[ravenuer]

I'm going to attempt replacing my v6 water pump today. According to Haynes manual, I need to at least shift the engine for better access. I'm going to try to get from the tire well opening without moving the engine first, with the 4x4 version it requires the removal of rear drive differential. With the frequency of the OE pump going out, I think it would be worth a try using an aftermarket brand with a lifetime warrenty. Hoping for the best.

Don't forget, the "lifetime" warranty on the aftermarket pump covers just that...the pump. Not the (considerable) labor to replace it. So you might want to investigate the quality of aftermarket vs OEM.

 

[Scottcc]

Don't forget, the "lifetime" warranty on the aftermarket pump covers just that...the pump. Not the (considerable) labor to replace it. So you might want to investigate the quality of aftermarket vs OEM.

I understand. I just started taking a few things off to get access to the pump once I get the differential off, I suppose this step is to keep the drivetrain from binding and breaking the transfer case. This is the hardest step the car has to have jack stands on all 4 corners. Then getting to the front dif bolts is a bit of a stretch. So far I'm confident about tackling the job. For the OEM vs. aftermarket I believe I'd rather try a aftermarket being that that the OEM seems to be short on quality and this way I won't have to buy another one. Hoping to be finished and driving by tomorrow.

 

[Scottcc]

On my third day and just got the pump off. I've worked on it 3 hours a day so about nine hours invested while also replacing all brakes and rotors. Brakes are very simple on this car and gives me time to think thru when approaching a difficult step. Luckily my sister has a spare care my wife is using while I do the job.

Tomorrow starts the pump fitting and replacing parts that were removed. I work 12 days Fri-Sun so hopefully Monday I should have the car on the road. :smile. I found that one of the idle pulleys has a bad bearing needs replacing also a new serpentine belt and thermostat. I'm taking my time to do the job right with torquing specs. There were times that I felt overwhelmed with difficulty, the worst part was taking the main belt pulley off, it is impossible to get the pump out with it in the way.

 

[JuneBug]

Well, it looks like a new water pump is in my future. After driving 260 miles to Pensacola this weekend, I started hearing the marbles in a can sound after turning the radio down. Popped the hood and it's definitely coming from that area. I think it should be OK on the return trip, but I'll be taking it in to the dealer when I get back. Time for that extended warranty to pay for itself.

 

[focus123]

Well, it looks like a new water pump is in my future. After driving 260 miles to Pensacola this weekend, I started hearing the marbles in a can sound after turning the radio down. Popped the hood and it's definitely coming from that area. I think it should be OK on the return trip, but I'll be taking it in to the dealer when I get back. Time for that extended warranty to pay for itself.

Yep that's why we bought the extended warranty. Makes me want to trade this vehicle at 8 years just so I can get another 8 year warranty.

 

[JuneBug]

OK, so today I brought the RAV4 with 42,347 miles on it to the dealership. I told them about the noise from under the hood, and that I suspected it was coming from the water pump. It didn't take the mechanic long to confirm that a defective bearing in the water pump was the problem. I gave them my VSA book and asked them to replace the serpentine belt with the brand new one I received from Amazon the day before ($38 w/free shipping vs. $47 plus tax from the dealer). They replaced the pump, belt, 2 gallons of coolant and purged the air from the system. Took a little over 3 hours and would have cost me $484 if I didn't have the VSA. So the warranty has almost paid for itself. The old belt was in good shape so I'm keeping it as a spare. When I handed the repair bill to my wife she was happy that the repair didn't cost us a penny.

 

[KTL]

It looks like mine is starting to fail as well, around 60k miles. I called three dealers and all quoted me about $900, 5-hour labor @ $120/hr, belt about $43, pump about $177. I would probably be fine if they said 3-hour labor, but padding extra two hours is not.

 

[JuneBug]

It looks like mine is starting to fail as well, around 60k miles. I called three dealers and all quoted me about $900, 5-hour labor @ $120/hr, belt about $43, pump about $177. I would probably be fine if they said 3-hour labor, but padding extra two hours is not.

The mechanic actually left the ignition on, which allowed my dashcam to record almost the whole repair. Even with the hood up I could tell he removed the right front wheel and plastic fender liner to access the pump easier. The factory service manual says the engine has to come out, maybe that's what those shops are thinking. The actual pump replacement seemed to only take about 45 minutes, the rest of the time was spent adding coolant, purging the air from the system, and power spraying the coolant from the engine bay.

 

[FixIt]

I have done these, and the engine does not need to come out. It is tight, but it is not necessary to remove the engine.


Toyota/Scion seem to like removing engines. For my 09 Avalon, if I have to replace the left lower control arm, the first step is to remove the engine/transaxle as an assembly. Definitely not necessary.


I replaced a water pump on a 2007 Scion Xb and the first step also was remove engine. I saw no need for this, and when I quoted the job, I told the customer that Toyota said to remove the engine, but I thought I could do it in 1/3 the time. If it did require removing the engine, they needed to be prepared for a much larger bill. Fortunately for them (and me!) engine removal was not necessary.


