V8 water pump leaking (again)

[vanion2]

This is the 4th time I have taken the 4Runner back to the dealership I purchased it from and now the leak is worse than ever. I was supposed to leave in the morning for a 9 hour road trip but the coolant leak is so bad I think I will have to postpone it a day.

Is it really that hard to install a 4.7L water pump? Should I take it to a Toyota dealership?

These are honest questions because my skill set is oil changed and filters. I tried reading the V8 timing belt process but my tool bag just wimpered and hid in a corner as I contemplated how many ways I would ruin my 4Runner if I tried that myself.

Any helpful advice I can pass on to the mechanics as they make a 5th attempt? They keep telling me the gasket was the issue.... Please point me in the right direction as I need this fixed asap!

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[blackoutt]

OEM toyota pump and OEM toyota gasket? That's all I've had luck with. Lots of cleaning and a very thin layer of high temp RTV on both sides of the gasket. finger tighten bolts, let it sit for an hour, torque to factory spec, let it dry 24 hrs, then fill with coolant. That's the absolute best you can do. Toyota directions would be no RTV, just torque it and fill it, although you'll have to wait for the RTV in the thermostat neck to dry anyway. It's a job that can be done by a backyard mechanic taking your time over a somewhat stressful weekend, with maybe a few trips to grab some new to you tools to add to the collection. For a dealer it should be in and out in a day no problem.

 

[vanion2]

Well I am sitting in a Toyota dealership waiting area right now. Lol. I don't have a weekend to put into this since I was supposed to start my road trip 2 hours ago.

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[catrains]

water pump leaks NOT ALL THAT CLEAR . explain ? gaskets/weep holes or ???

how many water pumps did they install same one or 4 ?

 

[alia176]

This is the 4th time I have taken the 4Runner back to the dealership I purchased it from and now the leak is worse than ever. I was supposed to leave in the morning for a 9 hour road trip but the coolant leak is so bad I think I will have to postpone it a day.

Is it really that hard to install a 4.7L water pump? Should I take it to a Toyota dealership?

These are honest questions because my skill set is oil changed and filters. I tried reading the V8 timing belt process but my tool bag just wimpered and hid in a corner as I contemplated how many ways I would ruin my 4Runner if I tried that myself.

Any helpful advice I can pass on to the mechanics as they make a 5th attempt? They keep telling me the gasket was the issue.... Please point me in the right direction as I need this fixed asap!

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

No, it's not hard to install a water pump, especially by dealer techs who have done dozens of these things. I'm curious as to the source of your water leak, is it coming from the water pump for sure and how can you tell? The water pump is under three plastic covers so it's hard to see it. Something else could be the culprit - maybe a loose hose or something really stupid like that.

Are you at the Alameda or Eubank dealership?

 

[vanion2]

Eubank dealership. They just told me as long as the surface wasn't damaged they can get it done today.

Catrains. I purchased the 4Runner at a local dealership. I took it to a Toyota dealership for a prepurchase inspection where they pointed out the water pump was leaking. The local dealership explained they had just done the timing belt and water pump so I took it home. Coolant on my driveway had me bring it back where they replaced the water pump again saying the gasket had been damaged during installation. Repeat this story 2 more times. Why did I keep taking it back? Because they did all the work for free. Yesterday was their last attempt where they failed miserably as it was the worst leak of them all. Took it to the Toyota dealership and they confirmed the water pump. So that is how I know it was the water pump and most likely the gasket.

Hopefully the surface was damaged by the bungled attempts and this will only set me back $800 and one day late for my road trip. Otherwise I have to rent a car on top of having the engine machined.

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[alia176]

Eubank dealership. They just told me as long as the surface wasn't damaged they can get it done today.

Catrains. I purchased the 4Runner at a local dealership. I took it to a Toyota dealership for a prepurchase inspection where they pointed out the water pump was leaking. The local dealership explained they had just done the timing belt and water pump so I took it home. Coolant on my driveway had me bring it back where they replaced the water pump again saying the gasket had been damaged during installation. Repeat this story 2 more times. Why did I keep taking it back? Because they did all the work for free. Yesterday was their last attempt where they failed miserably as it was the worst leak of them all. Took it to the Toyota dealership and they confirmed the water pump. So that is how I know it was the water pump and most likely the gasket.

Hopefully the surface was damaged by the bungled attempts and this will only set me back $800 and one day late for my road trip. Otherwise I have to rent a car on top of having the engine machined.

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This is interesting. If the block surface was damaged, I wonder if they'll be able to fix it using conventional methods. What they'll probably due is slather on extra amount of FIPG goop and hope like hell that'll fix it.

You're talking about "local dealership" and "toyota dealership". Are these two different places?

 

[vanion2]

Yes. That Car Place is the local dealership. Larry H Miller is the Toyota dealership.

The service person​ said if the block surface is damaged then they would send it to a machine shop so I am guessing FIPG goop is not the solution they would go for.

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[alia176]

Glad to hear that they'll do it correctly and fix the block. Man, oh man, what a PITA this has turned out to be and all due to possible incompetency.

Hope you're back on the road ASAP.

