engine water pump failed to seal?

This is good to know. My 2007 has a weepy and crusty WP and I also have a new AISIN pump from Rockauto that I hope to tackle in the upcoming weeks. I plan to replace the thermostat as well and will likely drain out as much of the coolant from the system as possible including the storage tank.

Can you describe the coolant being murky? When I look into the radiator neck, my red coolant appears cloudy and opague and not transparent.

 

If you're fluid looks like crap I would drain it at the lowest point and add new free mixed Asian red fluid for the leak usually what I have to do w meccie pumps is spray gasket adhesive on the pump put the gasket on the pump let that set. Use my elec for crinder to cleanup timing cover mating surface. Then assemble . I haven't had one of these mechanical pumps leaking 40 years putting it on or afterwards . not sure on leak . Hold you're camera under the pump as it's leaking .

 

Leaking gaskets are often from improper preparation of the surface. Either it wasn't cleaned well, or it was scratched when it was cleaned. Contamination of the surface on the new part with an oily/greasy,dirty finger can also cause this. Some gaskets can be installed incorrectly (rotated or flipped over) and will then leak. Were all the bolts properly torqued ? If so, when was the last time the torque wrench was calibrated? They can become quite inaccurate. It could be a bad gasket but Aisin is usually a quality product. What type of gasket do they supply?

Regarding murky coolant, ours was pretty much clear at more than 6 years old. (Not sure how much more.) It was the same color as the replacement coolant. Get some pH paper. If the pH has dropped significantly that is a good sign the coolant is worn out, and once it becomes neutral, or much worse, acidic, it can start dissolving metals. (Slowly.)

 

First, aftermarket for Toyota water pumps is a bad idea. Not necessarily for leaks (rare in any case) but for long term reliability.

Counterfeits exist with fake Toyota packaging. The Car Care Nut has a video on how to detect fakes.

Toyota gaskets are not a problem and are generally the safest buy. Some like Fel Pro for Gen3 head gasket but that is a choice advocated on forums looking for a solution to a design issue. In fact Toyota upgraded that particular gasket as well.

Solution for your gen2 water pump? Do it again with a new gasket. Drain your coolant first. Carefully clean and inspect the mating surfaces. Make sure all the bolts are in and torqued to spec.

 

Be interesting to lay the dura's last side by side with the whatever it is cannot imagine they'll be much to see

 

But where is the leak on the gasket mating surfaces coming out of the weep hole of the brand new pump? That's kind of more interest than brands

 

The Walmart site is a marketplace like Ebay or Amazon. Presumably it has just as many fakes. If you want an Aisin pump that is really from Aisin get it from RockAuto. As far as I know nobody has reported fakes from RA. Or from an actual Toyota dealer.

I'm with Tombuk2, is there a picture showing where the coolant was coming out? If it is pouring out along the shaft or weep hole then it has nothing to do with the gasket.

If it really is just a bad gasket, the OP could always resort to some form of gasket in a tube. Or maybe just buy a better gasket? The OEM gasket lists for only $8 and I can get that for $6 at one of the local dealers.

 

Does he? Aisin makes the OEM pump and the price when it is stamped "Aisin" is reasonable. Duralast parts often cost as much as OEM, but you're paying for convenience, not quality.

 

Interesting a mechanic would choose the aftermarket store branded Duralast part over factory part whether it's a mechanical water pump or any other Toyota part. Perhaps that's why he is a successful mobile mechanic and I'm here typing on a keyboard.

The $70 Duralast engine wp from Autozone stock image looks identical to the GMB wp at RockAuto for $20. Paying for the convenience of available part and the Autozone lifetime warranty. Good thing the wp on the Prius is easy direct access.

 

The mechanic probably has a deal with Autozone where he gets a labor and parts warranty if it fails right away. He then gets paid by them to do it over. As a result he really does not care about long term reliability.

They won't pay for the engine if it blows due to an overheat.

 

Think about this from the mobile mechanic's perspective. He gets called out to fix a car, usually because the owner doesn't have the time to take it to a regular mechanic. Then it turns out it needs a water pump, alternator, or starter. Where is he going to get it? There may not be a dealer nearby, or the only dealer nearby may not have the part. If this is in a city of any size there will be an Autozone (or equivalent) around, and they stock those parts for a lot of cars. So he gets the part there, even though it isn't the best quality or least expensive part. If it fails he may get called back (and paid) a second time to swap it out, but neither he nor the client will pay for the replacement. If it fails after the car is sold, no skin off his back. If it is good enough and keeps working, that's good too.

The calculus is different for most of us. We often have another car, so having one down for a few days isn't a deal breaker. We can wait a little for a part to come in. We don't want to do the job twice, so while we may not want to pony up for the OEM part, we will buy the Aisin or Denso or (anybody else who makes that OEM) part as good enough quality at a better price.

 

That's what I'm talking about I'm looking for the $20 GMB pump that'll go usually $300,000 MI no tight belts no funny business should last pretty much forever or until it don't . Long time should be .

 

Have to admit you are more honest than most around here that blow it big time.

Spilled coolant was mistaken for a water pump leak which lead to a complete replacement by a mechanic for no reason?

Depending on Ai for answers? It was certainly wrong on this subject in general and specifically in your case. As mentioned before, Ai knows nothing about auto repairs and largely is giving you the loudest voices from forums like reddit and facebook. You never get answers from official sources like Toyota.