Aurion water pump

[ZZT86]

Ash, it did 226K kms in 14 years so not a bad run really. What a PITA job to do considering the lack of space. I feel for you :|

[Tony Prodigy]

24 minutes ago, ZZT86 said:

Ash, it did 226K kms in 14 years so not a bad run really. What a PITA job to do considering the lack of space. I feel for you 😐

Long term owners like myself will all have to face this someday. I'll wait till Ashley has done his and read the follow up post. I'm sure there will lots of cursing involved. Somehow this helps during the process I've found 😄

[campbeam]

8 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Long term owners like myself will all have to face this someday. I'll wait till Ashley has done his and read the follow up post. I'm sure there will lots of cursing involved. Somehow this helps during the process I've found 😄

Water pump arrived today. Already spent about 2 hours dismantling. Able to access and loosen all bolts so far and no need for cursing, yet. Tight working space and had to jack up the engine just to get out the engine mount support bracket because of 1 bolt. Making notes of the sequence of steps so will do a detailed workshop post with links to relevant YouTube videos etc. 

[ZZT86]

You certainly don't muck around ;)

[campbeam]

Just now, ZZT86 said:

You certainly don't muck around 😉

Bit annoyed that this has happened. Currently on leave for the rest of this week. Water pump was hopefully supposed to arrive by Friday so pleasantly surprised it arrived today after only being ordered on eBay on Saturday. I did the preparation work and got my various tools organised on Monday/Tuesday.

I knew that it will take me more than 2-3 hours especially since I will do a few extras like checking/lubricating the various pulleys. Plan is to continue early tomorrow morning until it gets too hot then finish off in the afternoon. 

[Tony Prodigy]

6 hours ago, campbeam said:

Bit annoyed that this has happened. Currently on leave for the rest of this week. Water pump was hopefully supposed to arrive by Friday so pleasantly surprised it arrived today after only being ordered on eBay on Saturday. I did the preparation work and got my various tools organised on Monday/Tuesday.

I knew that it will take me more than 2-3 hours especially since I will do a few extras like checking/lubricating the various pulleys. Plan is to continue early tomorrow morning until it gets too hot then finish off in the afternoon. 

How's your serpentine belt Ash ?

I plan to get a replacement one, soak it in 303 and leave it in a plastic bag until it's needed. The 303 should penetrate nicely and give it some extra longevity too.

[campbeam]

Water pump replacement is all finished. Took me another 6 hours this morning. Spent a lot of time triple checking that all 16 bolts on the water pump were properly torqued. i could have saved some time by raising the engine more so that the water pump pulley could be removed. This would have made accessing the 2 bolts a lot easier. There is a stud for the thermostat housing which I did not bother to remove using an E6 socket. This would have saved a few minutes but easy to work around.

Serpentine belt was in very good condition. I had previously given it the Aerospace 303 treatment so gave it some more after I refitted it. Both idler pulleys and the tensioner pulley were in good condition so did not need to be re-lubricated. 

Replaced water pump had the Toyota mark, so I presume that it could have been original. Interesting in that the weep hole was blocked so this could have contributed to the bearing going bad. 

[nzzr6]

7 hours ago, campbeam said:

Water pump replacement is all finished. Took me another 6 hours this morning. Spent a lot of time triple checking that all 16 bolts on the water pump were properly torqued. i could have saved some time by raising the engine more so that the water pump pulley could be removed. This would have made accessing the 2 bolts a lot easier. There is a stud for the thermostat housing which I did not bother to remove using an E6 socket. This would have saved a few minutes but easy to work around.

Serpentine belt was in very good condition. I had previously given it the Aerospace 303 treatment so gave it some more after I refitted it. Both idler pulleys and the tensioner pulley were in good condition so did not need to be re-lubricated. 

Replaced water pump had the Toyota mark, so I presume that it could have been original. Interesting in that the weep hole was blocked so this could have contributed to the bearing going bad. 

I'm assuming you did the job through the side access hatch? 

[Tony Prodigy]

8 hours ago, campbeam said:

Water pump replacement is all finished. Took me another 6 hours this morning. Spent a lot of time triple checking that all 16 bolts on the water pump were properly torqued. i could have saved some time by raising the engine more so that the water pump pulley could be removed. This would have made accessing the 2 bolts a lot easier. There is a stud for the thermostat housing which I did not bother to remove using an E6 socket. This would have saved a few minutes but easy to work around.

