3.4 Water Pump Question

[Bryota]

I am about to do all of the MTC on my 2003 taco, (T-belt, water pump, hoses, seals, belts etc...) One thing is puzzling me though. The water pump that I bought came with a gasket that has a raised rubber seal around its periphery and the pump itself does not have a groove that is referred to in the '03 FSM. Does anyone know if Toyota has incorporated a product improvement? The '03 FSM says to load the groove with FIPG (Form-In-Place-Gasket) material and assemble within 5 minutes.

See attached pics

Any help would be appreciated.....View attachment 13525

View attachment 13526

 

[Desertdude]

Interesting - I am about to get close (90K) to changing the timing belt in my '04 Tacoma and will most probably change out the water pump too.

on the bottom of this page it shows the pump with the groove in it.

Part # 57-1486

http://www.autopart.com/waterpumps/wpump2004TOYOTATACOMA.htm

 

[Bryota]

The jury is still out...

Thanks for the reply Pasquale. The link you sent shows the same pump as the '03 FSM. Hence, my dilemma. I fired off the same question to some pals at TLC 4x4 in Van Nuys, CA. Thomas Rose, TLC GM, is a member of the Long Beach Racers team and co-drives a Class 7SX Taco. Whether at the TLC shop or racing, those guys frequently interface with Toyota TRD Engineers. I am hoping I can get a product improvement confirmation. I will post any result so all members will know. (I've heard the FIPG instl is leak prone)

Regards,
Bryan

 

[p1michaud]

Water pump improvements.

Disclaimer: I did no do the reasearch on this but one of my good friends has. We have replaced two water pumps, timing belts, thermostat, etc... on 3.4 engines in the last month. I trust this guy to work on my truck and he researches everything to the last minute detail, kinda like me, so I know his word is good.

I'm not sure exactly when, but Toyota did change their water pump design to use a rubber gasket and a non grooved water pump housing. They had too many small leaks with the FIPG (Form-In-Place-Gasket) material. If you want to make sure, you could call your local Toyota parts counter and ask, they should know. We noticed that the new water pump for a 2002 4Runner and 1999 Tacoma did have the new water pump sans FIPG when we replaced them.

By the way, while you are in there, replace the thermostat. For the time (2 minutes) and money well worth it.

Cheers,
P

 

[Bryota]

Thanks P -
I really appreciate the input. I seem to remember hearing the same about the w-pump re-design. Just can't remember where or who I heard it from. This forum is a great tool to get the needed info. Also, I learned long ago from a very wise man (my father) that preventive maintenance is worth its weight in gold. I plan to do it all; t-belt, w-pump, t-stat, upr and lwr rad hoses (including the oil cooler lines), drive belts, cam and crank oil seals, idler pulleys (all three) and t-belt tensioner. Thought process: If it is behind the cover, or has to be removed to get behind the cover, it will get r and r'ed with new OEM parts. I plan to keep this Toyota rockin' as long as I can...

Bryan "Bryota"...

 

[p1michaud]

Preventive maintenance

Thanks P -
I really appreciate the input. I seem to remember hearing the same about the w-pump re-design. Just can't remember where or who I heard it from. This forum is a great tool to get the needed info. Also, I learned long ago from a very wise man (my father) that preventive maintenance is worth its weight in gold. I plan to do it all; t-belt, w-pump, t-stat, upr and lwr rad hoses (including the oil cooler lines), drive belts, cam and crank oil seals, idler pulleys (all three) and t-belt tensioner. Thought process: If it is behind the cover, or has to be removed to get behind the cover, it will get r and r'ed with new OEM parts. I plan to keep this Toyota rockin' as long as I can...

Bryan "Bryota"...

Glad I could help. I'm glad you are listening to that wise man because he will save you much grief down the road. With one extra pair of hands, you should be able to do the whole job in one evening plus an 8 hr day if you don't waste too much time. We started on a Friday evening, putting the vehicle up on jack stands, draining coolant, getting the tools ready removing the skid plate and that's about it. The next morning we started at 8:00 and by 6:30 the rig was running again. Good luck and take some pictures as you go through the process, this is one task that we don't have too well documented here.

Good luck,
P