[sputnik767]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know, or has any experience replacing water pumps on the previous generation 1.8L (7A-FE)? corolla engine. The car in question is a '94 model with a small pump leak. How hard is it to do? I have moderate mechanical ability and probably all of the tools required, but I've never dealt with a water pump replacement before. Any tips, procedures, and potential pitfalls are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[turbotacoman]

They are a little more time consuming than most toyota 4cyls., but not that bad. the pump is not driven by the timming belt, however the belt needs to come off because of where the pump bolts to the engine. You might as well replace the t-belt and all 3 drive belts. You will also need a valve cover gasket, because the cover has to come off.

After you take the engine mount off, and the 4 10mm bolts out of the w/pump pulley the pulley is still hard to get off of the pump due to clearance between the pump and inner fender. (You will need a floor jack to help you with this step) the pulley does come apart if you can't get enough clearance, but its kinda hard to get the bolt holes to line up when going back together. Oh yeah, loosen the 10's on the pump pulley before taking the belts off.

Have the engine on top dead center before taking the t-belt off. The cam gear has a hole in it to line it up with the front cam cap. The balancer has a timming mark that lines up to the front cover, but with the balancer and bottom cover off it is kinda hard to tell if the crank gear is in time because there is no mark on it. Just make sure to double check it with the cover balancer when going back together.

The only other thing I can think to tell you is that the upper right bolt on the bottom timming cover is kind of a pain to get out and back in unless you shorten a 1/4" drive 10mm shallow socket.

Bolt sizes: crank bolt- 17mm, cam bolt- 12mm, timming cover bolts(x7)-10mm, ac belt adjuster-14mm, power steering belt adjuster- 12mm, alt belt adjuster-12mm. you'll need to pull the dipstick tube out as well- 10mm.

I'd say it's about a 3 beer job. Have fun!:waytogo:

 

[sputnik767]

Wow, thank you very much for the info. One question though, are you sure the timing belt has to come off? Is it maybe possible to squeeze the pump out without taking off the belt? I just don't feel comfortable messing with the timing (only because i've never done it before), and I'm afraid of killing the engine if I screw the timing up. But I will attempt it if even if the belt absolutely must come off. Also, the floor jack I'm assuming is necessary to support the engine when the mount comes off, right? As a side note, I don't have this car yet, but we are thinking of buying it for my sister, and the person told up about this issue. It leaks very slowly, and can wait until the next timing belt replacement in 20k miles, which leads to my next question: if I get both things done at the same time at the dealership, do you know how much it may cost? Thanks for all of your help.

 

[turbotacoman]

Yes, actually you can snake the pump out without taking the belt off, but there is just one more bolt involved in taking the belt off, however I do understand you not wanting to get it out of time.(the engine is non-interferance, so if it gets out of time it wont hurt anything)

The floor jack is placed under the oil pan to support the engine weight, but more importantly so you can jack the engine up enough to get the pulley off of the waterpump.

Don't know the exact cost at the dealer, but with the t-belt, drive belts, pump, v/c gasket, and front seals, I'd say maybe $450:shrug: All I know is how many labor hours I get on these (4.5). Parts cost at the dealer, probably $165

 

[sputnik767]

Ok, the fact that the engine is non-interference makes me feel better about attempting this. So basically, the job does not seem extremely challenging, and it makes me feel better about buying this car. Thank you very much for all of your help.