Water Pump Replacement (2000 Tacoma, 5VZ-FE)

A few days ago, I noticed coolant dripping on the ground from my 2000 Tacoma. Seems to be coming from the weep hole in the water pump, so I'm going to need to replace the WP. I know a lot of people like to replace the timing belt, WP, etc at the same time (which generally makes a lot of sense), but my timing belt only has about 71,000 miles on it so I think I can get 2 or 3 more years out of it, easily. I noticed that there is a write up in the sticky threads on replacing the WP without removing the timing belt completely:

http://www.lieblweb.com/waterpump.html

Seems reasonable, but I was wondering if anyone else has utilized that write up, and could share their experiences with it. Tips, caveats, etc. There are a couple of things I noticed that I'd like to get feedback on:

1) I'm a little worried about the timing belt slipping off the crankshaft after I've slipped it off the cam pulleys. I'm pretty screwed if that happens, it would seem. That is, I would have to remove the crank bolt and pulley at the point to get it back on correctly, yes? I guess if I'm careful to keep tension on the belt at all times that shouldn't happen, but the instructions in the link are a little vague as to how to keep the belt tight. They use a cable tie somehow.

2) A youtube video I just watched on a 5VZ-FE timing belt replacement showed how the two hydraulic belt tensioner bolts can be loosened/removed with the A/C compressor & bracket in place. This seems preferable to me (less disassembly is generally desirable). Anyone had experience doing it this way? The guy in the video used a socket wrench with two extensions, a swivel, and a 12 mm socket fed from below, through the A/C bracket. Didn't look that difficult.

3) Finally, the water pump I bought online (Aisin) came with its own gasket (metal with a rubber seal). Is it necessary to apply a sealant on this gasket as well? Instructions don't say one way or the other.

Thanks for any and all help. I have spent many hours comfortably wrenching on my old 87 4Runner with the 22RE engine, but am kind of new to this engine, so I'm a little apprehensive.

 

It is up to you!!

My luck it would go sideways then not having all the parts for doing the timing belt .

I would drop a bolt down in the lower timing belt cover and be unable to fish it out with a magnet

Your either waiting for parts or ordering them at your local dealer .

Best of luck !!!

 

I hear ya. That kind of stuff happens to me too. Actually, I did purchase the whole timing kit, with belt, WP, tensioner, idler pullys, etc. as initially I was flip-flopping about doing the belt also. So, theoretically, the option for doing the belt, etc is still there as a last minute addition. To be honest, another main reason I'm avoiding doing the belt now is because of removing the crank bolt and pulley. On my old 4Runner, it took every ounce of strength I had with both hands to loosen it with a breaker bar. That was about 20 years ago, and I was a lot stronger then. The second time I did it, I got smart and used the "starter bump" method, which was a breeze, but my understanding is that is not an option for me now, since I have an automatic transmission. Correct? So, I need a special tool to hold the pulley, which I don't have (but could fabricate, I guess). One more thing I would have to deal with.

Good point about dropping something down into the lower cover. I will place a rag around it to keep that from happening.

 

LOL.
Yes....I have experience with that writeup. Many many many years ago.....I wrote it!! LOL

You won't use sealant & gasket together. When you remove the old WP - take notice to what was used - gasket or sealant. Also, take note to the mating surface. In the writeup - our old water pump had a 'chanel' in the mating surface. This may be specific to using sealant. If you use the gasket - I would research torque specs on the water pump bolts, as it could be slightly different for using a gasket. I don't know for sure, but worth some research.

If your WP came with a gasket - call up your local dealership and ask for torque spec.

Can't comment on the timing belt part - as the belt was changed by the dealer when we bought the truck (so it was only a couple years old in that writeup).

Good Luck!

 

Yeah you could get a little more time out of the old belt, but do you really want to do this process again in a couple years? The Aisin kit is pretty affordable on Amazon. Then you get the piece of mind it's all done and it helps resale value if you do sell it.

A couple years ago I bought a 4runner and looked at the belt then. Seemed ok, so I drove it all over back roads and used it as a daily driver. As time went on, it was always in the back of my mind wondering when it might snap in the middle of no where. A couple months ago I finally decided to change everything. Since the belt was coming off, I included Valve cover gaskets and injector o-rings, along with cam and crank seals.
I'm so glad I did! The belt was cracked all over the place and the water pump had a very small leak. Im happy everything is refreshed and that I did it all at once. I wouldnt want to go back and do the same job to change a part that could have been done the first time.
Don't worry if the belt or cam slips, it a non interference engine, so the valves won't hit the piston. Just make sure the marks are aligned on cam and crank.

