A few months ago, when I had my cooling system pressure checked by Toyota. Everything came back fine but they told me I need a new water pump. ($500) How can you tell if you need a new water pump other then coolant level dropping? My antifreeze hasn't budged and it doesn't leak a bit. Could Toyota be just trying to make money? I see no signs of it being bad. Corolla with 124k miles on it. (2001).
Water Pump
- Thread starter buster
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Usually the first indication is a slow coolant leak around the water pump seal. If you're not noticing coolant loss, I'm not sure you have a water pump problem, unless there is something wrong internally (I don't know enough about water pumps to say one way or the other).
That $500 they are quoting you is a bit high. The water pump itself can be bought for about $30 at AutoZone, the rest they are charging you is labor. If you can't or don't want to do it yourself, find a reputable independent shop to do it for you. I've had good experiences with Firestone.
That $500 they are quoting you is a bit high. The water pump itself can be bought for about $30 at AutoZone, the rest they are charging you is labor. If you can't or don't want to do it yourself, find a reputable independent shop to do it for you. I've had good experiences with Firestone.
Buster:
Tim is right; the pumps themselves are nowhere near that expensive. For my cars, I'm looking at about $35-40 for the pump, gasket and seals, and maybe a couple hours to change it out. Do you actually have 124K on the original pump? You're probably on borrowed time with it. Most vehicles commonly require a replacement pump at 50-75K intervals. The impeller shaft bearings eventually wear, with resultant play at the pulley. Maybe that's what the shop noticed. If the pump is replaced, make sure the drive belt isn't overtightened, which could accelerate bearing wear in the new pump.
Tim is right; the pumps themselves are nowhere near that expensive. For my cars, I'm looking at about $35-40 for the pump, gasket and seals, and maybe a couple hours to change it out. Do you actually have 124K on the original pump? You're probably on borrowed time with it. Most vehicles commonly require a replacement pump at 50-75K intervals. The impeller shaft bearings eventually wear, with resultant play at the pulley. Maybe that's what the shop noticed. If the pump is replaced, make sure the drive belt isn't overtightened, which could accelerate bearing wear in the new pump.
I have 124k on the original pump. The car is only 2.5yrs old. All highway miles. Problem is where it's located. If I'm looking at it right, it's on the side of the engine (front wheel drive) where the acessory belt is towards the back. It's not leaking as far as I can tell. I called another dealer and they said if its not leaking it's fine. When they did the cooling system pressure check, a little might have seeped out. Not sure.
Buster:
I would agree that if it's not leaking then the seals are fine, but you just don't know about the bearings. I had a water pump fail on me once that wasn't leaking at all, but the bearings failed and the impeller seized up. I was lucky to be three blocks from my office, and got the car there and shut it off before the engine was damaged.
I think most would agree that 124K is a lot of miles to have on a water pump, and that you're more or less on borrowed time with it. If I could reach back there, take the tension off the drive belt and wiggle the pulley to confirm NO PLAY then I might feel more comfortable with a recommendation to leave it alone. If I felt any discernable play at the pulley and it was my car, I'd definitely have it replaced.
I would agree that if it's not leaking then the seals are fine, but you just don't know about the bearings. I had a water pump fail on me once that wasn't leaking at all, but the bearings failed and the impeller seized up. I was lucky to be three blocks from my office, and got the car there and shut it off before the engine was damaged.
I think most would agree that 124K is a lot of miles to have on a water pump, and that you're more or less on borrowed time with it. If I could reach back there, take the tension off the drive belt and wiggle the pulley to confirm NO PLAY then I might feel more comfortable with a recommendation to leave it alone. If I felt any discernable play at the pulley and it was my car, I'd definitely have it replaced.
I normally go with the "if it doesn't leak, leave it alone" theory. Exceptions are if the car is overheating (impellers worn) or bearings are noisy. Bearings and seals go from the silicates falling out of the coolant, forming an abrasive mess. That's one reason why I'm switching to Dex-Cool.
i'm not familar with the corrola engine but does it have a timing belt? did they replace it at the same time as the water pump.
on some vehicles (3.0 toy truck engine) the timing belt runs the water pump. it is a pain to change the belt and water pump so they are often replaced at the same time because it is cheaper to replace the pump at belt change time then it is to chance having to do basically the same job twice if the pump goes out.
at 126,000 miles you'd be overdue for your second timing belt, if it has one.
on some vehicles (3.0 toy truck engine) the timing belt runs the water pump. it is a pain to change the belt and water pump so they are often replaced at the same time because it is cheaper to replace the pump at belt change time then it is to chance having to do basically the same job twice if the pump goes out.
at 126,000 miles you'd be overdue for your second timing belt, if it has one.
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