Water Pump Average Service Life?? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

i have experience with japanese industrial and heavy equipment engines for 20 years and while on old generation ones with 70s technology it was a good idea to change waterpump at 3000 hrs which at 35mph would be arround 105k or face likely failure the new generations built starting in the 90s this interval dramatically improved. On some recent machines the water pump would never fail before standard rebuild interval 15k and then only replace because everything was apart already. That would be equivalent of approx 500k miles!!!! I feel that these water pumps are far from failure at 90k but then due to the silly timing belt its already apart it is temting to change it too, just cause. Ods are it lasts 200k no problem but inspect for weep once in a while is good and when it does happen then more work. When I have it apart at 90k and I am planning to drive another 90k then I would change it then for "insurance" and "piece of mind" as it is easier to work preventive then having to deal with it after a failure.


Edit. "proper maintenance" does come to mind as poor fanbelt adjustment and overloaded fans or broken friction cluches will fail the pumps just as much as the heavy fixed speed metal fans of yesteryear.
 
Last edited:
My pump had residual weep evidence at 90k timing belt replacement, yet I kept it and it is still fine at 142k. Dry weep residue is not necessarily evidence of pump failure, with this particular pump, assuming the overall system is properly maintained and operated.

"Properly maintained and operated" means "change coolant every 30k miles using 60/40 coolant /distilled water mix", and also drive the vehicle gently.

Re the remarks about bell curves:

Statistical models are not valid for most failure predictions in the real world, because the models require only purely random failure modes and phenomena (aka "common cause" failure modes) in order to be valid, but in the real world most failures are influenced by "special causes" (such as using tap water for coolant mix, not changing it often enough, driving the vehicle too hard, etc. for the water pump example) so the statistical models are simply invalid. Sorry.

(Most Reliability Engineering practitioners will experience a rise in blood pressure upon reading the above facts. Sorry about that, too. :)
 
"Properly maintained and operated" means "change coolant every 30k miles using 60/40 coolant /distilled water mix"

Change the 100k coolant every 30k ? With the cost of OEM coolant a new pump could be cheaper.

Without a single failure documented yet I'm not sure more intensive maintenance is warranted.

Dry weep residue is not necessarily evidence of pump failure,

Agreed. A small amount of coolant coming for the weep hole is normal. Anything that collects under the truck or requires adding coolant to the system indicates a seal or bearing failure.
 
Change the 100k coolant every 30k ? With the cost of OEM coolant a new pump could be cheaper.

Without a single failure documented yet I'm not sure more intensive maintenance is warranted.

<snip>

My 99 coolant change interval is stated as 30k. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. :)
 
thanks for the info on here guys.
i had my LC100 serviced last week at Outback 4wd. I did a combined 140,000 and 150,000 kms service as i'd been out of work for a little while and couldnt do the 140k service.

They reported a leak at the water pump, but i've never seen anything in my driveway, so it's good to hear that the water pump is ok for some of you guys that have 250k miles!!

I'll keep an eye on the fluid levels as i have the super long life coolant. I think the sticker said replace it at 160,000 kms.

My next service is the big one - the timing chain and spark plugs - although i'll get the interim 155,000 km service done for my peace of mind
I'll let you know if the WP leaks anymore than it is (remembering that i cant see the leak!!)
cheers
peter
 
Timely update since this thread just got bumped:
Was talking with the fella doing my t-belt this AM and thought I'd pass this along. He had a tundra come in the shop last week that had a water pump seize up and when it did it of course took out the belt which in turn took out almost every valve and I believe he mentioned head damage. Sooooo.... I told him to do my WP while he was in there today. :) AND as has been discussed many times on here since the dark ages, this is further proof that the 2uz-fe is indeed an interference engine that goes ugly when the belt goes.

