What should I do?

[BadYanish]

I have a 1998 Camry LE 4cyl. It started running hot and I'm being told that the problem is the water pump. They quoted me a $1,300 repair (I think I could get it done for $800). This car has almost 150,000 miles on it. My question is, should I get the repair or invest in a new, used car? This Camry has never had any major issues. I don't want to throw good money after bad but investing in a new car would make my monthly budget pretty tight. I look forward to your opinion. I just don't know how much more time I can expect out of this vehicle.

[whip_cracker]

Running hot can be quite a few things...

Bad water pump, low coolant, bad coolant, bad radiator/coolant filler caps, clogged radiator, bad/leaking hoses, radiator fans not working... list goes on... (hopefully not a head gasket).

First off, check the coolant is clean, check that it's FULL and that it's the good Toyota Red Long Life Coolant... check the radiator cap/s to see if they're shot (ie, rubber in the cap is deteriorated or pressure release valve is loose/damaged), check that the thermostat is working on the car... best test is to wait til the temp is at normal runnning temp... feel the top of the radiator and feel the bottom. If you have a hot top and a cool bottom, then maybe the thermostat isn't opening up when it should be.

The only way you'd wanna spend 1300 bucks is if they redo the head gasket, replace the water pump and seals, bearings and pulleys. That price is an absolute joke mate.

I reckon you check the smaller obvious things and see how it pans out... might be a bad themostat or damaged radiator fan causing the problem.

Good luck mate

[JohnGD]

Can you be certain that it's the water pump and not some other cooling system issues (thermostat, radiator, radiator cap, fan, or even head gasket)?

In general, when you replace the pump you also do the timing belt, and vice versa.

You should be able to get a "complete" timing job that includes the water pump at a competent independent shop for $500-600? Which should include the following parts. But first you need to make sure it's indeed the water pump.

(older www.rockauto.com prices for 3/5SFE)
GATES TCK199 (kit of timing belt with two pulleys and instruction)
$84.79
GATES Part # K030295 PS belt $4.32
GATES Part # K050435 Alt/AC $12.12
FEL-PRO TCS45641 Cam seal $4.11
FEL-PRO TCS45920 Crank seal $6.04
BCA Part # 221820 Oil pump seal $2.71
AISIN (Toyota #16110-79185) water pump $58.79
FEL-PRO VS50304R valve cover gasket set $13.94

Originally Posted by BadYanish

I have a 1998 Camry LE 4cyl. It started running hot and I'm being told that the problem is the water pump. They quoted me a $1,300 repair (I think I could get it done for $800). This car has almost 150,000 miles on it. My question is, should I get the repair or invest in a new, used car? This Camry has never had any major issues. I don't want to throw good money after bad but investing in a new car would make my monthly budget pretty tight. I look forward to your opinion. I just don't know how much more time I can expect out of this vehicle.

[BadYanish]

Wow, I really appreciate the feedback. Clearly a trustworthy, reliable mechanic is a critical relationship to maintain if you have an older vehicle. The prices quoted for the parts alone are well above what JohnGD listed below. I'll try a few other shops to verify it is, in fact, the water pump that is the issue.

[scoprius]

I can't remember off hand if the 4 cyl's have the same plastic caps(where the fluid enters the top of the rad) on the rads, but when the vehicle starting to get hot you might want to check for cracks in the plastic. I had a multiple mechanics tell me I needed and new thermostat and or water pump, meanwhile I was simply trying to get a quote for a new rad as I already knew what the problem was. You also might want to invest in some basic hand tools, as well as a decent shop manual like haynes and start working on the car yourself. You can save a boatload of money on labor charges by asking a few questions and doing some easy reading. Not to mention there's the satisfaction of being able to fix the problem yourself.

[finfinder]

Originally Posted by BadYanish

I have a 1998 Camry LE 4cyl. It started running hot and I'm being told that the problem is the water pump. They quoted me a $1,300 repair (I think I could get it done for $800). This car has almost 150,000 miles on it. My question is, should I get the repair or invest in a new, used car? This Camry has never had any major issues. I don't want to throw good money after bad but investing in a new car would make my monthly budget pretty tight. I look forward to your opinion. I just don't know how much more time I can expect out of this vehicle.

First, you want to know what they'll do for $1300 cause a water pump job ain't that expensive. I usually have my timing belt replaced at the same time as the water pump since it makes good sense (you gotta remove all the same stuff anyway. Maybe they're including replacing all the seals and some other things they didn't mention. It still shouldn't be $1300. At $150k you'll need to check for oil leaks too.

Many Camry owners on this site have >250k on theirs (mine too). Its worth fixing. It just needs occasional TLC.

[JohnGD]

Like Scoprius said, you can do some basic checks (be careful not to open the system when hot, it's under pressure). Well hopefully under pressure if it's working.

If you or a friend is mechanically inclined, then you can borrow a free loaner tool from Autozone, called the Cooling Pressure Tester, #OEM27049 (see link below). If your system can't hold pressure then you know.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ino...tingAndCooling

Originally Posted by BadYanish

Wow, I really appreciate the feedback. Clearly a trustworthy, reliable mechanic is a critical relationship to maintain if you have an older vehicle. The prices quoted for the parts alone are well above what JohnGD listed below. I'll try a few other shops to verify it is, in fact, the water pump that is the issue.