How can I tell if the water pump has been replaced as the previous owner claimed?

ANSWER : Hi, thanks for your question. The best thing to get when purchasing a car are service records. If the seller doesn’t have them in hand, you can go to the shop that did the work and they will have records of the repair details. If the car looks meticulously maintained, that is a really good indication of the condition of the car. And yes, the timing belt likely would have been replaced along with the water pump.

To add, an experienced technician can tell if the timing belt has been replaced. A timing belt with 100,000 miles on it will look significantly different than one that has been replaced. There will need to be some disassembly to see the belt, but it isn’t that much work to be able to take a look at it. The water pump on the other hand takes significantly more work to see. I can say that almost all shops, including YourMechanic, will advise a customer to replace the timing belt and water pump at the same time. This is standard in the industry.

If there is any question, ask for the records. It should be an easy thing to go to the shop that repaired it and get the information. Sometimes the customer will have to call the repair shop to allow them to release the information.

Good luck! Sounds like a good car.

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 : 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.

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 : Hi there:

Trying to diagnose an overheating issue remotely is incredibly difficult. However, there are three things you can do to attempt to solve this issue. First, remove the water pump, verify it’s the right replacement part and reinstall with new gaskets. Second, flush the radiator coolant fully, as the issue could be caused by an obstruction inside the heater core or other coolant lines. Third, make sure to check all electrical connections to the radiator sensors and components. If you check and complete all three of those tasks, and you still have overheating problems, contact a professional mobile mechanic to complete a car is overheating inspection.

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 – if the mechanic waited until the car was re-assembled after the water pump job to suggest timing chain repair, then "yes", s/he was not doing you any favor. Doing the timing chain repair separately is essentially repeating the labor. There are a number of related parts involved in a timing chain service: the timing chain itself, one or more timing chain guides, a tensioner, an idler puller(sometimes), and various o-rings and seals. Many parts manufacturers package these as a "kit", and the technician simply orders the correct kit for your engine in order to be sure they get all the right bits. I recommend a timing chain service performed by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, and give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs.

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.