I've been waiting for this to happen. and it finally did! 2007 Camry Hybrid with 40K, went in for oil change yesterday, and they replace the water pump under warranty. having read the posts here, I wasn't surprised and am glad the problem showed up while under warranty.

 

The water pump has failed, again. This will now be my third water pump. The second one just failed at 57,000 miles. The first one failed at 30,000. Luckily I have the extended warranty. Hopefully, this time, they replace it with one that will last.

 

I read where someone suggested using a water pump from NAPA and not to use the toyota oem pump replacement.

 

Mine is a 2008. My original pump went out at 114,000. That was 15,000 miles ago. Now about to turn over 130,000 miles. I did the pump change myself and used the NAPA pump. So far, so good.


Honestly I think that there is a mechanical design flaw with the pumps. When mine failed the pump was still good. No bearing or mechanical problems. But, coolant was coming out of the weep hole. So, it was compromised internally. Either the beginnings of bearing failure, seal or combo. of both.

I did notice an impeller depth difference between the 2 pumps when I replaced it. I'm sure that a deeper impeller would put more stress on the bearing. The newer NAPA pump had a slightly shallower impeller depth. FWIW...

 

Yes, I think this is the guy that mentioned using the NAPA water pump so as not to have the pump go out again.

 

There is a recall on 2004-2007 Prius water pumps. Go to Toyota website, put VIN in and website will tell you if your car qualifies.

 

Thanks for the update..

 

NAPA seems to be an OK pump but I replaced mine with a new Japanese made GMB pump. Seemed to be nicely made, uses a gasket and was reasonably. priced

 

I replaced mine with a GMB last year. It was very inexpensive but required gasket forming compound. It was very easy though.

 

I have a 2007 Camry Hybrid with 49000 miles. When I went to the dealer for my last oil change, they said I have an engine coolant leak and recommend replacing the water pump. They estimated the water pump replacement cost to be $408. The warranty doesn't cover the fix because I am past 5 years.

I had a bad experience in the past where another mechanic (not this dealer) recommended hundreds of dollars in repairs which were unnecessary. I had not noticed any problem, so I got a second opinion from another mechanic who said everything was fine. I did not tell them exactly what the first mechanic said was a problem, I just gave a general area to inspect. That was two years ago and I have not had any problems despite not doing the recommended repair. This bad experience has left me very suspicious whenever a mechanic recommends repairs for a problem I don't notice.

What would be the best way to confirm whether or not my water pump needs replacing? The car doesn't overheat. I don't see any leaking liquid on the ground. I opened the hood and didn't see any pink stuff sticking to the parts. There seems to be a little white residue stuck to the underside of the hood though. I do occassionally hear a grinding sound from the engine area, usually when accelerating. Despite GeorgiaHybrid's excellent How To post, I do not feel I have the skill and experience to troubleshoot any further or to replace the water pump myself. The two options I could think of are:

1.) Go to the same non-dealer mechanic who gave me the second opinion on my previous supposed problem. This mechanic was recommended to me by a co-worker as trustworthy, but I haven't used them for anything beyond oil changes and state inspections. I think I might say that the particular year and model of car I have is known to have water pump leak problems at the mileage I'm at and ask if they can inspect the water pump. I'm worried though that maybe they would say I had a problem even if I didn't, in the hopes of getting the work done at their place.

2) Go to a second Toyota dealer for an oil change, don't say anything about any potential water pump leak, and see if they say I have a water pump leak also. Somebody told me that they inspect the car for problems while doing an oil change. If there really is a problem, they'd see the same symptoms as the first dealer.

Any suggestions on how to confirm a water pump leak myself or how to best get a professional second opinion? Is this an urgent fix, meaning would it cause permanent engine damage if the water pump fails completely? Thanks in advance for any advice.