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Question on Water Pump Replacement at 167k Miles?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by sdrocker, Jul 8, 2015.

  1. sdrocker

    sdrocker Member

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    Hi All,
    My 2007 Prius has been treating me well. I had a P1121 code that came on a few months ago and a few weeks back I replaced the coolant control valve and drained/flushed the engine and inverter coolant. that was quite a bit of work!

    I took the Prius to have the tires rotated yesterday and was told that I should look at replacing the water pump. They said there was evidence of leaking from the weep hole and that I should check to see if the water pump had been replaced before because maybe it had been done and it wasn't cleaned up. I said I would look at the records and then come back if needed. About 30 seconds later the guy told me if I wanted they could do it right now and be done within a couple hours. I opted to not do that since I could tell he was being pushy.

    I looked when I got home and I don't see any evidence of coolant from the weep hole. I looked only from the top and with a mirror all around the pulley, etc but didn't see anything. I see a little bit of pink color on one bolt corner in the photo but that could have been from something else. Do I need to look from underneath the car?

    I bought the car at 163k miles and the previous owner gave me the records. I didn't see anything on the engine water pump being replaced. The coolant level has not been dropping at all and I check every couple weeks since I keep on top of the oil level frequently.

    I thought it couldn't hurt to do the waterpump now by myself except I'm in the middle of moving from having sold my house so it is really hectic, however I will lose access to a garage where I can work on a car so I'm debating doing this myself now. The tire shop quoted me $300 for the job which seems reasonable if it really does need it.

    I can see the serpentine belt has some small cracks (I think) so I may replace that belt anyways.
    does anyone have any advice? Too bad I didn't do this a few weeks ago when I did the coolant control valve.

    Thanks

    IMG_1290.JPG IMG_1291.JPG IMG_1292.JPG IMG_1293.JPG
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    if you change a 3 way coolant valve, you can definitely change the water pump, it's much easier.

    From your pictures, I don't see it leaking. You can open the radiator cap (when engine is cool) and see if it's low. You have some white spots on the hoses, but those spots are not from leaking coolant from the water pump. It can't travel to those hoses like that. It may be spilled coolant from you last service of the 3 way valve.
     
  3. sdrocker

    sdrocker Member

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    Thanks, I thought I'd be able to do the water pump. It's more an issue of having a place to do the work. I have garage access until July 20th although I am moving, cleaning, etc every day so it's hectic. I'm wondering if waiting longer is fine for a 167k mileage car. The $300 isn't the end of the world if I have someone do it later but obviously if I had infinite time I'd probably do it now.

    The white stuff on the hose could be from when I sprayed degreaser on parts of the engine to clean it up after I bought it. I don't think I cleaned up the hoses.
     
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Well you can change the belt if you think it needs changing (especially if it's original from 167k miles ago), but I wouldn't mess with a water pump that's not leaking. You can cause a leak or possibly put in a defective part when you fix something that doesn't need fixing.
     
  5. sdrocker

    sdrocker Member

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    Thanks. The serpentine is not original if I remember correct but I will double check.

    Do I need to inspect from underneath? I don't recall seeing any leaks when I did the coolant control valve and I was underneath taking a glance but I did not look closely at the water pump weep hole.

    I did however look with a mirror yesterday from the top. It sounds like the tire place was trying to sell me unnecessary work? The guy had a look that almost made it obvious they needed more work and things were a little slow. Plus he said I should check my service records to see if it was done because maybe it wasn't cleaned up (not sure if he's trying to say coolant signs on the pulley or what) and then a couple minutes later he asked if I wanted to leave it and do it now.
     
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If you have access to a garage, you can do some maintenance, but I don't see changing the water pump is necessary. I don't see a leak.

    At 120k miles, you should have done the following already.

    1. Change coolants (radiator and inverter)
    2. check brakes for wear
    3. change spark plugs
    4. change pcv valve (some people don't bother with this)
    5. change your brake fluid if you're in a humid climate (I haven't done mine)
    6. check and change air filters/cabin filters
     
  7. sdrocker

    sdrocker Member

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    Thanks, I changed both coolants a few weeks ago. The brakes still look ok, except the tire place said the rears are out of adjustment. I'll adjust them before I move since it should be easy. The plugs were done before 120k.

    I will check the air filters. they were done a couple times before I owned the car but not sure how long ago. a lot of other things were done to the car by the previous owner (transaxle flushes, oil changes, etc).
     