To break the crank pulley bolt, I took off the starter and wedged the tip of a pry bar against flex plate teeth and starter opening, then used a breaker bar on the crank. When the job is done, be sure to tighten the crank bolt very tight.

I'm currently on a 2500 mile road trip with a 340000 mile 4runner and have had no issues.

 

I say do the belt at the same time.

When I did mine I couldn't get my skid off. It's possible, just not pretty.

I didn't put any other sealant on the gasket you mention. No leaks.

Good luck!

 

Wow, looks like I hit the jackpot finding the person who wrote the article! Thanks for writing that. In your writeup, it says you used a cable tie to tie up the belt while you were replacing the WP. Do you recall the specific details of this? I noticed your profile says, "Old and Forgetful" so maybe I'm expecting too much here. ;-)

 

You're, there, you're taking it off anyway, it is stretched a small amount in its life, the cost is not that much more short of going back in and having to do it all again.

it is recommended to replace all at the same time in most every application. you can reuse the tensioner if you have a way to compress and lock prior to reinstall. spin the tensioner and idler bearings, any noise AT ALL replace them, if they feel rough at all, replace them.

ultimately, if the belt breaks, it just quits running, no damage done ( non interference engine ) but if you can possibly prevent it, why not ?

you're looking at how much it costs NOW, how much will it cost to have it towed or have to have the job redone by skimping NOW ?

 

Actually, I don't really mind doing the belt (and other components) two or three years from now, when I can plan ahead. My top priority is replacing the WP and Tuesday is the only day I can do it. I'm not familiar with working on this engine at all, so I'm sorta taking "baby steps", you might say. The timing belt "only" has 70,000 miles on it, so its unlikely to break within 2 years.

I like your idea about taking off the starter motor and sticking a prybar in there, but I found out the hard way that taking off and putting back on the starter motor for the 5VZ-FE is a HUGE headache! I'm assuming you don't have the 5VZ-FE engine on your 4Runner?

 

The last time I changed my timing belt and all the things that go with it, I walked out to my truck and there was a puddle of coolant underneath. So I filled up the radiator and made sure everything was good. Then the next morning same thing again. It was the water pump leaking. So I just went ahead and changed it all. Might as well, since you're already gonna be in there.

 

LOL ...Considering that was probably 17 years ago - so yea - Oh dear god I'm old! LOL

The WP was a pretty major project for us at that time. I remember how cricital / careful we were of trying to keep the timing belt ON the crankshaft and not moving it and not moving the crankshaft. We were afraid that if we took the belt off the crankshaft, the engine might 'drift' (roll) out of position.

Then, if the crankshaft is out of position.....it'll be out of position with the cams (which were centered). We don't have a clue how to set timing.

 

I have the 5vz in my 2000 4runner 4x4. You don't fully need to pull the starter, just get it off the transmission. But you can take it off by removing the cat mid pipe, 5 bolts.
I get what you are saying time wise, maybe just do it that way.

 

Keep in mind that with the water pump leaking, the coolant will be on the belt. Replace it all and be done with it.

 

I might just do the timing belt as well, now that I have made a tool for removing the crank bolt. I fabricated this thing in about 10 minutes in my garage this afternoon. Its made from parts off an old chain drive garage door opener that I kept around for possible, but unknown future use. The long bar (about 42" long) is one of three "T" shaped steel bars that comprised the top rail of the opener. The curved section is one of the pieces that attaches the "trolley" to the garage door. The holes for the bolts in the "T" bar and curved bar were already pre-drilled in just the right spots, and exactly the right diameter for M8 bolts. So, no cutting or drilling was needed. Just a little filing at the end of the curved piece so it pivot easily at the "T" bar attachment. Its really remarkable how perfect these pieces were for making this. I had all components on hand, so the cost is FREE!

Haven't tried attaching it to the pulley put I'm pretty sure it will be fine, based on similar ones I've seen here.

