Preventative maintenance on a GM 5.3

Preventative maintenance

  • Just belt and pulleys

    Votes: 2 50.0%
  • Do the water pump and fan clutch too

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Better do it all including the alternator

    Votes: 2 50.0%

  • Total voters
    4

J-mobzz

Well-Known Member
I have a Chevy 5.3 with 200k on the clock in a 4x4 van I picked up and am building for back country and long trips. I’m replacing the belt tensioner, idler pulley and belt as preventative maintenance. Would you do the water pump, fan clutch and alternator while in there? It’s a good bit of extra coin and I’m on the fence.

also plugs, wires, coils and oil pressure switch. Anything else you would recommend?
 

jeeper

I live my life 1 dumpster at a time
Location
So Jo, Ut
I'm more concerned with time when it comes to the maintenance. If doing the water pump and such is only a few more minutes, do it now. If they are all separate jobs, do them as needed.
 

J-mobzz

Well-Known Member
I'm more concerned with time when it comes to the maintenance. If doing the water pump and such is only a few more minutes, do it now. If they are all separate jobs, do them as needed.
Wow if you’re more concerned with time than the money I guess all the reason I need to just do it all!
 

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Those GM truck LS engines and the related parts seem to do quite well with high miles, IMO... as long as they've been somewhat maintained. I sold my last truck with 300k+ on it and it was perfectly reliable. I've driven work trucks that had 450k+ miles on the original engine & transmission!

A water pump will usually start seeping before it goes all the way out, so you have some warning before it totally dies. I wouldn't be too worried about the fan clutch or the alternator. You could buy a new alternator and keep in the van as a backup, just in case the current one dies somewhere remote.

Plugs and wires, yes.... coils no. I would wait on a coil failure before replacing them. They usually last a long time and if one dies, it won't leave you stranded. That and replacing them isn't cheap at all, so I wouldn't worry about coils.

More common internal failures on GM LS engines that I'd think about would be replacing the oil pump, timing chain & sprocket set and the roller bearings in the rockers (swap in bushings). But that's a pretty major internal work.

I'd do the easy stuff mentioned and don't worry about the bigger stuff unless there's a problem.
 

J-mobzz

Well-Known Member
Those GM truck LS engines and the related parts seem to do quite well with high miles, IMO... as long as they've been somewhat maintained. I sold my last truck with 300k+ on it and it was perfectly reliable. I've driven work trucks that had 450k+ miles on the original engine & transmission!

A water pump will usually start seeping before it goes all the way out, so you have some warning before it totally dies. I wouldn't be too worried about the fan clutch or the alternator. You could buy a new alternator and keep in the van as a backup, just in case the current one dies somewhere remote.

Plugs and wires, yes.... coils no. I would wait on a coil failure before replacing them. They usually last a long time and if one dies, it won't leave you stranded. That and replacing them isn't cheap at all, so I wouldn't worry about coils.

More common internal failures on GM LS engines that I'd think about would be replacing the oil pump, timing chain & sprocket set and the roller bearings in the rockers (swap in bushings). But that's a pretty major internal work.

I'd do the easy stuff mentioned and don't worry about the bigger stuff unless there's a problem.
This is really good advice. I appreciate you taking the time to write that out. I had a 02 Silverado that went 240k and never had a problem besides an tensioner pulley going out and killing the belt leaving me stranded in the west desert.

I just dropped $600 ordering everything but a water pump and coils. I think I’ll swap the alternator and keep the old one and old serpentine belt as spares.
 

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
This is really good advice. I appreciate you taking the time to write that out. I had a 02 Silverado that went 240k and never had a problem besides an tensioner pulley going out and killing the belt leaving me stranded in the west desert.

I just dropped $600 ordering everything but a water pump and coils. I think I’ll swap the alternator and keep the old one and old serpentine belt as spares.

Good choice, I think you're on the right track. Happy to help!
 

BCGPER

Starting Another Thread
Location
Sunny Arizona
If I didn’t know the history of the engine I’d plan on replacing the intake manifold gaskets. Not an expensive job, just a bit of a pain.
 

J-mobzz

Well-Known Member
So I should have done the water pump. I have put just over 7,000 miles on it since I picked it up but the water pump has started seeping. I get it back from getting some cosmetic work done hopefully Friday and while I’m at it with the water pump, fan clutch and thermostat I ordered a couple 12” pusher fans to mount to the AC condenser to hopefully help keep the AC colder in traffic and idle.
Does anyone have experience with pusher fans for improvement AC performance?
 

4x4_Welder

Well-Known Member
Location
Twin Falls, ID
UPS runs almost all L96 6.0s, so I'm getting pretty familiar with those things. About every 50-60k I do belt, idler, and tensioner. The water pumps seem to last, but the thermostats get sticky at higher mileage. I've had one that would go into derate every few days at random, I could never get it to do it until one test drive it hit 240°. Replaced the thermostat and didn't have another issue with it. The fan clutches also wear pretty bad.
Alternators seem to be ok, but I've had two newer ones fail at extremely low miles (like 2500-2700 miles)
 
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