D@mn, D@mn, D@mn... anitfreeze leaking steadily all over armor....Ugh! Need Help!

[Happy Hummer]

So, I'm out today doing the clientele roster for the route and when I come back to the H3 (after going across town) there is a steady flow of fluid leaking on the pavement. Of course I drop the armor and check under the hood and that is when it dawns on me that the overflow jug is nearly empty...Ugh! Mind you I check the H3 weekly/daily because it truly is pretty much the backbone of the biz and this just piss@d me off to no end. The radiator was replaced a few years back, as was the thermostat and all fluids.
So, the bizarre thing is it is leaking directly at the front of the engine. I watched it just trickle down the front near the pulleys and drain out all over the ground. Checked the top hose and the clamps and they are tight/secure.
There has been no noise or smell of antifreeze period. My nose is very sensitive to antifreeze and if I get even a whiff of it I'm off to the races lol.

So, where to begin???:whaa::sigh:

I'm not ruling out the radiator but this is a replacement ACDelco with the new and improved top cap so as not to touch the metal.


H@ll I'm just p!ssed..... D@mn!
It's been raining so much (don't get me wrong I'm grateful for the rain because no rain no biz!) but of course I'm now going to fall behind more both biz wise and economically Ugh!:sigh::huh:

 

[Jeepwalker]

If you haven't done so, first thing to do is look up (from underneath) at the underside of the water pump? There's usually a hole on the under-side of the pump-neck (sometimes hard to see behind the pulleys), which is a common place for leaks. Coolant can drizzle out the hole and down the front of the motor, or down hoses, etc, and may look like the leak is elsewhere. The hole is there to allow coolant to escape when the water pump seal fails. Again, real common. Water pumps do fail at some point. Aftermarket waterpumps can fail quicker than you think. This is the first place to look. The repair is fairly straight forward.

Otherwise, common leaks are where radiator hoses connect, etc, or the radiator itself, but you say you checked those areas.

If you don't find any leaks, and think there might be head gasket issues, what you might want to do next is look at the tailpipe. If it looks super clean (almost no black soot), also remove the oil fill cap and look underneath for excessive 'milkiness' ....those are signs of possible head gasket issues. Also remove the radiator cap and run the vehicle, have someone give it a little gas while you look for bubbles and also sniff the coolant. A severe leak you can smell combustion gasses in the radiator. Inspect the spark plugs. If one or two plugs look super clean (no oil,gas or soot) that's probably where a head gasket leak is. The steam cleans the plugs and tailpipe like new.

But check the water pump for leakage first. It's fairly common.

 

[scoreh3]

Happy Hummer , you and I are having the same week. I was out of town and mine did the same thing. There was no normal warning noises, temperature issues, smells, nothing indicating that the water pump was nearing the end of its life. We drove for hours and the water temp was find ( the scangauge was reading fine). We parked at the hotel was the first time I smelled that hot coolant smell. When I got out I saw coolant leaking on the ground. The next morning I filled it with water at the hotel and took it to a nearby shop. They looked at it ( without dropping the skid plate) and said it appeared to be coming from a crack on the front of the motor. They said it would probably take a few days to get the parts and fix it. After I had it towed the 200+ miles home, when the AAA tow truck driver started it to get it off the flatbed and into my driveway we heard a chattering and other noises. This was the first time is had made a sound. Once at home I could see that the leak looks higher up than where the shop thought it was. So hopefully both of will get good news and it’s only the water pump.

 

[alrock]

I agree with Jeepwalker. Based on what you said, water pump sounds like a likely culprit. And get an AC Delco or GM new water pump. Don't get O'Reilly, etc. unless you want to use that lifetime warranty putting it in, pulling it out repeatedly.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I should add this: sometimes if there are too many obstructions to see all the way up to the bottom-side of the water pump, an inspection mirror and flashlight can be used to view the underside (looking down from the top). 8x out of 10 that's where the leak comes from. Sometimes water pumps leak around their mounting gasket too. Sometimes people may say, "I juuuust replaced the water pump last year." Doesn't matter, the aftermarket ones tend to have a short life.

Hopefully that'll be your issue ..and an easy fix.

 

[Happy Hummer]

Thanks for the replies all!!!
It's a new day and I'm a bit more calm lol so I'll take a good look this morning.
scoreH3 sorry to hear that you to are facing this... Same exact symptoms.....
I'm going to take everything out this morning that is obstructing my view and I'll get back to you with the results.
I read quite a number of reviews stating the newest batch of GM, AcDelco water pumps have been really bad. I guess they to are now being made in China.

 

[Happy Hummer]

Wanted to do a follow up..
After what seemed like a lot of monkey d!ckn around was finally able to get the fan clutch off.
By the way the local (to me) AZ and Oriellys had the 36mm spanner style wrench and specialty ratcheting tool needed for removal of said clutch fan.
It was indeed the oem water pump and with approximately 80+k miles on it.
There was dripping fluid out the weep hole and the bottom of the pump was covered in a weirdo kinda elgey like stuff.
I've never had a pump just spill it's guts like this all at once. Like I stated no noice or signs of any kind.
On a side note AZ water pumps are actually pretty decent and come with a metal core seal/gasket to boot. The casting was decent as was the porosity.
Luckily, the dexcool style antifreeze has gotten more price friendly to.
The total job was maybe 5hrs. I'm guessing.
Now just to see if the quality is there for this product. I normally pick gates, AcDelco, gm, dayco but I was pressed for time and in a lyrch.

Should the clutch fan be replaced? It seems like it works. There is a bit of noice (like chattering) for the first few seconds then it is pretty quiet.

 

[amrg]

I read that its good measure to do both at the same time as they have similar life expectancy. Did you notice higher running temps? A slipping clutch would do that

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[Jeepwalker]

I wouldn't replace it unless it needs replacing. There are youtube videos how to check. Probably best to start there. But yeah, if it's slipping, locked up, etc, definitely replace.

 

[Traxx]

When the belt dries out from the antifreeze the chattering will likely stop. General rule of thumb is if you replace the radiator you may as well do the water pump as well since your already 2/3 of the way there anyway.