Water pump/timing belt question

T

Traveler74

New member
I strongly suspect that I have a bad water pump and/or a bad idler pully.
Something is making a noise in that area AND engine gets too hot too fast.

The Haynes manual claims that I must remove the timing belt to remove/replace the water pump. That does not seem right to me.
Why in the world would a timing belt have anything to do with a water pump ? Doesn't make sense to me.
Haynes has been wrong before and maybe it is wrong now.
I'm definitely not crazy about removing the timing belt. If I replace it incorrectly the timing would be way off.

here is my question. Is Haynes correct ? Must I remove the timing belt to remove/replace the water pump on my 1996 T4R 3.4 liter V-6 ? :noidea:
 
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Traveler74 said:
I strongly suspect that I have a bad water pump and/or a bad idler pully.
Something is making a noise in that area AND engine gets too hot too fast.

The Haynes manual claims that I must remove the timing belt to remove/replace the water pump. That does not seem right to me.
Why in the world would a timing belt have anything to do with a water pump ? Doesn't make sense to me.
Haynes has been wrong before and maybe it is wrong now.
I'm definitely not crazy about removing the timing belt. If I replace it incorrectly the timing would be way off.

here is my question. Is Haynes correct ? Must I remove the timing belt to remove/replace the water pump on my 1996 T4R 3.4 liter V-6 ? :noidea:
Click to expand...

I haven't done it myself, but a quick check of the factory manual agrees with Haynes, you need to pull the timing belt to access the water pump.

This should be a helpful video for you. Link
 
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Yes, timing belt drives the water pump. You really should change the belt, idler and tensioner while your in there since it's a little hard to get to those parts.
This forum has a lot of info in how to do it.
 
 
thank you everyone. I watched the 2 hour video link provided by Skulking and it convinced me that the super complicated work necessary to even get to the water pump is one heck of a lot more complicated than my wildest imagination.

Looks like this is a job for a serious mechanic or, heavens forbid, the Toyota stealership. The specialized tools necessary for this job would run several hundred dollars. On the other hand, the Toyota stealership would certainly charge me far more than the vehicle cost me.

SIGH

Thanks again everyone.
 
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As stated above, the timing belt drives the water pump so it does need to be removed to replace the water pump.

But, there is only one "specialty" tool that is needed and that is crank pulley (harmonic balancer) holder. One can easily be made out of some angle iron and a couple bolts from the hardware store. Other than that, basic hand tools is all that is needed to replace the timing belt, pulleys, water pump.

You can even use the starter bump method to remove the crank bolt but you'll still need a tool to hold the pulley while you apply the high torque to the bolt.

The complete timing belt kit is about $250 which includes the water pump.
 
Thank you everyone for your assistance, however, after watching that link provided by Skulking I'm convinced that the work is way over my head. It's too complicated for me to attempt.

My goodness, if Toyota was trying to make the water pump replacement as difficult as possible, then they certainly succeeded.

I seem to recall that, 52 years ago, I had to replace the water pump on my 1961 Chevy and it was right there in front of the engine and it took me only 2 hours or so. Simple as pie. 1, 2 3.
 
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If you have all the parts and tools rounded up, this is an easy job... could be completed in half a day if your properly equipped and prepared


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Traveler74 said:
Haynes has been wrong before and maybe it is wrong now...
Click to expand...

Do yourself a favor and download the 96-02 FSM, Haynes and Chilton manuals I burned long ago.
Crank pulley holder can be homemade or purchased $70. Job looks intimidating for 1st timer, follow FSM piece of cake.
 
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