Glad it all went well Ash. Now you won't have to worry about that for some time. I'd also be interested to see how the new pump performs as I have the same one in my spares bin ready to go.

8 hours ago, campbeam said:

Interesting in that the weep hole was blocked so this could have contributed to the bearing going bad. 

Blocked due to crud and corrosion ? I don't recall where the weep hole is on these. Are the Toyota and aftermarket weep holes in the same spot ?

[campbeam]

2 hours ago, nzzr6 said:

I'm assuming you did the job through the side access hatch? 

I mainly used the side access to assist removing and replacing the serpentine belt. Majority of work was done from above.

1 hour ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Glad it all went well Ash. Now you won't have to worry about that for some time. I'd also be interested to see how the new pump performs as I have the same one in my spares bin ready to go.

Blocked due to crud and corrosion ? I don't recall where the weep hole is on these. Are the Toyota and aftermarket weep holes in the same spot ?

New pump is performing well but I have only started the engine a few times to check for leakages.

Certainly hope that it lasts 175-180K so I do not have to replace it before "retiring" the car.

Weep hole was blocked due to crud. Weep holes on the original and the aftermarket NPW are in the same location underneath the central bearing and shaft. However, they differ with NPW being in the centre of the small pressed in plug and on the original it is rectangular [part of the casting] and to the side of the plug. 

I did spray some silicone spray into the weep hole of the new pump. It did not seem to have any effect. 

[Tony Prodigy]

10 hours ago, campbeam said:

Serpentine belt was in very good condition.

Hey ash, how long would I expect the serpentine belt to last before it starts cracking ?

I also wonder how much longer a new belt dipped in 303 will last compared to one that's not. Interesting test. I would tend to think that the treated belt should last indefinitely if the pullies are in perfect alignment and clean. Can't see why not.

Oh. Forgot to ask. Did you have to replace the tensioner too ??

Edited January 28, 2021 by Tony Prodigy

[campbeam]

1 hour ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Hey ash, how long would I expect the serpentine belt to last before it starts cracking ?

I also wonder how much longer a new belt dipped in 303 will last compared to one that's not. Interesting test. I would tend to think that the treated belt should last indefinitely if the pullies are in perfect alignment and clean. Can't see why not.

Oh. Forgot to ask. Did you have to replace the tensioner too ??

I am expecting the serpentine belt to last forever with regular Aerospace 303 treatments. By regular, I mean next time that I am checking the pulleys etc. Last time was when I replaced the alternator. 

I did not replace the tensioner or the thermostat. Pulley on the tensioner was definitely checked. Waiting until the parts actually need to be replaced. Different matter if you are paying a mechanic. 

[campbeam]

Attached are pictures of the replaced Aisin Toyota water pump showing the weep hole after I had cleaned it. 

There was movement in the bearing. Maybe if the weep hole was not clogged, then I would have been losing coolant and known earlier that the water pump needed to be checked/replaced. 

I looked at the initial post about the water pump failing with a massive leak overnight. My theory is that the bearing finally failed on the drive home and more of the coolant has then leaked out overnight.

[ZZT86]

Excellent work Ash. What sort of coolant did you use ? Did you use distilled water or was it pre-mixed?

I remember my old gen7 Celicas water pump started weeping @ about 150-200K kms but never actually failed but was eventually changed at about 225K kms due to other work required. Maintenance on that car was kept up to date by the book so coolant changes every 40K kms.

Belts in my use usually go about 100K kms before they start to crack without the Aerospace.

[campbeam]

On 1/29/2021 at 11:31 AM, ZZT86 said:

What sort of coolant did you use ? Did you use distilled water or was it pre-mixed?

Actually, I reused the coolant which was Nulon Pre-mix with a 8 year life.

I drained the radiator and that was approximately 5.5 litres. There was still some coolant in the thermostat housing and the water pump so there was some loss of coolant which I thought [at the time] looked to be fairly minor.

When I refilled the radiator, I had the air bleed valve on the top of the thermostat housing fully removed. I then topped off the coolant with some distilled water. Ended up being approx. 1 litre [maximum] which was more than I was expecting.

Radiator cap and air bleed valve were refitted and the engine test run for a few minutes only to confirm that there were no leaks before finishing off the re-assembly. Afterwards, I idled the engine up to full operating temperature then shut down.

