OK, so I've researched every topic there is on replacing the water pump on my 2007 scion Tc and can't find anything ... Here's my situation ... I bought this car and was told she hit a deer at 30 mph...but was fixed. Driving the vehicle in town is no problem but the air is blowing warm... However when I get out on the highway about 70mph it cools off quite nicely... OK so I come into another town and start to notice my car is overheating .. Only when driving at 40-50 mph And the air starts blowing hot again...but when I get back out on highway 70mph it cools back off and air is cool again. So I replaced the thermostat ...same thing , I replaced the radiator still acting up Im thinking its the water pump .. Auto zone has them for $54 I'm going to try a DiY... Any tips suggestions or moral support? Any and all is greatly appreciated thanks in advance!
2007 scion tc waterpump
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It may be the water pump if you are sure the system is not plugged up. Is the coolant clean and free of slugde and rust?
If it is the the waterpump, the below is the replacement. You may be able to skip the alternator part, but it is much easier this way.
Before starting, drain as much coolant out as you can using the drain on the drivers side of the radiator (on the bottom .. just remove the splash gaurds first. Makes accessing it easier and keeps it from going all over while draining).
1.Using a 19mm socket on a breaker bar on the fixed nut for the tensioner, pull it towards the front of the car to release tension on the belt. Don't pull hard past the stop, or you can break off that nut.
2. Remove belt
3. Remove the water pump pulley bolts. You can get the special tool .. or like most of us, use a large screwdriver between one bolt and the center hub to hold it while you loosen each bolt. After all are loose, remove them with your hand
4. Jack up car, remove passenger side wheel and the small plastic cover that is in front of the crank pulley (two screws and a push pin).
5. From beneath, push the water pump pulley out of your way and you will see the bottom bolt for the alternator. Remove it with a 12mm socket
6. Remove the 14mm bolt and wiring connections (one will take a 10mm wrench) from the alternator and remove it.
7. Place drain pain under the water pump area to catch coolant that will drain out. With a 10mm socket, remove the bolts from the water pump and pull the pump free.
8. Remove pump from the top and clean the gasket surface well.
9. Install new pump and gasket.
10. Install Alternator
11. Install water pump pulley
And then be glad you don't have to replace the tensioner .... two easy bolts ... except the top one requires lifting the engine 6 inches to remove
I hear they may have changed that on the 07's though.
If it is the the waterpump, the below is the replacement. You may be able to skip the alternator part, but it is much easier this way.
Before starting, drain as much coolant out as you can using the drain on the drivers side of the radiator (on the bottom .. just remove the splash gaurds first. Makes accessing it easier and keeps it from going all over while draining).
1.Using a 19mm socket on a breaker bar on the fixed nut for the tensioner, pull it towards the front of the car to release tension on the belt. Don't pull hard past the stop, or you can break off that nut.
2. Remove belt
3. Remove the water pump pulley bolts. You can get the special tool .. or like most of us, use a large screwdriver between one bolt and the center hub to hold it while you loosen each bolt. After all are loose, remove them with your hand
4. Jack up car, remove passenger side wheel and the small plastic cover that is in front of the crank pulley (two screws and a push pin).
5. From beneath, push the water pump pulley out of your way and you will see the bottom bolt for the alternator. Remove it with a 12mm socket
6. Remove the 14mm bolt and wiring connections (one will take a 10mm wrench) from the alternator and remove it.
7. Place drain pain under the water pump area to catch coolant that will drain out. With a 10mm socket, remove the bolts from the water pump and pull the pump free.
8. Remove pump from the top and clean the gasket surface well.
9. Install new pump and gasket.
10. Install Alternator
11. Install water pump pulley
And then be glad you don't have to replace the tensioner .... two easy bolts ... except the top one requires lifting the engine 6 inches to remove
I hear they may have changed that on the 07's though.Thanks a million for the info.. And yes I'm praying I don't have to jack the engine out.. Hopefully they've changed that on the 07. As for the system being clogged, I had a new radiator installed. I'm hoping the water pump is the fix it in this case because I'm dreading having to buy a new AC compressor. Also do I need to be aware of not messing with anything that interferes with the timing? Thanks again!!
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Nothing you will be working with will mess with timing. The waterpump is driven by the serpentine belt on the tC.
You wont have to jack the engine up, unless you had to replace the belt tensioner.
Re-reading your post though, is the car actually overheating (on the gauge)? If it is just that it blows warmer air on AC when at lower RPM, you more likley have an AC issue (could be leading refrigerant). In that case you need to find out if it is leaking, fix the leak and have it recharged. If that is the problem it many times will blow cooler air at higher rpm and then warmer air at lower rpm. The thermostat, water pump, etc has nothing to do with that.
