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Water pump & Coolant drain n change

Mattt

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DONWT15 Enthusiast

DONWT15

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Posted
2 hours ago, starman8tdc said:

A small dose of a very mild stop leak still may be in order. 

Not a fan of this either, but Bars Leaks has one product called liquid aluminum. It doesn't have the red powders in it that can plug things up. Used it a couple of times on different vehicles and it worked pretty well with out plugging things up.

You can get it at most auto part stores. I think it was about $8 for a 16 oz bottle. Didn't seem to do any harm.

 

 

 

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  • 2 months later...
Mattt Enthusiast

Mattt

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Back at it....nearly 3 months later.   Tired of having to add water every 7-10 days.   So I went and rented the cooling system pressure test gizmo that starman referenced on page 2.   Pumped it up to 15psi and let it sit.   It is holding pressure, but bled down maybe 1 psi after a short while.   No leaks or drips could be seen anywhere, other than what appears to be the drip of condensation water from the A/C accumulator and drip shield that is attached to the firewall.  

 

I even went as far as starting the engine and running for 5-10 minutes with the pressure test gizmo in place instead of the cap.   Still no visible leaks, and pressure holds....less the ~1psi or at most 2psi drop.  

 

I'm fresh out of ideas and the the prospect of dropping it off with an open ticket at a shop to find the leak is less than ideal.   With the mileage I have already, I feel I'm forced to repair it myself unless I want to go way upside down on repair cost vs. vehicle value.

 

As a side note, it was high 70*s when I did this test tonight with fairly high humidity.   I glanced back at the tail pipe when it was running...vapor coming out and the gauge was steady at half field (210*).   I'm really getting concerned my coolant is burning off thru a head crack.   Has anyone successfully used a "Block Tester" to diagnose a cracked head?   I've never used one, but know of it's existence, and have watched usage of one on the YouTubes.

 

At this point I don't want to tear into a valve cover to look for chocolate milkshake oil/water gel because once I dive in, it's going to be a slippery-expensive slope I slide down with the repair.  One more thing, one more thing, etc.  Will the "Block Tester" be able to accurately diagnose a cracked Castech?  Any other way to diagnose a cracked head?   Heads are 862 casting.

 

If head replacement becomes necessary, can I safely use any other casting # head, or only 862's?

 

Thank you in advance for all advice.

sefiroxx Enthusiast

sefiroxx

Posted
Posted

For an constant leak into the cylinder, you'll get white smoke on start up - but little after that as there is not enough leakage to color the exhaust.

You'll need to rent a tool to test compression on each cylinder.

  • 2 weeks later...
Mattt Enthusiast

Mattt

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Update....it is decision time for my 04 Tahoe that's been good to me for 4+ years now.   It currently has 275k on the ticker, original engine and trans.   I sent in an oil sample for analysis.   Came back with water and coolant in the oil and higher than acceptable lead level(bearing wear due to soaked oil).  So my suspicions were correct about where the coolant/water was going.   No idea yet if it's a cracked head or head gasket leaking.   I have 862 heads which I'd read on various LS forums typically don't crack, but I did find one post on LSTech about cracked 862s.   Anyone have a good pair of heads, 862 or good replacement for an 04 5.3?

 

With how high the mileage is on the Tahoe, I'm not sure it's worth the rebuild cost.   I'd prefer to not go upside down on the Tahoe value and think the slope could get slippery once I open it up to rebuilding and/or repairing.    I am happy with the Tahoe as a daily driver, it's not perfect, but it's far from blown out and ready to be junked.  It is also at the point where it needs a front suspension & steering rebuild as everything is a bit loosey goosey so it chews up tires pretty bad.    Anyone come up with a less expensive repair for cylinder head issues?  

sefiroxx Enthusiast

sefiroxx

Posted
Posted

I have an 01 burb daily driver that was at the same point some 3 years ago. It was leaking/bleeding/dripping everywhere and I was getting ready to do a compete reseal when the kid pulled a stunt. Ended up putting in a rebuilt with 3/100k warranty. Glad I did. Completed over the weekend. For dollars more, got a better product in less time.

Black02Silverado Senior Enthusiast

Black02Silverado

Posted
Posted

Just found this thread.   The flush method posted by starman8tdc is a good one. 

 

I have changed out the coolant on my 02 Silverado twice now.  I switched it over to the AMSOIL ANTPC1G  I also have put in the GM coolant tabs.  I used all of them in the pack.  It is my understanding that in the beginning when GM came out with the iron block and aluminum heads that they put these tabs in at the assembly line to keep from getting head gasket leaks due to the expansion and contraction of the aluminum head on the iron block.

 

I have 183k on my truck with no issues.  All my UOA's come back great.  So this has worked for me.

 

I also had a friend that had coolant in his oil and he was on a tight budget.  I got him some of the GM coolant tabs and put them all in.  His coolant issue stopped.  Not saying it will work for everyone but for the cost it is worth a try. 

sefiroxx Enthusiast

sefiroxx

Posted
Posted

There is better history of coolant tabs on the Cadillac forums. The tabs were specified for the assembly line as a way to reduce the number of warranty claims as it relates to the quality of engineer/mfg from the time. GM dropped the tabs as a recommendation/tab sometime in the early 2000's as the warranty period for older vehicles have worn out and the engineer/mfg process has improved over the following decade.

If you are using tabs now, it is a temporary fix for a problem. You should prepare for a more permanent fix.

Mattt Enthusiast

Mattt

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6 hours ago, sefiroxx said:

I have an 01 burb daily driver that was at the same point some 3 years ago. It was leaking/bleeding/dripping everywhere and I was getting ready to do a compete reseal when the kid pulled a stunt. Ended up putting in a rebuilt with 3/100k warranty. Glad I did. Completed over the weekend. For dollars more, got a better product in less time.

Do you mind me asking where you picked up the rebuilt and what it ended up costing in the end once everything was said and done?   I think this Tahoe is worth maybe $3500 with the mileage on it

Mattt Enthusiast

Mattt

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GM coolant tabs.....interesting.  I have heard of them, but have never used them.    Are they really the magic pill, and should I try them or more of a waste of time as I would suspect?   I wish there was a way to determine if I had a cracked head or just a leaky head gasket, but don't think there is.      What is the success rate with the tabs if anyone cares to weigh in on that?   Thanks in advance.

sefiroxx Enthusiast

sefiroxx

Posted
Posted
Do you mind me asking where you picked up the rebuilt and what it ended up costing in the end once everything was said and done?   I think this Tahoe is worth maybe $3500 with the mileage on it
http://www.dahmerpower.com/

Call them to see what's in stock. They have new crate, new take out (auto wrecked on dealer lot and thus was disassembled), rebuilt (I sent my core back to them)

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