Hi all,
Just bought an 2008 GS350 and noticed that the water pump was replaced in March 2014. Did Lexus change the design of these pumps or are we still at danger of quick death by leaking?

Thanks,

 

The dealership said catastrophic engine failure and recommend a used engine. Purchase and installation: $10K! God hates me.

 

I finally got Lexus to pay for parts (Even though I was under warranty), I got stuck with labor of something outrageous like $4,000.

 

Last year I noticed the tell tale sign "crusty pink crud" below the water pump. For 12 months I monitored the coolant level, and never noticed a drop in the coolant level. I finally had Lexus complete the replacement and now I can drive with assurance that my engine will not crap out on me. The entire repair cost was $745 + $100 inspection and was completed in two days. Of this, I only had to shell out $250 and they gave me a 2016 ES300h as a loner. Thank goodness for extended warrantee. Additionally, I had Lexus complete the open fuel rail recall. After hearing all of the horror stories and others paying $200 on parts alone, my $250 was money well spent.

 

Is the pump used in the gs460 different than the 350? After reading this thread a few months back I have been checking my water pump every oil change and according to the service advisor there is no leakage. Yesterday I decided to check myself and due to the 460 engine being so cramped in the gs the pump is a little hard to see. I looked under the motor up and found this in the pic below. This is literally at the very bottom of the motor. But the pump and area around the pulley has no residue so maybe this is just some fluid from the overflow that fell down there or maybe previous owner when having it serviced dropped a little coolant that made it down there. Should I be worried? Took it to a local shop and the pressurized the system and still no leaks. Just going to keep a close eye on it. I have 102k miles and not sure if the previous owner changed the water pump and if he did it wasn't at a Lexus dealer. Coolant level is always the same every week. Any fellow 460 owners have any experience? Thanks

 

Not a 460 owner, but the easiest way to check would be to just wipe away the dried coolant and see if it comes back after a week or two, and also monitor the fluid level in the coolant reservoir. If you want to be a bit more thorough, take off the coolant pump pulley and see if there's coolant residue on the inside of the pulley – coolant usually starts trickling out of the weep hole before you get major leakage, and it will drip out of the weep hole onto the pulley

Also, check your radiator cap – when it fails, some coolant will usually spray out of the overflow tube

 

Mine has 50k more miles than yours and the water pump hasn't given me any issue so I think yours should go for a while. I followed the maintenance schedule and flushed it at 100k, and about it to do it again now that it has 150k miles

 

Thanks for the input guys. Good idea to wipe it off and see what happens. I contacted lextech which is a reputable Lexus shop and was quoted 600 in just labor! He says the gs460 engine compartment is too tight and would to disassemble a lot to be able to work. Honestly seems like too much when the Lexus dealer quoted me 679. I'll do a flush put some new coolant in there and keep checking it often like I've been doing. An interesting thing I've read is the isf/gs460/ls460 is the same part but for some reason I've read the isf guys have almost all had trouble with the pump going out low miles and Havnt really read much on the ls and gs460.

 

Could be because the ISF guys run at higher RPM more of the time, so the water pump spins faster and the bearings wear out more quickly

EDIT: Also, $600 labor for the water pump doesn't sound so bad. Last year I got a quote for $1000 parts + labor for my water pump (I replaced it myself for around $150)

 

I havent heard of water pump problems on the gs460 or the ls460's like the amount on the gs350's. But its always good to do preventive maintenance if you have high miles on it, as a water pump is a wear and tear item

 

i wish I had tools, some ***** and a garage to work on it (live in a apartment) lol.

 

yea peace of mind would be nice even if I have to dish out 7-8 hundred. What I wish I knew was if the previous owner already did it at a Indy shop and here I am replacing a 15-20k mile water pump.

 

this thread is scaring me. Seems like monitoring the coolant level is not a fool proof way and removing the pump pulley every time is just not practical. What's the best way to check this on a regular basis?

 

For my car, it was already leaking pretty badly at 90k.

I would look out for:
1. Loss of coolant. After replacing my pump at 90k miles myself, the level in the coolant overflow tank went down by about 1" over the span of a year over 10k miles. When I bought the car it was empty and probably below minimum levels as it emptied after i had refilled it. Sign #1. A non leaking pump should have minimal loss over time if any. if you find that you have to keep refilling coolant, replace your pump asap.

2. Pink coolant on the front side of the engine, around the water pump pulley. Mine had a lot of crust.

3. Still on the original pump? Got any records about when it was changed last? I would do it as preventative maintenance before you reach 100k miles, and recheck coolant levels and inspect for leaks regularly. mine was already leaking when i bought it at around 89k miles. I was very reluctant to drive it until I replaced it.

 

The pumps take a while to completely fail, it's not like they go from perfectly fine to spewing coolant like blood from a ruptured aorta in three days. I replaced mine last week, and it had been leaking since late November. You can get an idea of whether or not it's leaking by looking at the oil filter housing – you'll see coolant residue on the right side of the housing on the part that connects the housing to the engine block (there's a valley between the oil in and oil out passages, the coolant will collect there). Also, you'll probably be able to see residue on the other pulleys, on the side closest to the engine block. Also, if it starts leaking really badly in the middle of a drive, the air coming out of your vents will intermittently get cold