Hey Toyota Van Guru's... Y'all ever have to replace a water pump on an 89 van? I think this is my next repair. I was on my way home from work but stopped to fill up with fuel first. When I parked and turned the A/C off, I heard a rumbling noise. Sounded kinda like a desiel engine running. First thing I thought about was the water pump. I looked at the temp gauge and the needle wasn't even halfway to hot. I filled up with fuel and took off hoping to make the 10 mile commute home without any problem. That wasn't the case. I barely got back on the highway when I heard a belt squeaking. Something had seized. I turned the motor off and coasted off the highway to the service road. Lifted up the seat to look and see what was going on. Nothing appeared to be wrong. So, I started it back up and the rumbling went on again for a couple seconds then the squeaking noise as if a belt was trying to move around something that wasn't moving. I turned off the engine and still couldn't see where the problem was. But then, when I got closer, I could see coolant dripping slowly at first then faster to streams of coolant leaking out from the front of the engine. To me this pretty much confirmed it was the water pump. And I'm afraid it was my fault. You see when I first got the van, the very first thing i did was tighten up the belts after I heard squeaking when I tested the A/C. I think I might have tightened them up too much and caused the water pump failure. Anyway, Ol' Casper is sitting in a parking lot waiting for me to come back. I'm fixin to order a pump and will get it in the morning. Things I need to consider and need advice on before I begin removal/replacement are;

  • Is this a job that can be done in a couple hours on the side of the road?
  • What other parts need to be removed first?
  • What other parts need to be replaced?
  • What else might I want to replace while in the process?
  • Is it removed from underneath the vehicle or from above?
  • Will the engine access panel need to be removed?
  • Will I need any special tools, such as a pully puller?
  • How much coolant will i need?
  • And how much beer will I need?

What a bummer this is. Ol' Casper was running so nice too. And the A/C blowing out colder than a witches titty.
So please, all knowing gurus and those that have experienced this before. You think it's the water pump? Tell me what you would do or have done in a situation like this. Keep in mind that its gonna be sunny and 91f degrees tomorrow. I Hope my mother dont find out about this. I can hear her now saying "I told you Steven" ~sigh~