Scion tC Water Pump Issues

[CadenceScion]

For all you Scion tC, Camry, Celica owners, be aware that the VVT-i engines are susceptiable to water pump leakage. I was at a carshow last year in Corning, NY and someone brought to my attention that my water pump was leaking. Come to find out it was leaking around the main crank pulley and the overflow reservior was almost bone dry. The leak was slow enough that it wasn't dripping onto the ground, it was evaporating and leaving a red residue around the water pump seal and crank pulley.

The following day I made an appointment with my Scion/Toyota Dealership and had my Scion tC looked at. Come to find out the water pump was indeed leaking and the water pump was on its way out. At this time I only had 15,000miles on the engine. The dealership replaced the water pump and seal. I asked why I had this leak with having such low miles, I was told that I was lucky that I got as many miles as I did, they tend to go before this. I was also told that Camry's, tC's, Celica's and any VVT-i engine are known for this flaw, as well as engine sludging. I was thankful I had my warranty and the repairs didn't cost me anything. This may or may not apply to everyone, but just keep it mind and watch for any coolant leaks and the overflow reservoir loosing coolant. If I had paid out of pocket for the repair, I was looking at $700.00 total for the water pump, plus the cost of the seal and labor, not a very cheap fix. A good idea when buying any car, whether its new or used, would be to pay a little more for a warranty. You never know and don't get caught off guard.

[Redneck4csa]

I think Navy said something about this before. Good info though.

[CadenceScion]

Sorry for any repeat posts. Didn't know since I am new here.

[Redneck4csa]

No, don't apologize. It's no biggie. If I had the time, I would take a look and see if the subject was brought up before. Since I don't, this gets the people's eyes looking at it again.

[CadenceScion]

This isn't the first time I have posted this information. A few people I spoke with knew of the issue and others were like, WOW, I didn't know and I will keep this in mind and a HUGE thank you for the information. Its people like us that are very informative and knowledgeable that keep this hobby going. Plus I figured it would be helpful to pass along. Although, I find it pretty crappy that TRD didn't inform people about this known defect.

[Redneck4csa]

It happens all the time.

[navylife59]

I am not too sure that what the Tech said was actually factual. I have not heard of anyone complaining of water pump failure. I have over 47K hard miles on mine w/o leakage or failure. Water pumps have seals and a bearing. These are wear items and can fail prematurely. The pump has a witness hole (weep hole) on the bottom side of the housing that will let water escape so that it will give an indication of bearing seal failure. The water pump can be pulled with the motor in the car, but has limited workspace due to the proximity of the frame rail. That is why it is smart to replace the water pump whenever the motor is out.

[the01cav]

Well I know that this is a old thread, but I was doing a oil change on my tC today and I noticed that the coolant bottle was low and that my engine bay has pink splatter through out and it's all crusty on the felt on the hood. While I was taking off the oil filter I stuck my finger up by the water pump sure enough it was a went pink kind of crusty residue. My car has as it sits on the jack stands right now exactly 40,000 miles on it.

[navylife59]

Never too old a thread there be that can't be brought back from the dead.

Water pumps can and do go out on any engine. Sometimes the chemicals that we put into our radiators can cause this. Flushing a radiator with caustic chemicals is the lead factor. Sludge buildup is primarily from contaminants in the radiator fluid/ water mix. Mostly because distilled water is not used. Tap water and even bottled water is full of sediments and minerals. Being that the 2AZ-FE is all aluminum, save for the crank, corrosion buildup is minimal so I don't see sludge being a problem if using the correct fluid. That is why I stick with Toyota 50/50 (pink) premix and Redline Water Wetter. I have heard that BMW has a blue radiator fluid so I might switch since I like blue.

[CadenceScion]

Never too old a thread there be that can't be brought back from the dead.

Water pumps can and do go out on any engine. Sometimes the chemicals that we put into our radiators can cause this. Flushing a radiator with caustic chemicals is the lead factor. Sludge buildup is primarily from contaminants in the radiator fluid/ water mix. Mostly because distilled water is not used. Tap water and even bottled water is full of sediments and minerals. Being that the 2AZ-FE is all aluminum, save for the crank, corrosion buildup is minimal so I don't see sludge being a problem if using the correct fluid. That is why I stick with Toyota 50/50 (pink) premix and Redline Water Wetter. I have heard that BMW has a blue radiator fluid so I might switch since I like blue.

^ Yeah the blue fluid you spoke of was mentioned by me on a prior post.... . I also took your advice and did the water wetter, so far so good and water temp came down slightly, but nothing considerable. Although helping to protect and lube the seals which water wetter says on its label I like the idea of that, plus not to mention the water pump and seal.

[navylife59]

Well, it keeps my temps down. Examples while driving 60MPH:
105F air temp = 186 water temp
92F air temp = 176 water temp

Idling temps after coming to a stop from 60MPH driving were in the range of 190-193F till the fans turned on.