Reddish stuff in the engine bay

Sucks. OP learned the lesson that Toyota quality is all hype and that Toyota after purchase support is on par with other budget brands.

 

I respectfully disagree. Statistically there are always flukes in part failures and Toyota is a high quality vehicle. Finding a competent dealer and tech is a crap shoot any brand.

Best case on repair is having a relationship with a shop where you know them and history of service. Not possible for warranty unfortunately. In this case I would go to a different dealer next time.

 

So quick update, not looking to good. Allegedly they put in new tensioner, and started the car, but the new seal and water pump still leaks. I am at loss for words and starting to think either they messed something major up or there was a issue with the engine since the beginning and that is why the original owner sold it or traded it. I worry they started it with the belt not tight and messed up the timing etc, or there is some manufacturing defect on the engine block where the pump attaches. My concen is since I am at the end of warranty they will put some silicone or whatever just to hold me over for 90 days and them I'm on my own.

So they are keeping it until at least Monday, they have to take everything apart again, take out the pump, check what is going on and reassemble all over again.

As someone mentioned it sucks as sole reason for buying this car was reliability and sorry to say I'm not impressed at all.

 

I understand your grief and concern, however, this does seem to be a one off situation. A search of the forum does not turn up water pump issues like yours. If they cannot fix it to your satisfaction, you could dump it on them for another one.

 

I would ask for an extended warranty after they are done. Not an unreasonable ask with what's going on.

 

I will definitely as for some kind of extension on the 90 days that they provide. Will see what they say. I just hope they don't find anything more serious.

A side question, what could cause a new pump and new seal to leak?

 

Is it leaking from the sealing surface of the new pump housing and the engine? The engine surface could be damaged from removing the old pump, or not square from the factory, etc.

Leaking from elsewhere on the pump, could be a bad unit. Is it new or remanufactured?

 

Doesn’t this fall under the powertrain 60k mile 5 year manufacturer warranty? What’s the 90’day warranty you’re referring to?

 

I'm at 57K so I only have 3K to go before my warranty ends. The dealer said their work is 90 days.

 

They didn't specifically say but said it is still leaking so I'm assuming same area.
They said new pump, again assuming new from Toyota dealer. They have is shipped from another dealer.

 

ah, your original post said 33,750.


I would still try to get a extended warranty due to the apprent bumbling.

 

I will start by saying I’m not even remotely close to considering myself mechanically inclined but I do like to understand how things work when it comes to vehicles so when something breaks, I try and educate myself on the part or process.

I get this is oranges to apples but I wanted to share my experience with you in hopes it helps. I had an almost identical leak on my water pump on my 2016 5.7 Tundra about 4 months ago. I had a VSA through Toyota which covered the water pump and idle and tension pulley. The shop that performed the service said it’s standard practice if they do a water pump replacement, they replace the belt. Mine had almost 75k on it when this service was performed. From my own research, sometimes when a new belt is installed, it’s got tighter tension than the old one (duh, right?). The two pulleys may not have the tension to keep up with the new belt if you will. One them in my truck actually had a bearing that was shot and you could start to hear it when I started the truck.

As others have mentioned, I would really consider getting a VSA/EW through Toyota to give you piece of mind in case any part out of this project potentially fails down the road as they should be covered as they were in my experience.

 

Soo, got a update today. They fixed the water pump leak, but found another leak. This time it is leaking oil from timing cover and it is quite large leak according to them. Not sure where the timing cover is but when I do my visual check of the engine before each longer trip I did not see any oil leaking what so ever. Also when I saw the reddish build up I did a pretty detailed look and all looked clean in the engine bay.

They need 2 more weeks to get it fixed.

 

Are you going in person to verify these issues each time they tell you they found something else? If not you should start, at least to learn a little yourself about what to look for (and to see if they're full of it). Personally I would want to see everything and put my hands on it before authorizing any additional work.

Either the dealer's service department sucks, or you have a hypochondriac 4Runner. Hopefully it's more the latter in this case, and you're getting these minor issues fixed under warranty.

