Water Pump DIY
Thread Starter
Pit Crew
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 193
Likes: 35
From: Texas
Water Pump DIY
After getting quoted $600+ for a new water pump at the dealership, I decided to do it myself and document it.
I realize the official Lexus manual is floating around with instructions on how to do this, but parts of it are unclear, and I've included a few tips that speed the repair up considerably.
Replacing the water pump is straight forward and doesn't require any specialty tools, making it a great project for even a novice.
Tools required:
10, 12, 14mm sockets + extensions
Ratchet wrench (in your prefered size)
Torque wrench
Wide, shallow pan or bucket capable of holding 2 gallons
1 gallon Toyota Super Long Life coolant
7/32 allen wrench/hex key
Flat head and Phillips screwdrivers
Locking pliers
New water pump + gasket and O-ring
1 gallon distilled water
Flashlight
Tools that are nice, but unnecessary:
Breaker bar
A one foot section of 3/8" ID vinyl tubing
Sharpie + Cardboard
A helper (trust me, you want another pair of hands at certain parts of this)
The directions assume that your car is already cooled down, the front end is on jack stands, and the plastic undertray is removed. If you don't know how to do any of that, just take your car to the dealership, you'll be much better off.
Alright, let's get started:
DO NOT squeeze the coolant line while your funnel is full. The air bubble will splash coolant everywhere! Squeeze it right at the very end, the funnel should contain most of it. One the reservoir is in the appropriate range, shut the car off, put your plastic trays back on (upper and lower) and collect any tools you have laying around. Keep a gallon of water/coolant in the car with you, it's likely that you'll have to top off the reservoir after driving for the first time.
Congratulations, you're done!
I realize the official Lexus manual is floating around with instructions on how to do this, but parts of it are unclear, and I've included a few tips that speed the repair up considerably.
Replacing the water pump is straight forward and doesn't require any specialty tools, making it a great project for even a novice.
Tools required:
10, 12, 14mm sockets + extensions
Ratchet wrench (in your prefered size)
Torque wrench
Wide, shallow pan or bucket capable of holding 2 gallons
1 gallon Toyota Super Long Life coolant
7/32 allen wrench/hex key
Flat head and Phillips screwdrivers
Locking pliers
New water pump + gasket and O-ring
1 gallon distilled water
Flashlight
Tools that are nice, but unnecessary:
Breaker bar
A one foot section of 3/8" ID vinyl tubing
Sharpie + Cardboard
A helper (trust me, you want another pair of hands at certain parts of this)
The directions assume that your car is already cooled down, the front end is on jack stands, and the plastic undertray is removed. If you don't know how to do any of that, just take your car to the dealership, you'll be much better off.
Alright, let's get started:
DO NOT squeeze the coolant line while your funnel is full. The air bubble will splash coolant everywhere! Squeeze it right at the very end, the funnel should contain most of it. One the reservoir is in the appropriate range, shut the car off, put your plastic trays back on (upper and lower) and collect any tools you have laying around. Keep a gallon of water/coolant in the car with you, it's likely that you'll have to top off the reservoir after driving for the first time.
Congratulations, you're done!
Excellent! I try to DIY as much as possible on my cars.. I hope I never need this one, but thank you for documenting 
Regarding the parts of the Lexus manual not being clear.. I know that all too well.. I used the OEM Ford service manual when I did a near total rebuild of my truck's engine last fall.. For the most part it was very helpful, but there were several WTF? moments
-Mike
Regarding the parts of the Lexus manual not being clear.. I know that all too well.. I used the OEM Ford service manual when I did a near total rebuild of my truck's engine last fall.. For the most part it was very helpful, but there were several WTF? moments
-Mike
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Brett Foote
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From: New Zealand
Great writeup and description. Thank you. It just came two days too late for me. 
But then I only paid the equivalent of $US375 two days ago to have a new water pump fitted at the local Lexus dealership, and that included a loan vehicle for the 3.5 hours or so that it took to complete the job. I thought the fault existed only on earlier models, but apparently also on year 2011 models with only 72,000 km (45,000 miles) on the clock.
But then I only paid the equivalent of $US375 two days ago to have a new water pump fitted at the local Lexus dealership, and that included a loan vehicle for the 3.5 hours or so that it took to complete the job. I thought the fault existed only on earlier models, but apparently also on year 2011 models with only 72,000 km (45,000 miles) on the clock.
