waterpump leak?

The engine water pump is a known issue on the Gen2 cars, it seeps a bit of fluid. Majority of the time, it seeps so little, it won't really affect anything. Just make sure you have the coolant topped off so it doesn't run low (I would say check every 1/2 year to 1 year). Top off the fluid at the radiator, not the reservoir. The radiator cap will be exposed only after removing the front plastic cover in the front of your car.

To replace this pump, it's fairly an easy DIY job. But the dealer will tell you it'll take hours and hours and charge you $400 for it.

 

If you take on the DIY job, you should also replace the belt while you're there. You have to take it off to do this repair, just replace it at the same time.

 

I agree with JC...
Mine leaked at about 80000 miles and you have to use the special Toyota Red Coolant to refill.
Lot's of folks get this pump replaced under extended warranty, but I did not get one.
After that it stopped leaking and I am 135k miles now.
You tend to see clumps of solid pink salts near your drive pulley...take a flashlight and look....

 

Just to clarify, Toyota Super Long Life Coolant (pink fluid, yellow cap on jug, comes pre-mixed with water) is the spec coolant for your Gen2. Toyota Red Long Life (red fluid, red cap on jug, comes in concentrate form) is the spec for older yota's. You bought your 07' with low enough miles that it's likely on stock fluid in the ICE engine, anyway. Not a huge deal, but the general thinking is spec coolant is the best deal for the internals.

Mike...

 

Mine leaked at around 95,000 miles. Luckily I had an extended warranty (7 years/100,000). So they replaced it for free. (It was funny - the guy quoted me $600, but later, after I told him I have a warranty, total charge to Toyota Financial was under $300). Now, a couple of months later, they recommend I change the coolant. So the question is do I need to change the coolant after water pump replacement? They say they only fill a portion. Is it true?

 

The 2G engine coolant system has a capacity of ~9 US quarts. If the engine coolant pump was replaced under warranty the dealer tech will do the minimum with regards to the coolant replacement: open up the radiator drain cock and drain the radiator first, to get the coolant level in the engine below the point where the coolant pump is mounted.

Therefore it is likely that ~3-4 quarts of coolant were replaced after the new coolant pump was replaced. Look at the repair invoice to see how much engine coolant was replaced.

That's not bad and if you want to defer having a more complete coolant replacement job done, that would be OK.

I have found that after opening all three drain cocks in the system: engine block, radiator, and coolant heat recovery system canister, I can only get ~6.5 quarts out. Some coolant remains trapped in the system even after all drain cocks are opened.

 

Thanks for the info. They changed me 1 gallon, but God knows how much they replaced. On related note. Patrick, do you know if they replace the HV coolant when replacing HV pump? It was done some time ago based on re-call. I am getting conflicting ideas from folks whether dealer changes coolant.

 

The Toyota recall notice authorizes dealers to replace the coolant and allows dealers to charge Toyota for the coolant used. However it wouldn't surprise me if a particular tech might use clamps to seal the hoses leading to the pump, remove the old pump, install the new pump, and call it good without draining and replacing the coolant.

 

If you see the pink stuff on the oil pan, most likely you have a thermostat housing leak.