I wanted to pass it along since I was also the person who said they'd never heard of an instance of WP failure on a 100. This definitely counts and as posted earlier is enough to convince me to stop at a double stint (201,000 actually) on the original WP. I did not ask the mileage on the Tundra that self destructed.
 
surely you see a spike in the temp gauge once a water pump fails?
i mean if it seizes and prevents the belt from working wouldnt it squeal like a pig whilst your driving if you are ignorant of the temp spike?
curious
peter
 
I figure if it (WP) locks up it could potentially shear teeth off of the belt which would pretty much be game over IMO. I've been told before that if the belt gets more than two teeth off then it means bad joo joo. I don't really know how accurate that is nor how immediate the carnage would be to be honest! Talked to my guy one more time since this morning and he's got the job done, wp included. He said that my WP had no leaks, was clean as a whistle but the bearing had one very minor rough spot.
 
ok...in terms of belt....
just so we are clear (can you tell i'm in IT)
timing chain or the one that does the fan, alternator etc...??
peter
 
ok...in terms of belt....
just so we are clear (can you tell i'm in IT)
timing chain or the one that does the fan, alternator etc...??
peter

It's a timing belt in the 2UZ-FE. The timing belt is inside the plastic covers at the front of the engine. There is also a serpentine belt (which is sometimes referred to as the 'accessory belt') which is exposed and drives alternator, a/c, ps, and fan.

(Not directed at you Peter, but to the overall topic) I continue to be amazed that this is even a debate. For the price of a couple week's fuel the pump could be replaced with t-belt. It's simply false economy to cheap out on this step.
 
It's a timing belt I continue to be amazed that this is even a debate. For the price of a couple week's fuel the pump could be replaced with t-belt. It's simply false economy to cheap out on this step.

Show us an example where it's been a false economy. Every other TB belt change seems perfectly reasonable and supported by the history on the board. Replacement isn't "insurance" if there is effectively no risk to insure against. There is some risk to a brand new part (especially if you don't go OEM) while one with low but substantial miles is at least proven good.

Water pumps generally fail by leaking small amounts of coolant before they stop moving water and effectively give plenty of warning that they need changed. We haven't even seen a board report of a leaking WP. Just pink crust at the weep hole.

Full-disclosure - I replaced my WP at 150k with my first TB change.
 
Show us an example where it's been a false economy. Every other TB belt change seems perfectly reasonable and supported by the history on the board. Replacement isn't "insurance" if there is effectively no risk to insure against. There is some risk to a brand new part (especially if you don't go OEM) while one with low but substantial miles is at least proven good.

Water pumps generally fail by leaking small amounts of coolant before they stop moving water and effectively give plenty of warning that they need changed. We haven't even seen a board report of a leaking WP. Just pink crust at the weep hole.

Full-disclosure - I replaced my WP at 150k with my first TB change.


Really? So you think saving $100 on a $1000 repair, risking $4000 of damage, and on a vehicle that could leave you stranded in the middle of BFE isn't false economy? People here spend way more than that on synthetic fluids alone! It would be one thing to change it out by itself but when you've already done 90% of the work I just don't get the point.

Assuming you take the wait and see approach and find a drip would you still be happy with your decision or would you be kicking yourself?

I do agree the odds are low of a failure. But I think we all here take pride in having our rigs be in the best possible shape and I just don't see why anyone would want that to linger in the back of their minds for the next 90k miles. If it doesn't bug you then great, but it would bug me.
 
It's a timing belt in the 2UZ-FE. The timing belt is inside the plastic covers at the front of the engine. There is also a serpentine belt (which is sometimes referred to as the 'accessory belt') which is exposed and drives alternator, a/c, ps, and fan.

(Not directed at you Peter, but to the overall topic) I continue to be amazed that this is even a debate. For the price of a couple week's fuel the pump could be replaced with t-belt. It's simply false economy to cheap out on this step.

no it's ok, i need this info, coz there's so much mis-information out there and that's why i come to this forum.
If the water pump is a cheap OEM replacement part then i'll get it done when they do my 160,000km service which is your 90,000 mile service...aka "the big one"
cheers
peter
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom