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HighlanderGeneral discussion forum for the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.
This is a discussion thread titled "Waterpump Failure", within the Highlander forum, part of the SUV Forums category.
I am new to the forum. I tried to search for anything on waterpump. But, didn't find anything.
Anyway, I have a 2003 Highlander with the 4cyl engine. It now has 67,000 miles. At about 50,000 miles, the original waterpump went bad. It started leaking, the bearings rusted and the pump rattled from the loose beraings. It was replaced with a genuine Toyota part.
Now at 67,000 miles, the replacement pump has failed. Leaking, rusted bearings, loose, rattleing, etc.
Actually I had the same problem with my 2000 Camry LE that was a 4cylinder, it started leaking at about 30,000 miles and was replace thus far no other problems... However the car now only has 44,000 on it and it was replaced 2 years ago.....
If this guy really had a problem (wp bearings can go bad, but don't cause a leak) he would have come back. Otherwise, I haven't heard many problems, likely because the pumps are usually replaced when the timing belt is.
When yu replaced the original waterpump with the so called Genuine Toyota water pump, Was it just a Toyota Remanufactured W. pump or a brand new Toyota water pump???
Toyota sells remans of certain parts as well as new ones. The remans. will not last as long a the original new one or a brand new Replacement. There IS a difference beside the price.
Did yu also change the thermostat and radiator cap?
Are yu absolutely positive that it was even a Toyota part installed?
Also, when yu did the waterpump job...what kind of Antifreeze did yu put back in???
Was the W.pump belt TOO tight...overtightened? Not good for bearings OR seal.
I hope yu used the correct LL Red Toyota Coolant!!! It is much more seal friendly. A known fact.
Was the job done correctly?
Many possibilities. Is it just coincidence? Doubt it.
Curious...do yu have the Tow prep package which includes an aux trans. cooler?
BTW,even though yu have a Timing Chain instead of the Belt as in a V6. This 4 cylinder has been known to require much more repairs in general.
It is way underpowered for the weight of a Highlander. The 2.4 should be in a Rav4 or something 1000 pounds lighter. Hence it will require more service. Probably also a reason your water pumps appear to fail more frequently.
This may be normal.
This 2.4 requires moderate to full load throttle just navigating traffic, especially on a 4WD 2.4. The V6 is more forgiving and doesn't rev much under the same conditions. Minimal Fuel savings on the 2.4vs the V6 is a moot point or benefit.
I have driven many 2.4 Hls over the years. FWD and 4WD. They get tired and noisey after 80K miles. This is reflected in its resale on the used car market. (not to rain on anyones parade here)
Toyota produced fewer and fewer of the 2.4 HL's as the HL matured. If this is any clue?
BTW. Toyota Dealers will give lifetime warranty on parts that are installed with them. i.e. alts. w.pumps, struts, exhausts, etc. This might help yu consider future repairs.
But, yu said yu have plenty of room to work around that 2.4.
Good luck.
Last edited by LifeTech; 03-11-2008 at 05:44 PM.
Reason: spel
This 4 cylinder has been known to require much more repairs in general. It is way underpowered for the weight of a Highlander. I have driven many 2.4 Hls over the years. FWD and 4WD. They get tired and noisey after 80K miles.
What SPECIFIC "more repairs" does the 4 cyl Highlander require compared to the V6? And what SPECIFIC parts of the 4 cyl "get tired" after 80,000 miles?
I've never heard of such claims. A 4 cyl Highlander does 0 - 60 MPH in 11-12 seconds - far faster than the 4 cylinder Toyota cars and pickups of the 70's and 80's and those 70's and 80's Toyota 4 cylinders would go 500,000 miles or more despite chugging around alot of weight (by 21st century standards). And their water pumps would last 150-250,000 miles.
Keep in mind the v6 has twice the possible points of failure, and a much much smaller installed base, so is probably more prone to failure than the I4. Being cast iron sleeved, I would doubt the I4 would loose compression... or "get tired"... that early in it's usage. The fact that it's running at a larger throttle position has nothing to do with longevity of the enigine provided fluid temps are within spec and the transmission can handle the load. If the engine "feels tired" to you, it's probably just the difference in power.
Lifetech, the 2wd HL is less than 200 lbs heavier than a Rav4 in the same config. The Camry (not sure if you've heard of that vehicle or not, it has a bit of a reputation for dependability... at least in some circles) is more often than not sold with this, and is less than 400 lbs different. It's also been sold on the Solara and Tc for the last few years. Any longevity concerns would have surfaced outside this forum. And the power to weight ratio is still better than a Yaris, or 4cyl Tacoma, or half the cars they produce outside the North American market!
The original poster is long gone, and the original problem sounds fishy anyway.
Lets not compare apples to oranges. My comments are HL specific.
My comments do not come without merit.
There are so few I4 Hl's, that a sampling of issues are not well known.
Can't yu tell just by this HL forum. Only Toyota dealers,techs and TMS have eluded to to what I have said.
Kathy rick, yu generalize way to much. Taliking about 500K Camrys and such.
Fact is, I4 HL's are inferior to V6 Hl's in many Different regards. Components requiring the most replacement are different on I 4's. Also, alot of I4 parts cost higher. Check for yourself.
Poor Resale of these I4 Hl's even prove this.
The worst thing to do is go out and Buy a used I4 4WD HL with average miles driven mileage. Period. I don't care if yu get a good deal or not.
But most do it for MPG reasons. Not smart at all.
The 01-03's are the worst.
Water pump failures seldom happen within 100K miles. Now having said that is not uncommon for some to fail, it must have passed thro the non "Legandary Japanese/Toyota QA" and your vehicle definetly missed the top notch QA.
Water pump failures are unpredictable. They tend to fail earlier on more so in extreme hotter climate regions.
Going through two in 50k is an anomaly. And many factors not apparent contribute to this. But it does happen more so to some designs than others.
Remans don't last as long as newly built ones. Just a statistic. How much less is always a guess however.
Since Belted Timing cams get the belt changed at sheduled intervals along with a W. Pump while yu are in there already, one rarely sees the pump fail within this scheduled period. A Chain driven cam timing design never gets aChain sheduled for replacement. So, the w. pump failure by itself will necessitate the replacement. No schedule to replace a w. pump exists.
It is intersesting to note that most w. pumps don't fail within the 3yr/36mos period. It seems that over time, age of components may be a contributing factor also. I feel that the bearings go first most of the time, but not always, undetected, followed by the seal failure which then becomes apparent. Then most assume the seal was the cause. From my experience. Also the bearings become noisey... start to sieze and then the w. pump belt will glaze up, smoke and burn and break.
Seen this on many I4 (4A) engines. But the weep hole leaking should have been a clue to somone observant of this impending condition.
Kathy rick, yu generalize way to much. Taliking about 500K Camrys and such. Fact is, I4 HL's are inferior to V6 Hl's in many Different regards. Components requiring the most replacement are different on I 4's. Also, alot of I4 parts cost higher. Check for yourself.
Poor Resale of these I4 Hl's even prove this.
LT, you're the one generalizing in vague terms about the I4's. You havn't identified any specific components of the I4 that "get tired" are "inferior" or "more expensive". I agree with bepperb's analogy of the Highlander I4 to the latest generation Rav4 with the I4. Both vehicles weigh very nearly the same and the I4 Rav4 is selling very well and owners love it's 27 MPG highway fuel economy (27 MPG is what I got in the two 2007 Rav4's I rented last year and drove a combined 2000 miles).
Waterpump Failure
