Hello, I have 2007 Toyota Prius 135000, I have had it since 67000, do I need to replace water pump? Serpentine belt? maintenance?

ANSWER : Hello. If your vehicle just needs the serpentine belt then that needs to be replaced. There is no reason to replace the water pump if it is not leaking or making noise. You could have it changed as maintenance, but there really is not reason to do so. As for the other items, with this many miles I would have the vehicle tuned up and also change any fluids that have not been changed. You should have these items replaced by a certified mechanic, like one from YourMechanic, as they can come to you to [replace your belt and do the maintenance on the vehicle] https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/serpentine-drive-belt-replacement

ANSWER : Hello. You can just replace the water pump in this case. Although, the cost of just the timing belt is fairly negligible in comparison to the total labor of the job. My estimator says the water pump is a 6.5 hour job. Multiply that by whatever the shop rate is and you have the total labor without parts. You end up saving about $100 or less on parts if you only replace the pump.

The deciding factor will be the condition of the timing belt. If it has problems, you won’t be saving yourself any money by reusing it. In addition, there are seals and pulleys that may need to be replaced as well.

Assuming all the related parts were replaced the first time around, there isn’t a reason you can’t reuse them. I would say you should weigh the savings of reusing them against the actual condition of the parts. This is best determined after a complete disassembly. Keep in mind, time estimates will vary a bit depending on many factors. Either way, the labor is the largest cost.

If you would like to have the water pump replaced, a certified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to perform this service at your convenience.

ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. There is no reason to replace the water pump every time the belt is changed, unless the pump itself is damaged or not working properly. The belt may show signs of wear which is fairly common between 80k-100k miles. I would not recommend putting the belt service off as this can cause major damage if the belt were to snap. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home to inspect your belts to determine when and if they would need to be replaced, while at the same time inspecting your water pump and cooling system to be sure there are no issues with it.

ANSWER : Hello there, 45,000 miles is a short lifespan for a water pump on your 2000 Honda Odyssey. There are a few reasons the water pump will need to be replaced, such as a pump bearing failure, water pump seal leak, or rust/contamination damaging the pump. Faults such as rust or particles in the cooling system are formed in the cooling system over time and the parts break down, or regular coolant flushes are not performed. These particles can cause the pump to fail prematurely. It would be a good idea to ask why the water pump needs to be replaced or take note of any symptoms you are experiencing with the car before moving forward with this. If you would like to have an expert give you a second opinion on this, a certified technician from YourMechanic can come to your location to inspect the car and replace the water pump if necessary.

ANSWER : Hello. They should have told you exactly what component was leaking. It’s still unclear if it’s the water pump, radiator, or something else leaking. The drive belt (also called the serpentine belt) should be replaced if it has cracks or got coolant on it from a water pump leak. The serpentine belt needs to come off when the water pump is worked on, so there should only be a charge for the part and no additional labor. I suggest you get a second opinion from another qualified mechanic. Consider YourMechanic, as their certified mobile mechanics can come to your home or workplace to inspect what’s causing the leak.

ANSWER : Water pumps do NOT get loose on an engine excepting an unusual circumstance where the pump was improperly installed. So, the mechanic might be referring, in your circumstance, to a seized water pump or a situation where the water pump pulley and/or pump impeller have come loose. Certainly, if the water pump pulley is loose or the pump impeller has failed, the pump is not re-usable and must be replaced. However, if the pump itself, that is the aluminum pump housing, was loose (i.e., the bolts holding the pump to the engine block were loose) unless it is a relatively new Toyota pump, it is wise to replace it simply because the pump shaft seal does not last forever and if the pump has any significant number of miles on it will be cheaper in the long run to just replace it now when the mechanic has to already go in there anyway to re-install it. If you are re-using a pump, you have to remove it to re-gasket it and re-install it so better to just install a new pump and save yourself the possibility of the used part failing "soon". As far as engine cooling system thermostats are concerned, if you install a new water pump, the best practice is to install a brand new thermostat (use Toyota OEM ONLY; save yourself a headache and do NOT use aftermarket) because the engine thermostat performs a critical function in terms of optimizing and regulating engine operating temperature. Thermostats do not last forever and when they fail they often cause engine overheating which is VERY bad. The reason the best practice is to replace the thermostat when the mechanic is already in there, and the cooling system is already drained, is the thermostat housing is often adjacent to the pump and so it is also efficient and economical to replace it. Thermostats are not expensive: the Toyota OEM thermostat might be around $25 with a mechanic’s discount. As far as this job being costly, as you noted in your question, yes if you use a shop, or worse a "dealer" where the mark ups are huge, you can be sure you won’t be eating lunch for the next month once you have the job done. However, in your circumstance you have a choice: a water pump and thermostat replacement, plus a new serpentine belt, is a relatively easy task on a vehicle such as yours and so is an ideal in the field, mobile job. You can not only save money but get personalized service if you replace the water pump through YourMechanic and the money you save can be put toward OEM parts which a mechanic can get for you typically at a 25% discount off the dealer list price. If you do the job and you want the fewest headaches, but the water pump, thermostat, and belt from a Toyota dealer. Finally, IF the pump was in fact loose, the REASON it was loose has to be investigated. In particular, a loose assembly raises the possibility of stripped internal threads in the block thus causing the bolts to eventually come loose. So, if in your case, there were loose bolts, the internal threads have to be carefully inspected and repaired if necessary, otherwise you will be completely wasting your money on the repair because the pump WILL come loose again. Any further concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to contact us and I hope you are able to get this all resolved to your satisfaction.

ANSWER : The water pump and timing belt should be replaced as a set if the coolant leaked on the belt. The coolant leaking on it will damage the belt.

ANSWER : Driving or running the engine without the water pump working to circulate the coolant through the motor will cause the motor to overheat and may damage the engine costing thousands of dollars versus using a tow truck to take the vehicle to the shop that will cost a lot less. I would not recommend running the engine more than a few minutes at a time or you will overheat it.