 

Just thought I would give an update. I decided to play it by ear regarding replacement of the timing belt. I figured if I could get the crankshaft bolt off, I would go ahead and replacing the timing belt, etc. If I couldn't get it off reasonably easy and quick, I would stick to just replacing the water pump. Well, using my tool above (which worked great by the way!) it came off...too easily. I was a bit surprised how little effort it took, compared to when I did it on my old 22RE 4runner engine. So, I went ahead and replaced the belt, tensioner pulley, tensioner, idler pulley, water pump & gasket, thermostat & gasket. Nervously, at the end, I turned the key and it started right up! So, here's my comments and some questions:

1) Took me two full days to do this from start to finish! A lot longer than I expected (which was about 6 hours). Partly, because this is a new engine to me, and I'm not familiar with how everything is bolted down, accessed, etc. I'm sure I could cut the time in half if I had to do it again. Also, there were some seriously stuck bolts! Or maybe I'm just getting weak in my old age. Ultimately, I got them all, but not without lots of PB Blaster, banging, pipe extensions on the wrenches, etc. Swearing like a sailor doesn't hurt either. My neighbors must think I have Tourette's Syndrome. Don't even get me started on removing the AC bracket and compressor so I can access the belt tensioner. Ugh.

2) While trying to put on the belt at TDC, one of the cam pulleys suddenly and quickly moved about 90 degrees clockwise. Not knowing for sure what to do, I moved it back counterclockwise back to its TDC position and crossed my fingers. Was this the right thing to do, and is it possible some harm could come of this? Engine runs good, and I didn't throw any engines codes, so I guess it was OK?

3) Just out of curiousity, what does the engine do when you put the belt on and its off by one tooth? I almost put it back together with it off by one tooth, but caught it just in time and re-did it right. But I am curious as to what the consequence of that would be. Is it still drivable, but rough?

4) I heard a new noise when I first started it up. It was a somewhat faint whirring sound with a repetition cycle of about 1/2 to 1 second. It would steadily increase in pitch during a steady idle, then start over again. After driving around this afternoon, it seems like its gone or diminished now. Any idea what this might have been?

5) Finally, I monitored coolant temp on my Ultragauge while driving around town this afternoon. Engine temp was generally between 195 and 205 in city traffic. Outside temps was in the 90's, I'd say. Seems a little higher than I remember before. Should I be expecting lower temps than this? What temp do you all get under those conditions? The needle on the temp gauge on the dash didn't really move from the mid position.

I appreciate any and all feedback. You all were right about just going ahead and replacing belt at the same time as the water pump. Its not that much harder to just do it.

 

Awesome job!! And you did it by yourself!! Brings back memories of the 'nervousness' of digging into something like this.

As far as the belt & tooth - it's not the belt that you need to worry about. It's the cam pulleys & crank pulley. The belt can jump a tooth all day long as long as the crank & cams don't move out of position. Once the 3 pulleys are out of position with each other - that's when things are 'out of time'.
I can't say what would happen - as I've only ever worked on non-automotive equipment over the years.

Coolant temps? They shouldn't change from before. Keep an eye on it. You may have residual air pockets in the system that need to come out.
Did you change the thermostat while you were in there? Did you let the truck 'run' to test the flow and that the thermostat is openining?

 

Good job on getting her all back together!

2. Don't worry about it. I'm sure this applies to Cams as well but in school they teach us not to turn the engine backwards. Do I know a single mechanic who doesn't turn it backwards from time to time? Nope, we all do and I've never seen it hurt a thing.

3. If the cam and crank are off a tooth on our engines, it most likely just cause a lack of power if it will even run. Some vehicles won't even start if the computer can tell the timing is off. To the best of my knowledge, it shouldn't misfire or run real rough, but it won't have its full compression due to not being in time.

4. Fan? Did you leave the part ID sticker on the belt? A lot of things can cause a whir type noise. Could even be the computer relearning something since the battery was disconnected for so long. Hard to tell with the description.

5. Sounds like good temps to me. I work on diesels mainly, but we see 210 as normal op temp.

 

After the first rotation of engine the belt is naturally one tooth of, and it progresses from there.
Odd number of teeth on belt,even number on pulleys. This allows the belt teeth to mesh differently all the time, if it stayed the same a specific wear pattern could develop and cause premature failure. Many gear sets are designed thus way as well

 

Glad it worked out.

Now it is done would you rather be pulling it apart down the road again.

Then you always could just for fun