Inverter pump and water pump replacement

Both repairs are pretty straight forward, simple DIY.

Engine water pump is maybe a 4 difficulty level out of 10. Inverter water pump would be a 3 difficulty level. There are videos online for both of these repairs. Just need some simple tools.

As for parts price, Aisin makes the OEM water pump, around $44.78 on Amazon. You should get a new belt and some coolant. I think $120 all in for everything.

The inverter pump at the dealer is around $120ish. Add in coolant, all in for under $160.

So DIY would cost you less than $300 and can be done in about 2 hours

 

Sometimes worth mentioning, in cases where we know a single manufacturer supplies parts to Toyota and to be sold on Amazon for $44.78, is that the manufacturer doesn't necessarily use coin flips to decide which parts rolling off the line go where.

 

If you take a flashlight and look downward at the passenger side of the engine, you should be able to see the drive belt, the idler pulley and the water pump pulley. You should also be able to see the inner lip of the water pump drive pulley. If you have a small amount of pinkish crusty deposits, that means the seal on the water pump has a very, very, slow seep. I personally would not consider it an urgent job, just check coolant level every couple weeks or check that pulley view weekly to see if it changes. Keep in mind it may eventually become time to change it, or it may go years without changing. If you see damp pink deposits, the seep is a bit larger and probably warrants being replaced.