Bluesky 07
Senior Member
Thanks. Posts like this motivated me to order an OEM water pump and radiator yesterday. Also doing the thermostat, all this at 236K.
V6 owners, how are your water pump holding up?
- Thread starter TC4Rnr
- Start date
Thanks. Posts like this motivated me to order an OEM water pump and radiator yesterday. Also doing the thermostat, all this at 236K.
BB_2005
New member
It definitely pays if you don't have a service history to pull the fan and pulley off the water pump to see that weep hole. I was definitely going to do mine regardless because of the mileage. It made that trip feel more confident as we were going deep into no-cellphone territory.
zguy1
Member
I think this is good advice considering how easy it is to do this. Remove the overflow container, radiator shroud with fan, and then the pulley. You could look under the pump with a mirror or maybe even a phone camera without even going underneath the truck.
INW4RUNNER
New member
2004 Gen 4 V6 @ 230K with Original WP & Cooling System Parts
I am the original owner of a 2004 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 with over 230K miles with original water pump, radiator, hoses and all other cooling system parts. Mine is at home offroad in the backcountry of the Northern Rockies and has made multiple trips to remote areas of Alaska and the Yukon north of the Arctic Circle. I have diligently performed all scheduled maintenance as specified by Toyota. It burns no oil, no leaks and runs at normal temps. Do you think I should do a preemptive replacement of the cooling system, in particular the water pump, radiator, hoses pulleys, tensioners etc.? Normally I am a "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" kind of guy, but maybe with 230K, I am pushing my luck. Given the very remote places my 4Runner takes me, maybe I should go ahead and replace parts that if they fail would leave me stranded.
I am the original owner of a 2004 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 with over 230K miles with original water pump, radiator, hoses and all other cooling system parts. Mine is at home offroad in the backcountry of the Northern Rockies and has made multiple trips to remote areas of Alaska and the Yukon north of the Arctic Circle. I have diligently performed all scheduled maintenance as specified by Toyota. It burns no oil, no leaks and runs at normal temps. Do you think I should do a preemptive replacement of the cooling system, in particular the water pump, radiator, hoses pulleys, tensioners etc.? Normally I am a "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" kind of guy, but maybe with 230K, I am pushing my luck. Given the very remote places my 4Runner takes me, maybe I should go ahead and replace parts that if they fail would leave me stranded.
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Bluesky 07
Senior Member
My preventive maintenance philosophy in a nutshell. My 4R is at 236K and Tuesday I’m picking up the parts to do what you asked about. I plan to keep this truck forever.
Fortunate, but not surprising, that the mechanical parts have held up. I’m shocked your original hoses are still functioning given that they’re old enough to vote.
Suggest considering a new alternator and rebuilding/replacing your starter. I’m sure others may have suggestions too.
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I rarely buy vehicles that have less than 150k, first order of business is to replace, radiator, hoses, water pump and coolant. My "new" (165k on truck - 122k on replacement motor) v6 4runner is no exception. IMO the previous owner might not have blown the motor if he had done a better job of maintaining the cooling system.
INW4RUNNER
New member
Thank you for your feedback. Yes, I have given thought to replacing the alternator and starter too. Just got to decide where to draw the line and what point it just becomes preemptive overspending for a false peace of mind. I mean why not the fuel pump too which means dropping the fuel tank to replace?
I should have added that my goal is to make 300K miles or 5 years whichever comes first.
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Imagine if it failed on one of your trips?
I did a trip Moab 2 years ago and we took old hwy 50 which has no cell or infrastructure for long periods of time. It made me really think about what the what ifs.
The 2nd vehicle on this trip (05 Tahoe) alternator failed in Moab, super easy fix with some tools and a new alternator from Oreillys. If it had failed on the road we would've lost a day probably or maybe worse. Would've been a really bad day if wife and kids were there.
2 weeks after returning from Moab, my alternator failed with 250K miles on it. Again what if it had failed on that trip?
I'm not saying replace everything at intervals but use some common sense, think about the what ifs and if you're ok getting stranded in the arctic circle then proceed. :snacker:
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Bluesky 07
Senior Member
Funny you should mention that. I had my fuel sending unit replaced a few months ago and had them do the fuel pump too since the tank was out. But I only did any of that b/c my fuel gauge became so inaccurate as to be useless. To your point, it's a fair one, you can end up essentially rebuilding the truck out of new parts. But when it comes to parts that are more likely than not to fail eventually based on what I've read in this forum and elsewhere, I'd rather take the initiative than sit on a trail somewhere out of cell range wishing I had.
I drove US 50 when I moved to California in 1989. It was amazing, but you're right, reading what's at the bottom of this sign definitely gets you to thinking about any maintenance you've deferred. The auto gods were looking out for me; the water pump on the car I had then died a few days after I got there.
INW4RUNNER
New member
Thank you for your feedback. Risk management and "what ifs" are integral to all my activities, which in addition to remote off-road adventures, include wilderness backpacking and white-water rafting.
In the case of taking my 4Runner on long distance remote adventures, the "what if" ramifications are easy to assess. Assessing how much of a risk of there is the challenging part. When it comes to parts failure, whether water pump and cooling system components, alternators, starters etc, I have seen on these forums failures as early as 75K miles, and plenty still running with original OEM parts at over 300K miles. So, the risk management challenge becomes determine when a good time is to replace a part. That part replacement becomes the "insurance premium". Even then, that premium may not zero out the risk. Seen plenty of instances where a replacement part fails prematurely, especially electrical which are typically remanufactured or rebuilt and not new. Would hate to replace a working part only to breakdown when the replacement part failed.