What was the root cause of the new water pump leak?

 

I would think about escalating this to a regional service manager or someone higher up the chain. None of this is normal.

 

I would be heading down to see this in person as it is starting to sound like the dealership may have damaged other items while attempting to repair the water pump. I find it very difficult to believe what started as a water pump has grown into a timing cover leak.
My initial gut feeling was that the tech possibly tried to "flat rate" that water pump by taking short cuts and slipped up and damaged other components in an attempt to beat book time. May be completely off base with that opinion, But i have seen this so many times in the past.
Keep us updated on the progress.

 

Agree 100%. If the tech couldn't get through a water pump repair, there's no way I'd let them touch the timing cover repair.
OP: this all sounds fishy, go put your eyes on it. If the water pump is sealed, there's no reason you can't pick it up and get a second opinion.

 

Timing cover is a common leak is common on the 1gr. It's a relatively labourous job so be glad they found it before the warranty ran out.

But if they couldn't replace a waterpump right the first time I doubt they could fix the timing cover leak correctpy the first time.

 

So it's been 3 weeks and still no car back. Allegedly the new seal and timing cover were scheduled to arrive on Friday. They promised to start taking the car apart for 3rd time on Friday to get it ready for the parts, and also promised a follow up call on Friday but so far nada. On a bring side if they fix it properly it will be like getting a new car all over again. Got used to the rental.

 

Quick question would the water pump and timing cover leak fall under the basis 36 months36K or under powertrain warranty @60months/60K?

 

They're both part of the engine, so I would assume powertrain warranty.

If the dealer says otherwise, I wouldn't pay and get Toyota themselves involved. I don't know who I'd call exactly, but I'd be a huge pain in the ass, especially with the time and inconvenience this has cost you.

(Remember the dealer is an independent business and has no say in what Toyota will cover, but they do have to submit the work to get paid).

Unless of course if the dealer doesn't give you any grief, then just try and get them to wrap it up and thoroughly document the repair. If it prematurely fails again outside of the warranty period, there might be some additional coverage (don't know how long they guarantee their work).

 

It should say in your warranty book. I believe it falls under powertrain

 

Since I didn't get a follow up call as promised decided to call my friendly neighborhood toyota dealer and get an update. Allegedly the timing cover and seal arrived. What shocked me is that they pulled the whole engine out. In previous updates they told me the front end has to be taken apart again to access the cover. Now they say according to the manuals the had to pull the engine out. Engine is out and it turns out they are still missing some other seal that needs to arrive so another week at least. They advise that they have the best tech on it and taking extra time to make sure all is put together correctly....f@k.
Does anyone have access to the official Toyota manuals and can c0onfirm or post if it is really necessary to pull the engine out for timing cover and seal replacement?

 

Any chance they'd consider buying this back at this point?

 

It takes two weeks to get a part. That’s just the way it is. Don’t blow a head gasket.

 

Was the answer to this question established before they took possession of the car? They should have had you sign an estimate of what the work would cost you before beginning work. I would have hoped they made clear if they were submitting this as a warranty repair before beginning.

 

Thankfully it is all approved under warranty. They were good at communication that. Also once fixed they give 2 year 40K km warranty on his specific work.
They advised it is being fixed under the basic warranty but it would have qualified under powertrain as well if over 36/3.

 

2 weeks to take it apart?

 

No, of course they can’t keep every part on site it’s usually in a warehouse and takes about two weeks. They can tear that engine down in 45minutes prob those guys are good.

 

I had a 2016 Tacoma TRDOR that developed a timing chain cover oil leak. They removed the engine to reseal the cover. While doing the job they replaced the water pump also. They said the Toyota repair manual stipulates removing the engine for better access to reseal the cover. I have read others have done it differently w/o removing the engine. The Car Care Nut said the timing chain cover leaks are more common on the Tacoma V6, vs the 1GR. But they happen. Seems to me it’s dependent on the care with which the sealant is applied. I don’t know if that’s manually or automated (robotic) during engine manufacture.