6.6 water pump replacement

[Horse_gal_jen]

we recently had problems with our 6.6 leaking coolant. it was taken to a mechanic who changed the pipe that connects to the water pump. but it's still leaking coolant so it was taken back to him and he die tested the system and found a leak at the water pump and suggests we replace the water pump.

he had the truck for 3 weeks last time and has had it for a week this time and hasn't fixed it and wont return my calls.

There is no one else in the area to work on diesels and I'm fed up with him. so my question is how hard is it for someone who is handy enough to change, bearings, calipers, ball joints, shocks, fuel pumps and there have been a few others we have replaced to replace a fuel pump.

is it a difficult process? the mechanic told us we would have been able to change to pipe he changed but he charged us 600$ labour because he had to remove half the engine to get to the pipe apparently, is this the case with the water pump?

any advice would be greatly appreciated, if this isn't a complicated fix, I think we'll try it on our own rather than leave it with this guy for weeks when he refuses to answer the phone and tell me what he's doing to my truck!

[lb7lbz]

first off $600 to replace that short piece of hose over the waterpump is a ripoff. i did mine in the driveway in just over an hour and i also took off most of the stuff on the front of the engine to make it easier.also replaced my own waterpump,however this one is a little trickier.the harmonic balancer has to come off which was the toughest part for me. you will have to jam up the tranny to keep it from turning or buy the special tool. i used a pry bar and stuck it through the hole in the side of the bellhousing to keep the converter from turning,that being said it is possible. i did mine on a lift and really wouldnt have wanted to do it without,so if u have access to a lift i'd say go for it. where do u live? i ask because you may find a member who will do it for you cheaper.good luck

[Horse_gal_jen]

thanks, I really thought the labour costs were ridiculous too. he had originally quoted us 450$ and we supplied the coolant too!

I live in Canada so I'm not sure if there are any members in the area.

Thanks for the advice, hubby and I are going to drive by the mechanic's tonight on the way home and if the truck isn't in his shop in pieces as he says it's coming home with us!

he claims he had to take it half apart to check the water pump, but I don't believe him.

Thanks!

[Mark Rinker]

Get a new mechanic this guy is lost.

[Hook_'em_Horns!]

we recently had problems with our 6.6 leaking coolant. it was taken to a mechanic who changed the pipe that connects to the water pump. but it's still leaking coolant so it was taken back to him and he die tested the system and found a leak at the water pump and suggests we replace the water pump.

he had the truck for 3 weeks last time and has had it for a week this time and hasn't fixed it and wont return my calls.

There is no one else in the area to work on diesels and I'm fed up with him. so my question is how hard is it for someone who is handy enough to change, bearings, calipers, ball joints, shocks, fuel pumps and there have been a few others we have replaced to replace a fuel pump.

is it a difficult process? the mechanic told us we would have been able to change to pipe he changed but he charged us 600$ labour because he had to remove half the engine to get to the pipe apparently, is this the case with the water pump?

any advice would be greatly appreciated, if this isn't a complicated fix, I think we'll try it on our own rather than leave it with this guy for weeks when he refuses to answer the phone and tell me what he's doing to my truck!

Wow, is he lost! Mine is leaking (not happy here, with that issue at 73K miles), in and out in 1 day promised at the dealer under warranty.

[Horse_gal_jen]

Get a new mechanic this guy is lost.

agreed! but the guy has to actually come to work so I can get my truck back!

today is day 3 of him not showing up for work. I talked to him on Friday and he claimed the truck was already half way apart and he was working on getting an after market part and would call me back with a quote. I got a hold of another guy who works there and he says he hasn't seen him since Friday and he never bothered to tell anyone where he was and his wife who is his secretary didn't bother coming in either even to leave a message on the answering machine. heck I'm sure she could call in from home to do it!

I asked the guy if there was a blue truck in the shop he says nope there's one sitting in the yard though! so it's not even taken apart like he claimed. so we are going to get it tonight with our spare key and when he decides to show up to work he'll get an earful!

I called another dealership and they quoted me 850$ for parts and labor to replace it. but we own a farm and the horses are soon going to run out of hay and we need to truck to pick up another load so I guess it'll have to be done!

I am so frustrated with this guy!

thanks for the advice all.

[wade-ve7trw]

where in canada are you?

[cowboywildbill]

Hope you get your truck back. Get away from that guy. Let us know how you make out.

[Horse_gal_jen]

thanks guys, he still hasn't showed up for work.

SO we went by this morning to get our truck back and it was sitting in his yard UNLOCKED!!!!! and we had a good tile saw sitting on the back seat!

thank God no one stole it.

but we couldn't get it started cause it has been really cold and it's been sitting for almost two weeks.

So we left a note on it that said "DO NOT WORK ON THIS TRUCK" and we'll go back for it tonight, oh and we locked the doors!

I'm just outside of Ottawa Ontario.

[Duramaster]

So on the flip side of things, GM Warranty pays 3 hours warranty time to replace the pump. I imagine that the flat rate manuals suggest 4.5 to 5 hours (real time in mechanic terms). Our labor rate at our shop is $98.50 an hour here in the Pacific Northwest. Some dealers are as much as $105 an hour! $600 for a waterpump and labor might not be too far out of line. I called the parts dept. just now and was put on hold so I don't have an exact price on the pump.

[wade-ve7trw]

I would drop in on your location with my pit(wrecking) crew but to do it on a weekend-it would take me about 2 weeks mostly driving to get there to give you a hand changing it and help haul hay lol wade

[Hook_'em_Horns!]

thanks guys, he still hasn't showed up for work.

SO we went by this morning to get our truck back and it was sitting in his yard UNLOCKED!!!!! and we had a good tile saw sitting on the back seat!

thank God no one stole it.

but we couldn't get it started cause it has been really cold and it's been sitting for almost two weeks.

So we left a note on it that said "DO NOT WORK ON THIS TRUCK" and we'll go back for it tonight, oh and we locked the doors!

I'm just outside of Ottawa Ontario.

Just had my water pump replaced Friday under the engine warranty at the Dealer on my ’05.

Total Bill $519.25
Parts $ 250.37
Consisting of:
1-water pump $129.07
1-gasket $15.74
1-gasket $1.74
1-Seal $0.55
2-Coolant @16.04 $32.38

Labor 3.0hrs $268.38
skill 31 tech-start time 08:06____end time 11:34
skill 20 tech-start time 15:04____end time 15:05
This was before my $100 deductible.
Sorry you’re being ripped, hope this REAL info from a Chevy Dealer helps.