Also, I dont even like walking in autozone, let alone buying parts there. You can get the waterpump for the same price at Oreillys or Napa and most likely get a better part. I know many shops (my dads included) that will not use autozone parts no matter what, or if the customer provides them, will not honor the warranty due to so many of their cheaper line parts failing prematurely.
You wont have to jack the engine up, unless you had to replace the belt tensioner.
Re-reading your post though, is the car actually overheating (on the gauge)? If it is just that it blows warmer air on AC when at lower RPM, you more likley have an AC issue (could be leading refrigerant). In that case you need to find out if it is leaking, fix the leak and have it recharged. If that is the problem it many times will blow cooler air at higher rpm and then warmer air at lower rpm. The thermostat, water pump, etc has nothing to do with that.
Also, I dont even like walking in autozone, let alone buying parts there. You can get the waterpump for the same price at Oreillys or Napa and most likely get a better part. I know many shops (my dads included) that will not use autozone parts no matter what, or if the customer provides them, will not honor the warranty due to so many of their cheaper line parts failing prematurely.
Thanks on the timing issue..as for the overheating yes it is overheating on the gauge and blowing warmer air at low rpms.. However I checked the ac pressure and the gauge read that it was properly charged, that's why the whole thing is mind boggling , I've replaced the radiator and thermostat... But the problem still remains. I've thought of taking it to precision automotive but the guy said its $45 to hook up to ac and check it and $95 to hook up to see why check engine light is on ... I'm scared to take it to Toyota because the vehicle isn't under factory warranty anymore I'm sure. Thanks for all your help !
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I would call that BS. The orange Dexcool that was used in GM had issues, but I have not heard this on a Toyota. My waterpump looked perfect at 120,000 miles minus the leaking seal in it, which is why I had to replace it.
What normally "Eats" up parts in a cooling system is electrolysis. Bad grounds in the system and too much conductivity (distilled water has nearly no conductivity, which is why that is all you mix with antifreeze) can set up electrolysis in some systems and cause errosion of aluminum parts. I have personally seen this at my fathers shop .. customer had a ford that would eat heater cores up in 2 months. Found and fixed some bad grounds and the problem went away
Red or orange coolant is Dexcool. Toyota coolant is pink.
I would use the toyota premix, or like I did, mix good long life coolant 50/50 with distilled bottled water and use that.
As far as your CEL, most parts houses will read that for free. You can also buy a code reader for $40 or less. Get the coded pulled and post the code number and we can help guide you to next steps to troubleshoot. No matter what that person tells you, their tool will NOT tell you WHY the light is on, only what issue the ECU thinks it sees, which could be caused by a number of items. There is no tool that tells a tech "this code means replace this part". Some recommend solutions, but without troubleshooting you are just throwing money and luck at the issue
What normally "Eats" up parts in a cooling system is electrolysis. Bad grounds in the system and too much conductivity (distilled water has nearly no conductivity, which is why that is all you mix with antifreeze) can set up electrolysis in some systems and cause errosion of aluminum parts. I have personally seen this at my fathers shop .. customer had a ford that would eat heater cores up in 2 months. Found and fixed some bad grounds and the problem went away
Red or orange coolant is Dexcool. Toyota coolant is pink.
I would use the toyota premix, or like I did, mix good long life coolant 50/50 with distilled bottled water and use that.
As far as your CEL, most parts houses will read that for free. You can also buy a code reader for $40 or less. Get the coded pulled and post the code number and we can help guide you to next steps to troubleshoot. No matter what that person tells you, their tool will NOT tell you WHY the light is on, only what issue the ECU thinks it sees, which could be caused by a number of items. There is no tool that tells a tech "this code means replace this part". Some recommend solutions, but without troubleshooting you are just throwing money and luck at the issue
Great news! Took it to O'Reillys and had the CEL checked for free and a friend of mine (the tech) told me it was my emission system and said it was my gas cap... He cleared the code and I told him my story, he said could be the water pump and also said I may have a coolant leak somewhere (radiator) and said that the reason for the air blowing hot is because while the car is hot the condenser can't cool the air off . Don't know but I'm definitely going to follow your advice and get my water pump at O'Reillys $55.95 ! Thanks for your help again ... Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the pump installation.
Done..... Old one looked like the new one ... And just in case anyone reads this.. Be sure you have that special 6 pt star key for the wheel removal .. I had to break away and buy one for 20 bucks at Toyota. I followed all your instructions , it was easier with the alt off.. It was not easy with big hands but hopefully I never have to put another one on.. Thanks so much for all your help!!
