2007 IS350 w/ ~126K miles

Within the past couple thousand miles, thought the engine bay started to sound different, sounding almost exactly like this video: . Brought it to a mechanic and had an idler pulley replaced, but sounds stayed pretty much the same. I brought up the water pump issues I read about on forums. They basically told me to just keep an eye on leaking, overheating, etc. Today, drove it 1-2 miles and thought sounds were more apparent. Removed the engine cover and noticed dripping and more crusting than before from one of the hoses near the radiator cap.



(Tough to see, but droplets/dripping about an inch behind the end of the hose).

Questions:

1. Forgive my not being mechanically inclined, but is the dripping/crusting in this particular location a sign of the water pump going bad/getting worse or is it a simple, and coincidental, hose problem?
2. Is it time to just buy the Aisin water pump and swap it out?
3. If yes to 2, is this a good time to replace the serpentine belt as well or is that unnecessary?

Thank you!

 

Normally the water pump will leak from the pump itself, it is located on the front of the motor about 1/2 way down. To me it does sound like the pump and it is very easy to replace if you are ok with hand tools which you say you are not. After replacing ours it sounded like a new car and super quiet. I replaced ours at about the same amount of miles as yours. The leaking on the top hose does not indicate a bad water pump. Took me maybe 3 hours to do ours with the Aisin pump

 

I replaced mine a few months ago due to the rattling sound. There was no leaking but it was noisy and getting noisier every month.
The car only has 67,000 miles on it.
I replaced mine with the Aisin brand. I also replaced my serpentine belt while replacing the pump. And I did a full coolant flush and fill.
Unfortunately, after replacing the pump I still have a very light rattling type sound that I suspect is a pulley but just haven't had time
to figure out which one it is.

1. As was said by flynryan, this is not an indication of your pump going bad. But, those leaks certainly need to be looked into.
2. IF...your engine sounds like that one in the video above then I would say yes.
3. I guess it would depend how many miles you have on the belt. If it's OE and is over 126k then I'd say yes.

 

Thank you both for your replies. It sounds like it is time to replace the water pump before things get worse. flynryan, the videos I have seen do make the replacement look doable on my own, but unfortunately I don't have the tools nor space to do it.

A follow-up question, if I may...what would cause the top hose to leak/drip like it's doing? A simple crack or break in the hose? An unexpected build up of pressure somewhere? I know our reserve tank cap area is prone to normal leaking/crusting, but I don't recall seeing reports of this top area with the hoses doing this.

Thanks again.

 

That does sound like the bearing inside the water pump on its way out.

Regarding the leaky hose, move the clamp and inspect the hose for cracks. If damaged in any form, replace it.

Good luck!

 

Sounds like the pump. When worn you can normally put your hand on the pump wheel and feel for slack, just like a wheel bearing. If it moves up and down its broken

 

Adding to this: with the belt removed so as to remove tension.

Two simple tools. An empty paper towel tube placed to your ear provides directional control of sounds. Point the tube at AC compressor, idlers, pump, alternator....

A long wooden stick or super long screwdriver placed on the stationary pump housing and the other end to your ear and if its the pump you will know 100%.... Not that I would use the family toilet plunger handle for such testing but they do have a nice rounded end... lol

 

Well, you should replace your water pump. One of my customer car has exact same sound on the video with no evidence of leaking from the bearing. Replacing the water pump and all good.

 

Remove the serpentine belt and check all the pulleys with your hand, you're bound to find the culprit.

 

Sorry to revive an old thread, but wanted to provide an update on the noise+leak issue and bring closure to anyone that might find this thread in the future. Turns out it was the water pump, as many of you speculated. I ordered the Aisin pump off Amazon as well as a replacement bypass hose from a Toyota dealer. I never did check the hose for cracks/leaks, but I figured it was a small price to pay to replace a 10-year-old hose.

After the replacement, there's no more grinding sound, just the calm ticking of the fuel injection system. Thanks to all of you who replied and helped me out.

 

That video you posted is my car.. Glad to hear that the water pump replacement fixed it for you. It would have been good idea to replace the serpentine belt also as soon or later it will squeek/squeal down the road if it hasn't been replaced already.

 

Thanks for the video. My car (same engine, 2GR-FSE, 2008 GS350 with 99k miles) had the same sound today. I will replace it myself.