Next morning, I checked the level in the coolant overflow bottle and it was a few centimetres below the previous full mark. Topped up with coolant this time after checking that there was not any sediment in the bottom of the bottle. I then did a test drive to the shops and when I was leaving, confirmed that there was no coolant in the parking space. 

All looking good so far. Nice to have my Aurion back on the road ready for a day trip. 

Edited February 9, 2021 by campbeam
Correct Brand of Coolant

[campbeam]

In the past few weeks, I have been monitoring the coolant level in the reservoir bottle. Over a 2 month period, it has gone from being above the Full mark to slightly below that Full mark. I have checked for leaks and there was nothing obvious.

Wet weather has disrupted an intended plan to recheck the torque on the water pump bolts this weekend. 

Just viewed this recent video by The Car Nut that shows the right way to bleed the cooling system on the V6 2GR-FE 3.5Litre engine.  

 

[Tony Prodigy]

58 minutes ago, campbeam said:

Just viewed this recent video by The Car Nut that shows the right way to bleed the cooling system on the V6 2GR-FE 3.5Litre engine.

Haha, I watched that same video just the other day, which prompted me to buy that bleed/funnel kit. Got it from Amazon Prime. Should be here next week.

Just prior to this, I also watched his video on how to replace spark plugs on the 2GR-FE. I was laughing when he said, "look how easy it is, once you know how". Sheesh !! As much as I love the guy, it's not an easy job. You still have to dismantle half the top end to do it and you will also need new intake plenum gaskets.
Make sure they are Orange as they are the new, updated ones over the older black ones.

The car care nut is a great channel that's for sure.

[campbeam]

18 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I was laughing when he said, "look how easy it is, once you know how". Sheesh !! As much as I love the guy, it's not an easy job. You still have to dismantle half the top end to do it and you will also need new intake plenum gaskets.
Make sure they are Orange as they are the new, updated ones over the older black ones.

The car care nut is a great channel that's for sure.

After you have replaced the spark plugs on the 2GR-FE once, then it is relatively easy. Removing the cowl , wiper blades and wiper motor is just time-consuming. Main thing is to get the reassembly right.  I did notice that he did mention a few times in the video to stop and check your work. 

As others have posted and I have confirmed, you do not need to remove the intake plenum. You can workaround it but you wil definitely have to remove a retaining bracket on the intake plenum plus the bolts for the rear wiring harness to the coils. 

His right way of bleeding the system is much more involved than my minimalist method of just loosening the bleed bolt and overfilling the reservoir.  

[Tony Prodigy]

7 minutes ago, campbeam said:

After you have replaced the spark plugs on the 2GR-FE once, then it is relatively easy. Removing the cowl , wiper blades and wiper motor is just time-consuming. Main thing is to get the reassembly right.  I did notice that he did mention a few times in the video to stop and check your work. 

I think it was an SUV type vehicle or RAV 4 he was working on Ash for those spark plugs. Is the cowl also removal on the Aurion too ?? I've never bothered to check actually.

My car will need spark plugs at some point too, including the coolant flush, so it will be worthwhile investing in some extra knowledge and gadgets lol..

 

[campbeam]

44 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I think it was an SUV type vehicle or RAV 4 he was working on Ash for those spark plugs. Is the cowl also removal on the Aurion too ?? I've never bothered to check actually.

My car will need spark plugs at some point too, including the coolant flush, so it will be worthwhile investing in some extra knowledge and gadgets lol..

 

Sure that it was a Highlander i.e. Kluger in Australia. Cowl removal needs to be done on the Aurion so you can access to the rear bank of the engine.

Good idea to replace the ignition coils when you replace the spark plugs which should be long life double iridiums.

[nzzr6]

16 minutes ago, campbeam said:

Sure that it was a Highlander i.e. Kluger in Australia. Cowl removal needs to be done on the Aurion so you can access to the rear bank of the engine.

Good idea to replace the ignition coils when you replace the spark plugs which should be long life double iridiums.

Hmm, I don't think i removed the wiper cowl for the two Aurions ive done spark plug changes for. One was a NA other was a TRD, you should have enough room to get the plugs out without removing the cowl 🙂

[campbeam]

1 hour ago, nzzr6 said:

Hmm, I don't think i removed the wiper cowl for the two Aurions ive done spark plug changes for. One was a NA other was a TRD, you should have enough room to get the plugs out without removing the cowl 🙂

Interesting. You must have smaller hands than me and/or right tools to access those rear spark plugs. I think that I did try to remove that rear bracket for the intake plentum but gave up and removed the wiper cowl to get more working space.

