Why Do Toyota Water Pumps Leak? How to Prevent Them From Leaking?

Coolant is definitely an issue. You hit it on the spot. I've got 3 vehicles, pushing close to 200k without any issues. I change my my coolant once a year, with vehicle recommended type. So many different types. And yes use OEM parts. Preemptive maintenance is the best. BTW. That is a complex job. You make it look easy because you've done this for a while. I give you triple thumbs up. You know your stuff.

" I have to go wash my hands before I get into the vehicle", everything AMD does exudes quality and care! Always a pleasure to watch his videos.

AMD, For the record, my Toyota coolant is faithfully changed every 5 years!! How nice is it to have your own repair shop and have NO pressure to 'upsell' repairs? 😁

Dear AMD, I thought the idea of not having to change coolant for umpteen years on our 2016 Camry was too good to be true, and you've confirmed it with your advice. I'll get on it this month. Many thanks as usual.

You're really taking these videos to the next level, in visual quality but also educational information as well

I am an old mechanic now 78 years old, I just love 💕 watching your high quality technical videos. You are an absolute master. I just wish I worked under someone as knowledgeable when I was doing my apprenticeship in Australia. I just love to watch your videos.👍👍👍👍👍 I just ❤❤

Ya when I changed my alternator the other day on my 2010 corolla I barely bumped the radiator return line and snapped it off. I drilled it out with a 25/64 drill bit and twisted in a brass fitting from lowes hardware and jb welded it for 24 hours and it’s actually stronger than that thin plastic that was original.

Thanks for all the good information. One recommendation: after the repair scrape or brush off as much of the dried-up pink residue as possible. If it remains, it's difficult to know if you have another leak forming months or years down the road. I really like the fact that Toyota coolant dries to a visible residue. It saved me a lot of headaches because I spotted an impending pump failure on my 2007 Camry (at about ten years and 70,000 miles of driving).

I recently got my water pump replaced on a 2008 tacoma (1GR-FE), and this guy is spot on from what I can tell. My original factory pump formed a leak after 97K miles / 15 years, it cost me a little over $800 to replace it. I watched the Toyota tech do it the entiure time, I drove in @ 10:30am, the tech had it in the bay by about 11am, he finished at 3:00pm, did his test drive afterward, I got it back 3:30pm.... And yes, the tech opened two 1 gallon jugs of coolant to refill it, I watched him open both... so far so good on it, but it's good to know that this is a common thing and mine didn't seem to die prematurely.

I had a good friend who use to own a radiator repair shop. He once told me if people would " Spill and Fill" their anti freeze every third year of the vehicles life, he would be out of the business.. Everybody thinks about their oil maintenance intervals but never think about cooling issues until bad things happen. That has stuck in my mind ever since. I buy my anti freeze when I find it on sale for future use. This is just something to think about taking complete care of your vehicles.

Hi AMD, I have a very good independent mechanic and have used him for about 30 years, I have a Lexus, 2007 LS 460L and he was working on the front suspension bushings and noticed the water pump had been slowly leaking and there was a bunch of pink crust, the coolant was not low, I decided to have him replace it and he said the main problem with Toyota water pumps is they now have ceramic seals and he now soaks the new water pumps in the coolant overnight to get coolant into the ceramic seals so it has lubrication on first start up, I trust him and have had no problems since ( 7 years ).

The newer pumps have less ribbing in the aluminum housing for strength/rigidity to support the bearings and prevent warpage from thousands of heat cycles. You really should be using a torque wrench on these newer water pumps and thermostat housings. Even the belt tensioners are applying more tension to the serpentine belt and every pulleys bearings with less variations using hydraulic tensioners.

Recently changed my timing belt in 3.4 Tacoma. (162,000mi.) no leaks from water pump but there was the same seepage as you indicated at the thermostat. Of course I changed both at the time. Coolant had about 70-80 thousand miles. Good to know about the need to change coolant at certain intervals. Very good videos on Toyota and Lexus.

17 rav 4 water pumped went at 80k my theory is i probably should of done the coolant at 50k how much longer would it of lasted ? Who knows, would it of made it to 100k -120k is that an acceptable lifespan for a water pump.

Changed my coolant at 35k miles. Also had my trans flushed which includes the fluid thats in the torque converter. While I was at I had the brake system flushed. So I feel better going into the winter months. Like your videos. Your one of the reasons I bought my 2017 Camry.

I have to partially disagree about the pink coolant destroying seals. If it’s a very modern Toyota that was designed with it, you can definitely go 100k miles. I’ve done full scale preventative maintenance on 2017 Toyotas 100k miles and zero issues with the coolant. I guess other factors can cause such leaks. also done some older 2011 highlander with 160K miles with same coolant still in there. No issues 🤷‍♂️

The same thing happened to the radiator on my 2008 Sienna. I took it in because the shift cable to shifter bushing failed. While replacing cable the tech leaned on the hose coming off the radiator filler neck and it broke off. On this radiator the filler neck was replaceable separate of the radiator itself but cost the same. I ended up replacing the radiator which got pricy because of labor involved. I did not hold the tech responsible because plastic gets brittle overtime. I just let them do their thing and life was good. AMD love these videos. Wish i lived in your area because you would be my new shop. God bless.

I use the Engine Ice brand coolant for my inline 4 motorcycle, it reduced the coolant temperature in the summer compared to the original coolant. The tires for that car appear to be the Pirelli P7 with a 700 treadwear rating, our last set lasted 67 thousand miles and were quiet and smooth. I also tried the Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires with a 740 treadwear rating,, very good at first but as the tread gets close to the wear bars, they are getting more noisy and bumpy feeling from the harder rubber. The scorpion design on the tire sidewall is nice though, especially if you drive a Fiat Abarth with other scorpion emblems.

On the coolant fill and bleed, the correct procedure for the ls460 is right there on the label on the header tank. Made it very easy on my first ever radiator and pump change 😀

Hey AMD, do you recommend rustproofing our Toyotas? I have a gas 2019 Rav4 and I want to keep her for 20 years. Any advice is appreciated.