water pump?? 97 base 51k
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 775
Likes: 98
From: carroll ohio
water pump?? 97 base 51k
noticed during the summer driving season I had to add coolant a couple times. put some cardboard under the radiator and pump area and was wet after a couple days. used a flashlight and could not find the leak. was not coming from the thermo housing. put some plexiglass under and after a couple days there was some coolant on it. started the Vette up and heard a intermittent chirp. not continuous but here and there a chirp. done my share of pump replacements but not on a LS. if this was one of my old hot rods I would call it a water pump failure. it's hard to see anything up there even with a flashlight. none of the hoses were leaking. not hard to find R&R of the c5 water pump on the forum but would like to have some recommendations on a stock or hi performance one. it's just a pleasure car driven on sunny days.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,722
Likes: 138
From: Florida
St. Jude Donor '09
The LS1 coolant pumps are very good, there is no need for a high performance pump on an otherwise stock LS1. A stock replacement pump is all you need, I'd get the AC Delco or the GM genuine replacement.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,398
Likes: 1,139
From: Dyer, IN
noticed during the summer driving season I had to add coolant a couple times. put some cardboard under the radiator and pump area and was wet after a couple days. used a flashlight and could not find the leak. was not coming from the thermo housing. put some plexiglass under and after a couple days there was some coolant on it. started the Vette up and heard a intermittent chirp. not continuous but here and there a chirp. done my share of pump replacements but not on a LS. if this was one of my old hot rods I would call it a water pump failure. it's hard to see anything up there even with a flashlight. none of the hoses were leaking. not hard to find R&R of the c5 water pump on the forum but would like to have some recommendations on a stock or hi performance one. it's just a pleasure car driven on sunny days.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,004
Likes: 723
https://www.google.com/search?q=pict...ae458wLwg,st:0
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,398
Likes: 1,139
From: Dyer, IN
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 775
Likes: 98
From: carroll ohio
couple years ago i marked the balancer with white out to keep track of if it moves. went from the balancer past the rubber then to the top of balancer in a solid line. looked today and the line is split about 2 inches apart from where they were when I marked them. so it looks like I have more of a problem than a water pump.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,861
Likes: 4,662
That could be part of the chirp. Lucky is right about coolant. Unless your coolant is pure H2O, your belts will start squealing when exposed to ethylene glycol. I have tried everything to "restore" a belt/stop a squealing belt. Brake cleaner, belt dressing, soap and water, etc. Nothing worked. It got so bad it sounded like crickets were having their own WWIII under the hood!! When people started looking at me as I drove by.....I had to buy all new belts. New belts=No more chirp in my case.....
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 775
Likes: 98
From: carroll ohio
thanks for the reply grinder as always. sometimes I feel like a detective trying to solve the clues the engine gives me. belts have about 500 miles on them so other than inspection I did not see or feel coolant. I'll be talking to my mechanic friend Wednesday about my next move. i'm not real crazy about the balancer repair in my garage. I think i'll farm it out to him this spring. if I was 10 years younger (just turned 78) I would be on it. wasn't really a squeal,just an off and on chirp. was really surprised to see my witness marks move so much.