[@JohnDoe-mh8tm]

Two clicks is over tourquing

[@skylarreid1284]

No it's not dumbass. It's standard procedure

[@armandomunoz846]

what is the torque specs in a water pump of a 2018 gmc sierra 5.3