V6 Water Pump: how many miles b4 you get concerned?

[blackmax]

I have 102K on my V6 Limited. I have a rule about not fixing what isn't broke; but, I also don't want to find myself stranded in the middle of nowhere at midnight, in the snow.

So, at 100K miles, on the v6, would anyone preemptively replace the pump? I've got the serp belt off for a squealing issue anyway. Or, would you leave it alone. My mechanic makes his money replacing stuff, and even he said "leave it alone".

Anyone have a water pump go? At what miles?

 

[Jed]

A lot of people like to change out the water pump when they do the timing belt to save money on labor costs. Of course the V6 doesn't have a timing belt, so the question is when to do just the water pump...

Well, due to the coolant that Toyota uses, there are virtually no abrasives to damage the water pump seals. And its the water pump seals that usually fail and cause leaking, not a total failure of the water pump itself. I know that you have a 2003 and Toyota switched to the long-life coolant for the 2004 model year. If you still have the factory fill coolant, then you might want to research to see if it has sacrificial silicates and determine if it is friendly to the water pump seals. If so, then I wouldn't worry too much about the water pump. Like I said, 99% of the time it is the seals that fail and not the pump itself. Water pumps have tiny weep holes, so if the pump seals are going, you should notice it.