  8. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's really hard to trust mechanics that recommend a service. You never know when they are honest about the service or just trying to make some extra money.

    Even the mechanic I go to, I used him for over 20 years and at times I find his recommendations questionable.
     
  9. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    the water pump is so easy you can do it outdoors with just a very few tools. I wouldn't worry too much about it right now. just keep an eye on it for more pink residue.
     
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  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Look at the inside of the engine coolant pump pulley for a pinkish residue. The residue may also have formed deposits on the air conditioner compressor housing below the pump.

    If you don't see this residue and the coolant level in the radiator remains full then the only action needed is to replace the serpentine belt which is past-due.

    My thread here explains how to replace the pump.
    How to replace engine coolant pump and thermostat | PriusChat
     
  11. sdrocker

    sdrocker Member

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    Thank you, that is really helpful. I will plan to replace the serpentine belt, adjust the rear brakes manually, and change the pcv valve.

    So far the coolant reservoir has not dropped at all and I've been inspecting each time i top off the oil about every two weeks.

    I didn't see any pink residue on the inside of the engine coolant pump pulley. I will look again. I'll try to look again at the a/c compressor housing below. Is it hard to see everything from the top? I'm wondering if the tire shop saw the residue from underneath while the car was on the lift. I still think they were just trying to sell unnecessary service based on the behavior I saw.
     
  12. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The coolant reservoir is not the place to look. If the coolant pump bearing is leaking, air may enter the system which will lose the vacuum needed to suck fluid from the reservoir as the engine cools down.

    You need to remove the large black plastic cover over the radiator so you can remove the radiator cap and look inside the radiator itself.

    Use a good flashlight or trouble light so that you can inspect the inside of the pump pulley and view the top of the air conditioner compressor housing. If there is a problem you can see it from the top.
     
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  13. sdrocker

    sdrocker Member

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    Thanks I'm going to check tonight with a good light and look around again with a mirror. I will remove the radiator cap and look inside as well.
    I'm going to buy a serpentine belt and pcv valve on my way home and change those tonight and then adjust the rear brakes.
     
  14. sdrocker

    sdrocker Member

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    I took a careful look with a shoplight and a mirror and found the pink deposit on the underside of the weep hole on the bottom.

    1.jpg



    I did not see anything on the A/C compressor. I looked at the radiator after taking the cap off and it is right to the very top even after squeezing the upper radiator hose a little. I had flushed/bled etc 3 weeks ago when I did the coolant control valve.

    I'm going to take a guess and say I should just do the water pump now? I will also do the serpentine belt. Since I have until the 19th to be out of my house would it make sense for me to go to the toyota dealership to buy the parts? I'm not sure NAPA is trustworthy for prius parts. I don't have time to order online.

    Also do I really need to take the engine mounts off or is that just for accessibility? I'm accustomed to working with super tight spaces from the hotrod car.

    Thanks.
     
  15. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, the engine coolant pump bearing has a minor leak. Since you don't see any deposits on the AC compressor housing, you could defer the repair for a while. However, as you are concerned that you won't have a place to work on the car in the future, you'd might as well take care of this now.

    There is no need to remove an engine mount.

    I only use the correct Toyota parts but some other posters have had success using aftermarket. See what the price is for a pump at your local dealership compared to NAPA. If you decide to buy aftermarket, please take some photos of the new pump and post them. Also, please post a photo of your old pump showing the extent of the coolant leak.

    Good luck with your choice.
     
  16. sdrocker

    sdrocker Member

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    Thanks I'm going to just get the part from the dealer. even if it's a bit cheaper at NAPA, etc it would be harder to do the job later. I will post photos.

    Do you know if I can get away with leaving the engine mounts in place?
     
  17. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    There is no need to mess with the engine mounts. This was also answered in my post #15 above.
     
  18. sdrocker

    sdrocker Member

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    Thanks so much. I also wonder if I need to buy another gallon of coolant? To bad they don't sell in smaller quantities. I will lose some when I drain and refill. I wish I did the water pump when I flushed and did the coolant control valve a few weeks ago.
     
  19. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The asin pump on Amazon is around$45
     
  20. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If the Prius is your only means of transportation now, then it would be good to anticipate everything you need (like SLLC coolant and all of the necessary tools) and buy everything upfront so you are not left high and dry with a disabled car.