2021 5.3L Water pump pulley

[Shelbybaddog]

I have a 2021 Silverado Z71 1500 RST with a 5.3L with just over 25,000 miles on it. The water pump pulley fell off. It started with a little chirp noise I thought was the idle pulley. I was surprised to see that there's no tension pulley. 23 miles later the water pump pulley came off. Has this happen to anyone else? Is this press in or screwed in.

[GMCustomerService]

On 7/12/2023 at 10:47 AM, Shelbybaddog said:

I have a 2021 Silverado Z71 1500 RST with a 5.3L with just over 25,000 miles on it. The water pump pulley fell off. It started with a little chirp noise I thought was the idle pulley. I was surprised to see that there's no tension pulley. 23 miles later the water pump pulley came off. Has this happen to anyone else? Is this press in or screwed in.

This is certainly not what we like to hear, Shelbybaddog.  Please know, customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. Our team would be more than happy to take a closer look into the concerns with the water pump pulley falling off your 2021 Chevrolet Silverado. To do so, please send an email to [email protected] with ATTN: Shelbybaddog/GM Trucks in the subject line.

Please include your contact information, VIN, a brief description of your concern, and the name of your preferred dealership. We look forward to hearing from you. To learn more about GM’s Privacy Policy, please visit https://www.gm.com/privacy-statement.html. The information you provide may be monitored and recorded and is subject to the GM Privacy Statement.
 
Privacy Statement | General Motors
Your privacy is important to General Motors. This Privacy Statement addresses the personal information GM collects and how GM handles that personal information.
www.gm.com
 

[RayRay21]

This just happened to me, it’s not off yet but I caught it with 3 ribs left on the belt. 

[Niklasbraun]

On 7/12/2023 at 5:47 PM, Shelbybaddog said:

I have a 2021 Silverado Z71 1500 RST with a 5.3L with just over 25,000 miles on it. The water pump pulley fell off. It started with a little chirp noise I thought was the idle pulley. I was surprised to see that there's no tension pulley. 23 miles later the water pump pulley came off. Has this happen to anyone else? Is this press in or screwed in.

While I haven't personally experienced this issue, it's something that happens from time to time.

In the 2021 Silverado with a 5.3L, the water pump pulley is usually pressed in. But in your case, just take a look for any signs of damage or wear that could be the reason it popped off out of the blue.

Edited February 14, 2024 by Niklasbraun

[Techtom2001]

I just put a new water pump in a 2021 Silverado for the pulley falling off. 67k miles on the truck. It appears the pulley rusted away. 350 dollars later it's fixed hopefully it will last longer than 3 years.

[SDAT4]

I had the same thing happen on mine at 75k (at 93k now) except I was towing a boat in 120 degree weather back from Lake Havasu. 

 

The new water pump I got from the Chevy dealer had an updated pulley design.