Help Diagnose Water Pump Failure - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

highcap56 · 11-14-2010, 04:11 PM

New member here - Bob from Burbank. Never had a problem with my Camry until now, and looks like this is an active forum. I'll be glad to reciprocate with any help I can offer as it relates to 2001 Camry questions.

My Car - 2001 Camry LE - 4 Cyl - Auto - 145,000 miles.

PROBLEM - noticed bubbling coming out a crack in the top of the plastic radiator when my wife came home the other day, and replaced the radiator today along with the thermostat this morning.

System pressures up, no coolant leaks, but water is not circulating as the engine overheats quickly. Radiator is cool to touch.. top hose hot with pressure. Lower hose pressured but cooler to touch.

I'm sure I'm running the original water pump as when the timing belt was changed (I did NOT do that myself.. no correct tools, stands, aptitude, time.. etc.. many excuses) and mechanic said .. "Water pump looks GREAT .. no need to replace it." .. .so it was not replaced.

Can a water pump in an 01 Camry fail SILENTLY? I would expect to see a coolant leak or hear some awful bearing noise, but it is quiet. No abnormal noises at all.

Is there any thing simple I'm missing? I replaced all radiator sensors, fans, electrical connections, etc...

Trying to get an idea before I go to a mechanic and bend over.

Thanks for your advice!

71Corolla · 11-14-2010, 04:25 PM

Maybe your thermostat is in backwards?

highcap56 · 11-14-2010, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 71Corolla

Maybe your thermostat is in backwards?

I replaced the old thermostat with the new one and installed it the same way.. Spring on the INSIDE of the engine opening. Lower Hose - Housing - Thermostat -> |OOO-o -Engine

Thanks for the suggestion. I think it is in correctly. I don't have a gasket to run it without one or I would try it that way.

***Zembonez*** · 11-14-2010, 04:38 PM

Water pump failure is normally indicated by coolant leakage. They don't typically just stop pumping. I think your problem is somewhere else.

highcap56 · 11-14-2010, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zembonez

Water pump failure is normally indicated by coolant leakage. They don't typically just stop pumping. I think your problem is somewhere else.

That's what I am thinking too, but I have no clue what. Everything went back on the way it came off. Nothing at all leaks anywhere. I was really happy with my "good" job until I watched the temp spike.

Should I hear a noise if the pump is bad? I would think so.

Thanks for your reply.

zppeacock · 11-14-2010, 04:44 PM

I would try running it without the thermostat installed and see if it over heats still. If it doesn't overheat then you have found your issue. I have had problems with non oem thermostats in toyotas.

highcap56 · 11-14-2010, 04:45 PM

I will note further that I have had no time to let the new radiator get "hot" to see if the fans come on as the engine heats up too fast to wait and risk blowing it up. The radiator is cool to the touch when the engine is hot.

71Corolla · 11-14-2010, 04:47 PM

It's possible the impeller is not spinning, not likely but possible. You definitely need to run the engine with no thermostat.

highcap56 · 11-14-2010, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zppeacock

I would try running it without the thermostat installed and see if it over heats still. If it doesn't overheat then you have found your issue. I have had problems with non oem thermostats in toyotas.

Edit - The old thermostat was opening fine .. I just checked it on the stove in boiling water. The engine was overheating this morning with it installed (and it evidently opens correctly at the right temp)... I cannot say that the new one is opening, but the problem remains the same so I suspect the pump still, even though silent.

Thank you for posting the suggestion.

highcap56 · 11-14-2010, 04:52 PM

If I DO try to run it without the thermostat to make sure it is the water pump, can you please suggest what to use for the gasket since the thermostat won't be in there with it's gasket to keep the inlet from leaking?

Want to make sure it does not leak when I'm testing it.

Know I need something, but I'm a Camry Thermostat Virgin.

carsrus · 11-14-2010, 05:05 PM

Your thermostat is a dud. Go buy a new one.

Or you some how plugged your new rad.

highcap56 · 11-14-2010, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carsrus

Your thermostat is a dud. Go buy a new one.

Or you some how plugged your new rad.

That was my thought after reading the "pull and check without the thermostat" suggestions, but I recalled that the engine overheated when I had the old one still installed, so I checked it in boiling water on the stove..

It opens without a problem, so the old one was good and should have been open to keep the engine from overheating, but still the overheating persisted with no circulation.

That's why I go back to the water pump. Radiator is not plugged at all, but there is no noise coming from the pump at all either.

Can someone tell me what kind of gasket to use to prevent a coolant leak while I am testing W/O a thermostat to make sure?

Thanks for your suggestion Carsrus!

71Corolla · 11-14-2010, 05:25 PM

You can gut the old thermostat so there is basically a hole in the center. Or you can get some generic gasket material and cut out a gasket to go between the housings.

Maybe someone knows of a better way.

doozergreengrass · 11-14-2010, 05:32 PM

When the temperature first spiked, how long did you (or rather did you say it was your wife driving at the time?) keep running the car for with the gauge up. Was the gauge in the red? You said all the coolant levels are ok, so no coolant is being lost?

highcap56 · 11-14-2010, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doozergreengrass

When the temperature first spiked, how long did you (or rather did you say it was your wife driving at the time?) keep running the car for with the gauge up. Was the gauge in the red? You said all the coolant levels are ok, so no coolant is being lost?

She said she did not notice... go figure...

She was driving home 30 miles from Long Beach. If whatever happened did not happen close to home it might be a real miracle that the engine is not totally fubar..

At that time when she brought it in, there was coolant being lost through the crack in the top of the plastic on the radiator and it had sucked up the reservoir, but the radiator was full and no coolant was being lost through the top or bottom hose, water pump area, or elsewhere.

Engine runs quietly as always, no discernible noises out of the normal.

Right now, once it gets warm and drops out of fast idle, and I drive it, the temp will hit the red in a couple of minutes.

Thanks!