 

[catrains]

I never would suggest that you take it to another toyota dealership.

so as I assumed they kept re-installing the same pump. now on older vehicles the surface can be corroded or the tech dropped the pump causing distortion then a gasket mating issue.

as another member stated when using a silicone sealer I always wait 24hrs for cure which is why I do not go with those type products.

since they are going to some how fabricate a repair . I would get a written warranty on this specific leak issue for some period of time your would be happy with .

post back why it was leaking and if they did fix it. I understand that your vehicle has been lost for a long period,,, not good.

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

I'd file a complaint with your local Parts/Service Director and CC the GM regarding your terrible experience having the water pump serviced. They should at the very least offer you a decent discount for the inconvenience. The 4Runner should have never left the shop until it is confirmed the water pump was no longer leaking. They essentially allowed you to take it out repeatedly and forced you to take time out of your schedule to come back to have the issue corrected.

Sorry for your terrible experience - hope you find a better dealer for future services.

 

[vanion2]

For clarification. The dealer I bought the 4Runner at is not a Toyota dealership. Just a local dealership.

I finally got tired of dealing with the coolant leak so this morning I took it to the Toyota dealership. They have a great service department and they confirmed that the water pump was NOT the problem. They found the coolant cross over pipe was where the leak was coming from. The gaskets to be exact. They believe the failure was due to the green coolant (more acidic) the place I bought it from used.

Due to the location of the actual leak it made it appear as if the water pump was the problem. So long story short the original dealership misdiagnosed the leak and basically replaced a water pump 3 times and the gaskets continued to deteriorate causing the leak to progressively get worse. So Catrains, it seems you were correct.

The good news is the repairs are $100 less than the water pump and it will be done today. The peace of mind I will get from this will be worth $700. And the 4Runner. Will be running the pink coolant again.

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[alia176]

A happy ending and I hope you're off on your vacation trip ASAP.

Regarding the mention of applying liquid gasket on both sides of the water pump gasket before installation, please don't do this. Yes, this was done on domestic engines and for sure on Land Rover engines (slight jab there) but not necessary on this engine. Think tolerance and the current gasket design is very sufficient.

 

[DirtDawg]

Always use toyota red in the 4.7. Good lesson to learn.

 

[alia176]

Always use toyota red in the 4.7. Good lesson to learn.

Toyota red + Distilled water if you're really anal :whipping2

 

[Trumpet]

I'd take the Toyota bill to the other dealer and ask at a minimum they split it with you if not outright 100% reimburse you. Just MHO.

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

Always use toyota red in the 4.7. Good lesson to learn.

Probably a better lesson to go with a Toyota-certified dealership to diagnose any issues that may transpire haha. I'm nowhere close to savvy handling technical maintenance work on my 4Runner but I'd prefer to spend more money to have my truck serviced by a Toyota dealership instead of going through a non Toyota dealer. That's like trusting Carmax to service 4Runner for maintenance purposes. Their employees might do a decent job servicing the 4Runner but I'd prefer for the 4Runner to be serviced by people who deals with Toyota vehicles every single day throughout their employment with the dealership versus people who deals with varying brands of vehicles on a regular basis.

 

[DirtDawg]

Probably a better lesson to go with a Toyota-certified dealership to diagnose any issues that may transpire haha. I'm nowhere close to savvy handling technical maintenance work on my 4Runner but I'd prefer to spend more money to have my truck serviced by a Toyota dealership instead of going through a non Toyota dealer. That's like trusting Carmax to service 4Runner for maintenance purposes. Their employees might do a decent job servicing the 4Runner but I'd prefer for the 4Runner to be serviced by people who deals with Toyota vehicles every single day throughout their employment with the dealership versus people who deals with varying brands of vehicles on a regular basis.

I personally do all my own maintenance unless its way over my head (machinist, tools I don't have, etc.). So I was just throwing the suggestion out there. Ive been screwed over by toyota dealerships as well, so the above does not always ring true.

 

[vanion2]

I'd take the Toyota bill to the other dealer and ask at a minimum they split it with you if not outright 100% reimburse you. Just MHO.

Technically, the work the other dealer did wasn't the cause of the leak. It only showed up when the Toyota tech had removed the timing cover and did a pressure test. Even the Toyota tech initially thought it was the water pump.

The tech did a thorough job. He pulled the non OEM gaskets and replaced them all while he was in there and I have the 4R loaded and ready to go in the morning. I lost a day but at least I know that the 4R won't be the problem if I don't make it. Lol.

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[BlackWorksInc]

Always use toyota red in the 4.7. Good lesson to learn.

All 4th gen V8's use Toyota SLLC "Pink" coolant.

Toyota red + Distilled water if you're really anal :whipping2

There's some interesting stuff I have been reading that distilled water with the newer coolants is probably not the best idea because of it being too pure and causing an oddball ionic reaction. SLLC comes pre-mixed and is what the vehcle calls for, so I don't both with much else honestly.
[MENTION=110437]vanion2[/MENTION]

Make sure that you have the cooling system flushed as best as possible and new Toyota Pink Coolant installed. I would also then recommend instead of the regular 5yr/50k coolant interval you do maybe a 25k or 30k interval for at least one or two intervals to try and stabilize/remove whatever damage the green stuff did.