I am sure than even with the wiper cowl removed, I was having a bit of fun removing and replacing the coil packs until I removed the retaining bolts for the wiring harness.

[Tony Prodigy]

7 hours ago, campbeam said:

I think that I did try to remove that rear bracket for the intake plentum but gave up and removed the wiper cowl to get more working space.

This would also give the opportunity to clean the areas not normally accessible. 

The way I look at it is that I can dedicate a whole bunch of time to doing this job and factoring in some cleaning detail as well. It's not a rush right ?

I like to start early in the morning and if possible set the car up and start dismantling the easy stuff the evening before. Take plenty photos of the hose orientations including any wiring plugs/harness. I have a tendency to forget these days and my phone camera has become my best friend lately 🤪

[campbeam]

27 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

This would also give the opportunity to clean the areas not normally accessible. 

The way I look at it is that I can dedicate a whole bunch of time to doing this job and factoring in some cleaning detail as well. It's not a rush right ?

I like to start early in the morning and if possible set the car up and start dismantling the easy stuff the evening before. Take plenty photos of the hose orientations including any wiring plugs/harness. I have a tendency to forget these days and my phone camera has become my best friend lately 🤪

I do a lot of preliminary research for tips and tricks and prepare a reference guide. This usually has the main steps and links to worthwhile YouTube videos. In most cases, I have also printed out relevant pages from the online workshop manual.

When it came to the water pump replacement, I had remembered a post on Quora.com where the mechanic has mixed up the different length bolts resulting in the engine block having to be replaced. Therefore, I exercised extra effort/caution and preparation to identify the correct placement of bolts for the side mounts to the engine. Instead of numbering them, I used a cardboard/tissue box with holes in a pattern. Top right hand bolt went into an equivalent position on the box. When it came to the actual water pump bolts which has 10mm and 12mm bolts, I used a tip from a YouTube video. Each bolt removed was put into the same hole on the new water pump. After removal of the existing water pump, botls were transfered across from the new one to the old one. 

I use the same time approach. I take other's time estimates and double or triple them. I move at my own relaxed pace and not pushing a deadline. Therefore, opportunity and time to do the extras whether it is cleaning or checking other items. Serpentine belt got an Aerospace 303 treatment and idler pulleys checked/regreased if required.

Using the phone camera is a good idea. I have the luxury of being able to look at my other Aurion. YouTube is my best friend assistant. When doing the water pump replacement, I did have a preferred YouTube video already opened for ready reference.

[Tony Prodigy]

2 minutes ago, campbeam said:

I do a lot of preliminary research for tips and tricks and prepare a reference guide. This usually has the main steps and links to worthwhile YouTube videos. In most cases, I have also printed out relevant pages from the online workshop manual.

I couldn't agree more Ash. This should be the doctrine one must follow for a trouble free repair/service.

3 minutes ago, campbeam said:

When it came to the water pump replacement, I had remembered a post on Quora.com where the mechanic has mixed up the different length bolts resulting in the engine block having to be replaced.

😲😲😲

4 minutes ago, campbeam said:

Therefore, I exercised extra effort/caution and preparation to identify the correct placement of bolts for the side mounts to the engine. Instead of numbering them, I used a cardboard/tissue box with holes in a pattern. Top right hand bolt went into an equivalent position on the box. When it came to the actual water pump bolts which has 10mm and 12mm bolts, I used a tip from a YouTube video. Each bolt removed was put into the same hole on the new water pump. After removal of the existing water pump, botls were transfered across from the new one to the old one. 

I use the same time approach. I take other's time estimates and double or triple them. I move at my own relaxed pace and not pushing a deadline. Therefore, opportunity and time to do the extras whether it is cleaning or checking other items. Serpentine belt got an Aerospace 303 treatment and idler pulleys checked/regreased if required.

Very easy to get it wrong because your mind is focused more on removing said item and the momentary inattention can have serious consequences. One needs to do the proper research first before diving into these modern engine repairs. The old cars were simple and repairs could've been done blindfolded. Not these days unfortunately. I like your cardboard box idea too. Very novel approach.