simpson

I just did a waterpump on my dads 2007 es350 that has 190,000 miles. I used all oem parts from lexus parts of south atlanta. Used the vin to match up part numbers.... So I used the right parts. Anyways, he drove it for a week and it started leaking. Kinda pissed off when that happened since I've never had a problem after I've fixed something and I've done lots to lexus cars over the years. I took it all back apart except I left the water pump on because it looked like it was leaking from the thermostat. So even though I put new o-rings and gaskets on the first time, I replaced on the o-rings again. Then I was gonna re-torque it but the torques seemed wimpy as hell so I put it tight. Tighter than before but not to tight to mess something up. Afterwards he drove it again for about a week and he thinks its leaking again. I asked him why he thinks that and he said there's pink on the garage floor... but he just washed the undercarriage and the car was still wet so I don't know if water from washing it cleaned off the underneath and took the leftover residue off the bottom and made it look like a leak. I have a feeling it may have to do with pressure because I'm not sure how I'm supposed to flush the cooling system. I add oem toyota coolant to the radiator until the it comes up to the cap and then I fill the reservoir and put the cap on and start it. I tried taking the radiator cap off right after I start it but it bubbles over. Any certain way to burp the system? And no I didn't use gasket sealer on the waterpump gasket.... wasn't used at the factory so I'm not using it either.

tomf

While I have not used this on my ES350, the Lisle 24680 Spill-Free Funnel worked well burping my other cars.

chuyrobles

Regarding the leak, does the coolant level go down in the reservoir. With normal driving, it may take a week or two for air bubbles to pass through.

Was the jiggle on the thermostat placed in the 12 o'clock position?

There is a bleed screw on the intake, just inboard of the dog bone mounting screws.



I replaced water pump on wife's ES350 with 220K about a month ago. Fun job, right?! I put silicone on the O-rings and used The Right Stuff sealant on the water pump. Also replaced thermostat but got rid of the Toyota red coolant when I replaced the radiator at about 110K; have used universal coolant on my vehicles; never had cooling issues.

heidihidin

reviving an old thread AND yes I know there is a lot of material I can find here by searching BUT I just need some help and no critisism please
right off I am not mechanically inclined
a few weeks ago our 08 ES developed grinding noise coming from under the hood
2 shops state the water pump is going bad and needs replaced right away
neither wanted to bother listening with a stethoscope as recommended here but both seemed to have spotted it right away
so
do i go back to lexus dealership and insist they confirm? (likely a diag charge)
or do i just give in?
total cost difference is $300 between the dealer and a reputable indy
no leaks are visible
3 years and 35k miles ago the same dealership replaced the serpentine belt during an oil change claiming : belt is glazed. i understand they could have over tightened it and cause wp wear but these wps do fail and i have no proof one way or another
what do you guys recommend we do?

ty

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

chuyrobles

First off, you can not over tighten the serpentine belt on this engine; the tensioner has a built-in spring that automatically applies the correct tension. That tensioner has a replaceable pulley bearing as do two idler pulleys, plus the alternator and power steering. Any one of those bearings can be causing the noise and is hard to pinpoint just by listening to the engine. Now, if the faulty bearing is really bad, the pulley may exhibit a wobble which can be spotted by looking at the pulley as the engine idles. If they are so confident it's the water pump bearing that is shot then, get an assurance from them that replacing the water pump will fix the grinding noise- offer to pay only for the water pump and they swallow the labor if they are wrong. They will find out as soon as they remove the belt and spin the pulleys with their hands - the grinding nose can be felt by spinning the pulleys in place.

All that being said, if the water pump has over 150K, it's not a bad idea replacing it as preventive maintenance, as well as the bearings in the tensioner and two idler pulleys. Replacing the PS and alternator pulley bearings requires a more involved tear-down - such that it may be more cost-effective to replace the entire units. The likely issue you will have with a bad tensioner pulley bearing is that the dealer does not service it; they only sell the entire unit, and the labor is somewhat intensive because it involves removing the AC unit.

heidihidin

107k on the car
so do you think i'd be better of paying $1100 to the dealer for this job because they will more likely remedy if it is another part that is the culprit?
or can it end up that the dealer starts digging, adjusts something that is wobbly and charges me over 1k for not replacing anything?
i know an indy shop is probably less so to take responsibility if a problem is not the WP in the end and also they may just be more honest about it if the hunch is wrong??

jagtoes

You should consider either going to an indy or a dealer and pay them for the diagnosis time. I believe in the "show me" theory where they can let me see the problem. Like the suggestion above all you need is for someone to remove the belt and spin the various accessories. Anything that turns with noise or is hard to turn or feels rough will point you to the problem. You might also want to take it to a Toyota dealer instead of a Lexus dealer. All of these 3.5 's are the same.

salvojimmy

simpson

I've had horrible luck with my toyota dealer and my Lexus dealer is slowly starting to go bad on me so I started servicing my cars myself.

simpson

shine a flashlight around the serpentine belt and dirrectly below that on the skid plate. Toyota coolant will crystal and turn a pinkish color. Thats how I noticed mine was leaking. I saw this pink powder stuff. I'd go around and call local Lexus dealers and I would take it to the one with the best service manager.

heidihidin

only 1 lexus dealer here
I see no leaks but a pronounced rattle
how many hours labor is this job?

chuyrobles

The water pump is not leaking; it's alleged to be making a noise.

Does Indiana allow the return of replaced parts? In CA it is state law that requested parts must be returned if requested when the work order is placed. You don't have a friend or neighbor that can remove the belt to check the components? It's a relatively easy procedure; the only tools you need are a 3/8" breaker bar and 19mm socket. I can' comment on using a dealer or indy shop; either one can have shoddy dishonest mechanics. Use yelp and or Car Talk's find-a-garage.

https://www.cartalk.com/mechanics-files

heidihidin

thanks chuyrobles
no mechanically inclined friends
how many hours labor is wp replacement?

jagtoes

Others will chime in here but I believe the WP replacement is a set price. The issue you keep playing with in your mind is that the pump is the problem. As discussed there are various other accessories that could make noise so you could be looking at a larger or smaller cost. Until someone who knows makes the diagnosis it is difficult to give a cost.