In a lot of ways preemptive replacement of currently working parts is just a personal "peace of mind" thing. "Of course, that could be an expensive "false" peace of mind especially if your replacement part fails you on Hwy 50 in the middle of Nevada.:shocked:
I guess this post has evolved from just water pump replacement and we should just start a general preemptive parts replacement thread.
I think maybe people are confusing parts with service intervals and without.
If Toyota says 100,000 miles or 10 years, and you wait 200,000 miles and 20 years I think you're pushing your luck. I ran mine 16 years and 234,000 and got lucky.
I'm not saying change every part on your car just because. But it there's a replacement interval then it deserves consideration at a minimum. Otherwise why would you change sparkplugs at the interval? I'm sure they can run longer so why not just wait for failure? Starters and alternators sure run em. They don't have a replacement interval.
Lastly, I'd really prefer not to buy a used vehicle from someone who ran a waterpump to failure at 200K. My first question would be why? Then I'd wonder what else got messed up and what other services he ignored.
If Toyota says 100,000 miles or 10 years, and you wait 200,000 miles and 20 years I think you're pushing your luck. I ran mine 16 years and 234,000 and got lucky.
I'm not saying change every part on your car just because. But it there's a replacement interval then it deserves consideration at a minimum. Otherwise why would you change sparkplugs at the interval? I'm sure they can run longer so why not just wait for failure? Starters and alternators sure run em. They don't have a replacement interval.
Lastly, I'd really prefer not to buy a used vehicle from someone who ran a waterpump to failure at 200K. My first question would be why? Then I'd wonder what else got messed up and what other services he ignored.
INW4RUNNER
New member
As I said in my original post, I have diligently performed all scheduled maintenance as specified by Toyota. There is no scheduled interval for the water pump, although they are typically replaced on the V8 out of convenience when the timing belt is replaced around 100K. Mine is a V6 with a chain. I would like to think that my diligent maintenance has something to with my 4Runner making it to 230K with minimal problems and all the parts we are discussing still working.
If there was a good database on the typical lifespan of parts, it would be very helpful in making these preemptive replacement decisions. In the aircraft industry just about all parts have an MTBF when you have to replace a part whether it has failed or not. Heck, if I had the data to know that my cooling system parts, alternator, and starter, etc. have survived longer the known expected lifespan, than I would definitely quit while I am ahead and go ahead and preemptively replace the parts.
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Syr4RinNC
New member
Just replaced mine yesterday. I was losing coolant and to my best guess it was leaking on the serpentine belt so water pump seemed like a good guess. (Though after getting everything apart I may have some corrosion around where the hoses come into and leave the radiator)
08 at 165k.
Shops I trust were backed up 2-3 weeks. It’s not a hard job. 3 hours. Like most my jobs a compact impact wrench or ratcheting wrench would probably help. The water pump was in good shape when I removed it, but the gaskets were worse for the west so it was probably just the gaskets
08 at 165k.
Shops I trust were backed up 2-3 weeks. It’s not a hard job. 3 hours. Like most my jobs a compact impact wrench or ratcheting wrench would probably help. The water pump was in good shape when I removed it, but the gaskets were worse for the west so it was probably just the gaskets
blackmax
New member
I just posted about mine. I have 271,750 miles on the truck and the pump (original). I JUST like int he past few months noticed the level in the reservoir getting a little low. Never did that before. I didn't check for like 4 months.....and it was just a pink puddle at the bottom of the res. this morning. :nono:
So, it's going somewhere. Haven't noticed any puddles on the ground....but there is some white residue on the bottom of the radiator....so maybe it's leaking when driving only? Or.....god help me if it's the dreaded head gasket. Odds are the pump at 272K
So, it's going somewhere. Haven't noticed any puddles on the ground....but there is some white residue on the bottom of the radiator....so maybe it's leaking when driving only? Or.....god help me if it's the dreaded head gasket. Odds are the pump at 272K
blackmax
New member
I just posted about mine. I have 271,750 miles on the truck and the pump (original). I JUST like int he past few months noticed the level in the reservoir getting a little low. Never did that before. I didn't check for like 4 months.....and it was just a pink puddle at the bottom of the res. this morning. :nono:
So, it's going somewhere. Haven't noticed any puddles on the ground....but there is some white residue on the bottom of the radiator....so maybe it's leaking when driving only? Or.....god help me if it's the dreaded head gasket. Odds are the pump at 272K
So, it's going somewhere. Haven't noticed any puddles on the ground....but there is some white residue on the bottom of the radiator....so maybe it's leaking when driving only? Or.....god help me if it's the dreaded head gasket. Odds are the pump at 272K
Thank you, I was worried that if mine leaks, it would leak coolant in the oil, good to know. 04 V6 at 141K, did the radiator last year and good with my maintenance, original owner. I have lost about a 1/4" of coolant in the past year, do you think there's a leak somewhere or is that normal for age of vehicle? TIA!
OMG, ditto here. I've had a couple of coolant leaks 04 V6 over the years, one was a coolant transfer pipe or something like that (10 years ago) and just replaced by radiator last year. Fill mine to the top line and keep an eye on the gauge and leaks under car and look for any crusty dried pink coolant under the hood.
Wow, 04 V6 with 144K, hope she makes it that far. I love this car so much! Fortunately I have a great mechanic that is honest. The dealerships are such a rip off and I've caught them in lies. Told me I needed new struts when it was about 6 years old. Did some research and found out that seeping is normal with this vehicle. Never any issues so far. Told me 10 years ago my leaking coolant was from the intake manifold. After that I drove it from FL to the North East and kept a gallon of the coolant in the car, just in case. It was a very slow leak and it never hit the ground. My mechanic said it was the coolant transfer pipe or something like that. Very inexpensive fix. Just did the radiator last year.
