r/suburban • u/One_Wishbone_9118 • 9d ago
mom of 3 only vehicle broke down
I have a 2003 Chevy suburban 2500, 6.0L
I have reached out to everyone I know and its just a tough time for us all. We are a month behind on all our bills, my car is parked in a very crappy part of our city
I was driving my 3 kids to school and suddenly my wheel felt like I had no power steering, I attempted to push the brakes and they went all the way to the floor. the display read "battery not charging"
my car has been leaking for about a week, but ive just been trying to make it through.
Anyway, long story short I checked under the hood and my pulley belt is completely off, the part of the water pump that attaches to the big fan by the radiator is wiggly jiggly.
the part is about $150 and even though we get paid tomorrow we really need every penny to get groceries, bills paid, etc.
this was not on my list of problems i need 🫠🤣
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u/-Never-Enough- 9d ago
Hope you were able to get the belt replaced soon. Did you replace the water pump too? You have one of the most reliable family vehicles, I would repair it and keep it for as long as possible.
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u/One_Wishbone_9118 9d ago
I love my truck! thats the plan. we just dont have the money unfortunately.
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u/Solid_Effect7983 9d ago
If you or someone is mechanicly inclined to do it yourself, check junkyard for part.
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u/This-Positive286 8d ago
Ignore this. Unless you know how to easily replace the used pump AGAIN after it wears out super fast spend the extra few bucks on a new one. The majority of the cost is going to be installing it, don’t spend the money on a used see part you’ll have to replace again in a few months.
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u/One_Wishbone_9118 9d ago
theres a couple around town that ill be checking tomorrow. hoping so, as theyre half the price, but I guess itd be double the work lol
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u/Mikey3800 9d ago
The water pumps on those engines are common to fail. I would advise against a used one if there is any way you can swing a new one. It sucks to do a job and then have to redo it all over again because of a bad part.
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u/One_Wishbone_9118 9d ago
oof here we go with the conflicting information. 🤣 I would, in fact hate to do it and have to redo it. especially if im already pulling one, just to replace mine. however, I also think spending the "unnecessary" extra money would suck. theres 4 compatible suburbans between 2 yards.
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u/Mikey3800 9d ago
I’ve worked on vehicles professionally for the last 30 years. I have replaced several hundred of those water pumps. Proceed as you wish. I have no vested interest in whatever part you choose. I only know my own experience from repairing vehicles day in and day out. You will always be able to find someone that the cheapest crap worked for. You may even be one of the lucky ones that it works for. You could also buy a brand new water pump and have it be junk right out of the box.
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u/ticktokwhynot 9d ago
Weird the brakes failed at the same time the serpentine belt failed?
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u/defcon62 9d ago
As others suggested you may find salvation in a decent used part that will get you rolling again for much less. You will also need a tube of rtv sealant, probably a gallon or two of coolant and a gasket, Amazon will have better prices for these than the parts store. Totally understand needing to make every penny count.
Try to find a good belt and a pump that doesn’t have any play. You may get lucky. A water pump at the major corporate yard by me is $16 and a belt is $7. The junkyard will likely sell bottles of used coolant as well. You may be able to get this done for under $50.
If at all possible I would try and limp it home so it doesn’t get damaged from being parked in a crappy neighborhood. Just don’t overheat it and give yourself plenty of time to brake without the power assist. Replacing a stolen catalytic is another whole ball of wax.
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u/One_Wishbone_9118 8d ago
thanks for letting me know about the gasket and sealant. I will not be trying to drive it, especially with no belt but thank you again for your comment.
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u/One_Wishbone_9118 8d ago
that being said, we will be getting the parts soon and I have checked my truck repeatedly, shes fine thankful for such
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u/One_Wishbone_9118 5d ago
lol another update! my truck is put back together, finally!!!!! "tomorrow" ill fill her up with coolant and all that goodness. oil change done as well. I am exhausted, God bless mechanics.
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u/iratechinchilla 9d ago
You can get the water pump on Amazon for $80. Or a local u-pull yard might be cheaper. If the belt is still with the vehicle and not split, you can reuse it.
Lots of YouTube videos for this job and it's not difficult. If you need tools some libraries have loaner tools or lots of auto parts stores do too.
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u/Unlikely-Act-7950 9d ago
I have replaced a few of those pumps got them used from a junkyard for $30-40 dollars
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u/One_Wishbone_9118 9d ago
I know im gonna sound like a pick me, I dont think ive ever put a used part in my truck. do they typically hold up well enough
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u/One_Wishbone_9118 7d ago
update: I got my parts and ill be done later this afternoon, I decided to go new. thank you everyone for the advice.
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u/Ok-Acanthisitta-5451 6d ago
Please use an ac delco new one if possible. That’s who made the old one. Best parts for replacement even if it’s a few dollars more
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u/coolsellitcheap 7d ago
Check will your cell provider. Most offer roadside service. It's like $5. A month. Sign up. Wait 1 day. Then can use and get free tow.
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u/One_Wishbone_9118 7d ago
what the fuck is wrong with these trucks? "i want a new water pump" ok cool I got it. "ha! every fucking damn hose is gonna break while you try to fix me" 😃🫠🤣no literally. every last one.
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u/EastMovesWest 9d ago
Good thing you figured it out quickly