Just had the oil changed at 75K miles. The service tech said the water pump is leaking. No drips on the garage floor. I've never added any coolant in the almost four years I've had the TCH. I did notice the level in the overflow tank has dropped almost an inch over the past year.

So add me to the list of TCH owners with a failed water pump. I've got an appointment to get it changed tomorrow.

 

What is the standard warranty on parts like the water pump 3 years/36000 miles?
How does a non-DIY-er know if they have a problem with the pump?
Thanks!

 

Anyone approaching the end of their warranty should have it checked out

 

For the do it your self'ers: Where do you specifically look to see whether the pump is leaking or not?
Thank you!
Paul

 

For the do it your self'ers: Where do you specifically look to see whether the pump is leaking or not?
Thank you!
Paul

 

There are two things to look for.

One is a drop in the coolant level in the overflow reservoir. Mine had dropped just over half an inch in the past 4 months.

Another is a seepage of coolant from the water pump weep hole. This hole is about half the size of a pencil. Water pumps have an internal gasket that seals this hole from the inside when it is still in good condition. As it wears, small amounts of coolant will begin to seep from this hole and make a trail down engine. If the seal has failed badly, you might see water dripping or even streaming from the weep hole.

 

Thanks man, I will check it out this weekend. I have 64k miles on this baby so far. I noticed that the Reservoir level for the hybrid coolant is low....I don't know whether it is low because of age (2007 model) or something is leaking

 

ptung07,

The hybrid cooling system is a separate system from the engine cooling system. The water pump for the engine can be checked as noted above and is not difficult to replace. The hybrid pump is a little more difficult for the DIY'er. The inverter with the converter unit on top of the power split device (transmission) must come out before you can get to it. That involves the main battery disconnect and the precautions that go with it.

It you are not familar with working on high voltage DC, do not attempt it without some knowledgeable help. There is enough current in these systems to kill you. Good (tested) electrical gloves and tools are required for this.

The engine water pump will take about 2 hours to replace. The hybrid system water pump will take a little longer..... about 2 times (or more) longer....

 

Well crap. Add me to the list of owners with failed water pumps. Checked mine again today (since my last post and found that my reservoir tank is extremely low and I have coolant residue splattered all over the side of the engine. For the record, my current mileage is a little over 56K. I never had any leaks that made it to the floor under where I park, so if I hadn't checked I would not have known till my next oil change.

Called my local dealer. Confirmed it is covered under the 5yr/60K mile warranty. Have an appointment for first thing tomorrow morning. I hope this doesn't take more than a day.

Edit: I listed my mileage incorrectly. I'm actually at 58.1K. Dropped it off this morning. I hope they get it done today!

 

Got a call yesterday around 11:30am saying that the car was ready (total time was about 3 hours). I didn't get to go pick it up until 3:00pm, and when I did I popped the hood to do a quick inspection. The area around the pump pulley and the areas all around it were now free of the pink residue. Checked the radiator and it was nice and full. The only problem is that the reservoir tank was below the L (almost completely empty). I pointed this out to my service manager (who initially tried to tell me that it was my windshield washer tank) and he took it back for a couple of minutes to have it filled. Other than that, everything is well. Drove it for about 50 miles and the temp is good and I don't see any leaks. Hopefully this one will last more than 58K!

Total cost of this repair: $0.00. One odd thing that I noticed on my receipt is that they listed a line item for putting FIPG on my oil pan. Not sure WHY they did it or if they even really did it (will know this weekend when I get the car up on a lift at my dad's shop). I just can't see that being part of the water pump replacement process. Any thoughts on that from anyone who has done this themselves?