Well bad news , its still overheating but its only when coming into a town dropping from 70 mph down to 50 - 30 mph then it starts slowly climbing on my dash gauge.. Could it be the radiator cap?...I'm pretty frustrated . thanks for any input .
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How hard was it? I have an 08 and water pump took a shit, I already loosened the water pump pulley bolts . Did u have to jack up the engine ?
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The water pump you should be ok with pulling without raising the motor at all if I remember correctly. Its kind of tight in there, but not that hard.
To replace the tensioner, you have to raise the engine about 4-6". That isn't THAT hard, but still annoying
To replace the tensioner, you have to raise the engine about 4-6". That isn't THAT hard, but still annoying
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Question, do I have to use silicone on the new WP before installing it? Also I saw somewhere else where they said you have to wait 24 hours before you can put any coolant in the system??It may be the water pump if you are sure the system is not plugged up. Is the coolant clean and free of slugde and rust?
If it is the the waterpump, the below is the replacement. You may be able to skip the alternator part, but it is much easier this way.
Before starting, drain as much coolant out as you can using the drain on the drivers side of the radiator (on the bottom .. just remove the splash gaurds first. Makes accessing it easier and keeps it from going all over while draining).
1.Using a 19mm socket on a breaker bar on the fixed nut for the tensioner, pull it towards the front of the car to release tension on the belt. Don't pull hard past the stop, or you can break off that nut.
2. Remove belt
3. Remove the water pump pulley bolts. You can get the special tool .. or like most of us, use a large screwdriver between one bolt and the center hub to hold it while you loosen each bolt. After all are loose, remove them with your hand
4. Jack up car, remove passenger side wheel and the small plastic cover that is in front of the crank pulley (two screws and a push pin).
5. From beneath, push the water pump pulley out of your way and you will see the bottom bolt for the alternator. Remove it with a 12mm socket
6. Remove the 14mm bolt and wiring connections (one will take a 10mm wrench) from the alternator and remove it.
7. Place drain pain under the water pump area to catch coolant that will drain out. With a 10mm socket, remove the bolts from the water pump and pull the pump free.
8. Remove pump from the top and clean the gasket surface well.
9. Install new pump and gasket.
10. Install Alternator
11. Install water pump pulley
And then be glad you don't have to replace the tensioner .... two easy bolts ... except the top one requires lifting the engine 6 inches to remove
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Not sure if 2005-2010 Scion tC uses Toyota FIPG... but I know for Scion tC 2011 -> has a separate gasket you can buy. Going to replace my water pump soon since my 2005 Scion tC has the original one at 168K mies. Just replaced my water pump on my 2014 Subaru Outback which has 124k Miles. Now that was easily to access but going to need to remove my exhaust manifold to replace the thermostat. As for a good tool to hold the water pump pulley which has many uses in plumbing, I had myself a Strap Wrench (had it for a while for DIY home plumbing) which fit over the pulley to undo the bolts on the pulley.
As for the original posters issue, I knew it wasn't a water pump issue when first reading the first description. It was more likely the Radiator fans or something wrong with that system... or clogged radiator..... definitely not thermostat. Think about it... cools when driving fast... and when you slow down it overheats. Sounds like a radiator fan is not working or resistor to it blew out. Radiator fan normally kicks in when driving slower or at least when I hear it when I driving slower. Also the possibility of parts of the radiator itself is clogged. You need something to check the temperature of each section of the radiator. When the thermostat gets stuck in closed position, car overheats so that rules that issue. Better the replace thermostat with OEM thermostats.
Anyway I still love the reliability of my 2005 Scion tC and my 2014 Subaru Outback doesn't come even close to have that reliability, I replaced a lot more things on my subaru....
As for the original posters issue, I knew it wasn't a water pump issue when first reading the first description. It was more likely the Radiator fans or something wrong with that system... or clogged radiator..... definitely not thermostat. Think about it... cools when driving fast... and when you slow down it overheats. Sounds like a radiator fan is not working or resistor to it blew out. Radiator fan normally kicks in when driving slower or at least when I hear it when I driving slower. Also the possibility of parts of the radiator itself is clogged. You need something to check the temperature of each section of the radiator. When the thermostat gets stuck in closed position, car overheats so that rules that issue. Better the replace thermostat with OEM thermostats.
Anyway I still love the reliability of my 2005 Scion tC and my 2014 Subaru Outback doesn't come even close to have that reliability, I replaced a lot more things on my subaru....
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