Leave the belt on to act as a strap wrench. Get a GIGANTIC wrench that fits the hex on the fan clutch(I use the biggest cresent I have, but you could try a 24" pipe wrench). Wack the hell out of it with a 3lb maul or even heavier. You have it hit it hard and fast.

 

Did you fix your leaky water pump? mine started leaking really bad the last few days im wondering if changing the gasket will fix it or if i should just go ahead and change the whole pump

 

Depends where it's leaking from, if it's leaking between the pump and block, just go for the gaskets, they're fairly common.

 

The gaskets are highly reliable. Is it squealing? Could be a bad bearing. Most likely time for a replacement pump especially if it is making a lot of racket. When I got my Silverado back in Christmas 98(when the GenIII was first released in the trucks) I put on a Meziere electric pump. That was 10 years ago and NO LEAKS. Of course you can buy 4 mechanical water pumps for what I paid for that electic one.

 

There is also a seep hole on water pumps, so when they wear out to a certain point it will leak there, but on the few i have had to do at work its never been a gasket.

Dustin

 

There have been more than one case of gasket failures on this forum alone, not to mention the folks I know on the outside who have experienced the same thing. Can't remember who it was (maybe TGOZ71?), but he posted pics of his gaskets where the orange rubber had actually expanded and worked it's way into the water jacket behind the water pump. A friend of mine experienced the same exact failure, and my own water pump gaskets were working their way out when I removed them to do my cam swap with 37k on the ticker....I wouldn't call that reliable. Most of the GENIII gaskets are extrememly reliable, but the water pump gaskets have been known to fail.

If coolant is coming from behind the pulley (bad bearing leading to movement of the pulley causing the front seal to leak), or through the weep hole, then the water pump is at fault. Of course if the pump is noisy it should be replaced as the bearing is at fault.

 

That's news to me. I've done cam and head swaps on LS series engines and found the water pump gasket (and timing cover gasket) in such good condition that I reused it without a leak even though I had new ones sitting on the shelf. The rubber(orange) portion of the gasket was still soft and pliable. In order for that gasket to fail the rubber portion has to get past the plastic that surrounds it and that is no easy task. If the fasteners are torqued down properly how is the rubber going to squeeze past the plastic surround encasing it? This I would have to see. I realize anything is possible, but that's no easy task.

 

I was trying to find the thread with the pics yesterday but had no luck...I wish I could at least remember which member posted the pics

 

Sorry for the delay in update. I finally got it in, no leaks anywhere and she WAS driving well. The day after I got that in, I noticed a major gas leak. I'll be getting the entire fuel line replaced. After I get it back from that, it will be going to the speed shop for full bolt on exhaust and tune.

 

most parts stores sell a pulley holding wrench, you have to make sure you buy the one with the pins in the sides as there are no bolts to hold onto