so i picked up an 06 is250 rwd w/160k miles back in december. everything runs good, nothing major needed any attention.

looked up the history on the lexus owners site and i saw the dealership recommended a replacement of the water pump about 3-4 years ago. last owner declined. i see no further record it was replaced. i assume maybe he did it himself or took it to an independent shop.

fast forward to last week i bring my IS in for the airbag recall and the dealership (not the same one as above) noted a leaking water pump. i declined again as i am mechanically able and can do this job myself. looked under the hood, so no signs of leakage or "pink crusty stains". coolant level has been steady and no strange noises.

do you think i should just do this job as a preventive measure or do you think the dealer was blowing smoke and trying to get me to spend some money while i was in for a recall. let me know what you guys think?? thx

 

I've got a 2007 250 with 150K. You can't really see down there but I had some crusty residue under the pump and used the old hose to the ear listening trick and heard more bearing noise than I would like so swapped mine out. If you don't have residue maybe give it a listen? I suspect it would give you lots of noise & warning if it was about to go.

If you decide to do it there are good videos online, it is maybe a 6/10 difficulty, lots and lots of bolts to keep track of and the damn thing covers the whole front of the motor. Particular attention to keeping the ECU connectors dry and avoid overtightening...these are very light materials. A pretty fun afternoon job.. I did my belt pullys while I had it apart.

 

I would monitor coolant level and signs of leaks or noise and wait until it becomes either more evident or complete failure. Unless you can't afford a surprise and need the vehicle everyday then that would make sense to plan on changing it so it doesn't create a problem for you.

The dealer might hear a noise from the water pump so it doesn't necessary mean it is leaking but might be wearing out. Or there might be a leak that is not apparent to you.

 

yea the dealer quoted like $1k.....wasn't gonna pull the trigger since i bought the car for $3500

by no means is it my daily driver.....i'll just keep an eye on it and see what happens

 

Lolz, you can buy the water pump off of Amazon for $95, it's an Aisin part which is exactly what is on the car already minus the Lexus part number ( )

 

Slightly O/T but my old 95 Camry 1MZ-FE rolled out 265,xxx miles before the Alternator and water pump took a dump about a month apart.

On a whole different note my 2006 Mazda 6 V6 3.0lt, it was sitting at idle speed at a traffic light (90,xxx mi) when without warning the water pump bearings ground to a halt seizing instantly and the belt burned up disconnecting it from the cam shaft where it was driven. Zero warning!

All of that said, I would definitely use a long screw driver or a wooden dowel to the housing and your ear and listen. If it has a hint of gravel dry sound, plan to replace it.

PS - compare it to the idler pulleys and alternator. Keeping in mind that the alternator is turning perhaps 2x faster.

 

These pumps are typically notorious for pump failure/leak. IT's an easy azz DIY replacement, which btw is in the forums. Take out, put back in. While doing this replace the belt and pulley's. You'll spend roughly 200 for everything.

 

Clean the area around the pump for previous pink crust and monitor for future leaks. Also, you can easily remove the accessory belt and by hand turn the water pump pulley and feel for any odd catches or play in the bearing.

Good luck!

 

I have an 06 but seem to have dodged a bullet on the bad batch of water pumps the early years had. I changed the alternator recently and serpentine belt. Water pump didnt seem to have any play or noise when messing around with it, no crusty leaks either. I did buy one to keep on hand just in case since its not that expensive.

 

Well, if it let's go, you'll wish you had! Seriously though, keep a VERY careful and regular eye on it. An independent would charge you about half that.