In all my 40+ years in the bays, I have never removed an engine to replace a water pump.

 

[KTL]

The actual pump replacement seemed to only take about 45 minutes, the rest of the time was spent adding coolant, purging the air from the system, and power spraying the coolant from the engine bay.

Perhaps due to your VSA, they want to get it fixed and out ASAP because they're not bringing in any new money. I used your time frame as a reference in talking with the service advisors, but they just kept referring to the service guide for a water pump job. If your service department in LA can do it in a bit over 3 hours, why can't the service departments in IL? I talked to my Lexus mechanic friend, and he says he gets paid 6 hours for a water pump job, even though he can finish it in a "few" hours. I suggested I can fly him over, get the parts myself, have him fix it, and still save $300.

 

[RTexasF]

OK, so today I brought the RAV4 with 42,347 miles on it to the dealership. I told them about the noise from under the hood, and that I suspected it was coming from the water pump. It didn't take the mechanic long to confirm that a defective bearing in the water pump was the problem. I gave them my VSA book and asked them to replace the serpentine belt with the brand new one I received from Amazon the day before ($38 w/free shipping vs. $47 plus tax from the dealer). They replaced the pump, belt, 2 gallons of coolant and purged the air from the system. Took a little over 3 hours and would have cost me $484 if I didn't have the VSA. So the warranty has almost paid for itself. The old belt was in good shape so I'm keeping it as a spare. When I handed the repair bill to my wife she was happy that the repair didn't cost us a penny.

If mine is going to crap out I hope it does it before my extended warranty expires. I only have about 18,600 miles on the clock. Frankly I've forgotten which length warranty I bought.....I'll have to find it and take a looksee.

$484 is extremely reasonable, lowest I've ever heard of for a V-6.

 

[Scottcc]

I forgot to tell about my outcome. Everything is back together, I made an error in judgement thinking a reused "O" ring would be OK. Well it leaked after the job. I had to take the engine mount off to access the pipe with the ring, but it didn't take long. On a scale of 1-10 difficultly I'd give the water pump about 7-8. It's not something I'd want to do again. Luckily I had a Tundra to borrow while fixing the car, so I could take my time.

 

[KTL]

My '06 with about 61k miles had its water pump and serpentine belt changed by an independent shop today, total cost was ~$737. The pump and belt came from Toyota since there were no non-dealer stores that carried them.

 

[RTexasF]

If mine is going to crap out I hope it does it before my extended warranty expires. I only have about 18,600 miles on the clock. Frankly I've forgotten which length warranty I bought.....I'll have to find it and take a looksee.

$484 is extremely reasonable, lowest I've ever heard of for a V-6.

Well, add one more funky V-6 water pump to the scrap pile. My gal's was leaking on the garage floor. I was headed for an oil change anyway so it was checked out. Sure enough, it's a goner. It will be replaced Weds. morning and she will be supplied a loaner at no charge. The 0 deductible extended warranty on this one has now paid for itself and then some. The work was quoted in the $900 area. Her car has just a tad over 15,000 miles but the purchase date was 12/24/07. Apparently time as well as miles should be considered. I will be keeping a VERY close eye on mine now!


I DO hope the replacement part has been improved. Any insight on this anyone???????? Junebug you have access to all kinds of goodies, any info on this?

 

[Octane]

Well, add one more funky V-6 water pump to the scrap pile. My gal's was leaking on the garage floor. I was headed for an oil change anyway so it was checked out. Sure enough, it's a goner. It will be replaced Weds. morning and she will be supplied a loaner at no charge. The 0 deductible extended warranty on this one has now paid for itself and then some. The work was quoted in the $900 area. Her car has just a tad over 15,000 miles but the purchase date was 12/24/07. Apparently time as well as miles should be considered. I will be keeping a VERY close eye on mine now!


I DO hope the replacement part has been improved. Any insight on this anyone???????? Junebug you have access to all kinds of goodies, any info on this?

my 2007's water pump was changed at 30,000km and 60,000km.... my 2012 is at 50,000km and still with the original water pump, so to me, they fixed the problem!

 

[RTexasF]

Octane I do hope that you are correct.

Thanks.

 

[JuneBug]

I DO hope the replacement part has been improved. Any insight on this anyone???????? Junebug you have access to all kinds of goodies, any info on this?

Welcome to the club! All I know is the original pump part number was 16100-39455 and the replacement was part number 16100-09441. So hopefully it is a new and improved pump.

 

[RTexasF]

..........and let's hope that is the part she is getting with this replacement.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

Not a RAV4, but my '06 Avalon XL - 2GR-FE engine(same as RAV4) crossed the 200,000 mile mark a few weeks ago.


Running original water pump. I've changed my own plugs, serpentine belt, t-stat, coolant and all other maint. items.


The water pump can be done w/o pulling the engine. An indy tech at toyotanation discussed it - not for the faint of heart.
A leaky timing cover(oil) is a far bigger issue according to him. 2GR-FE engines are supposedly prone to this.


Shops pull the engine because they have special gear and more than one pair of hands. I would too if I had all of that.