rsteve12

Hello Everyone and Happy New Year,

The water pump on my 2008 RX 350 with 157,000 miles failed and caused the belt to come off and I lost all or most of the coolant. Luckily I was only two miles from home. I ordered a new AISIN water pump and it is supposed to be here Wednesday. I read some good threads on here and I've decided to replace it myself. I just have one question:

Should I replace anything other than the water pump and gaskets while I'm in there - idlers or tensioners, timing chain?

Thanks Very Much,
Russell

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

You can always change them if you want preventative maintenance but ever since Toyota switched to chain, most parts such as the idlers and tensioners are replaced on a need bases unlike timing belt engines where everything is on an interval. But I'd consider the thermostat and gasket since you're in the area (use OEM parts only).

Personally, you'll never need to touch the chain itself if your engine is in good shape. My buddy is pushing 354K on his '09 Camry which is timing chain and hasn't replaced a part involving the chain timing.

toyoman29

I would also replace thermostat, belt and new radiator cap, I would also use OEM parts and the pink Toyota coolant. The AISN water pump is OEM and should work great, I usually get those too.

rsteve12

Thanks for the replies, fellas.

I finally got the water pump installed. Quite possibly the most difficult repair I have ever undertaken - a real PITA.

I did not open the drain plugs on the radiator and drain it since most of the coolant leaked out when the pump failed. When I finished the install, I added about 1.5 gallons of coolant with the engine running and the a/c set to max high, but the air never got warm. According to my OBDII reading, the water temp reached 185F and still no heat. Any Ideas?

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

Just to be clear, did you set it to max heat or a/c? If you did set it to max heat and your post was a typo, could be 2 things: 1. low coolant/still air or 2. thermostat stuck or slow to engage.

rsteve12

Thanks. I set the a/c to max high temp. I'm gonna run for awhile with the cap off.

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

Also jack up the front of the car if you can so the cap is the highest point of the cooling system.

rsteve12

Seems to be heating, now. I drove around town and then added more coolant and got more air out.

Thanks for all your help.

snydertalo

If you haven't installed it already, would you be willing to take a few pics of the install. And maybe note any point which you got really frustrated and then how you solved the issue? These are two things I am looking at installing to prevent issues like these.