Water Pump Removal on a 1995 Toyota Tacoma

A vehicle's water pump is the device that sends water circulating through the radiator, to the engine, to keep the engine cool. If the water pump stops working, the engine will quickly overheat. On a 1995 Toyota Tacoma, removing the water pump from either the 2.4-liter or 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine should take around an hour. On the 3.4-liter six-cylinder engine, you must first remove the timing belt. Removing the water pump on a 3.4-liter engine will take several hours, and you should only attempt this procedure if you are experienced with engines and automotive repairs.

Instructions

Four-Cylinder Engine

1

Turn off the engine and ensure the engine is cool. Disconnect the negative battery cable before beginning work near the fan assembly. Place a drain pan beneath the radiator drain plug, and open the drain valve. The valve is on the bottom passenger's side of the radiator. Use pliers to turn it if it's too tight to open by hand. Open the radiator cap to make the coolant drain faster.

2

Remove the engine drive belts from the power steering pump, alternator/water pump and air conditioner compressor. To remove a belt, use a socket to loosen the lock bolt in the center of the pulley, and the adjustment bolt, then slip the belt off all the pulleys.

3

Remove the two bolts that attach the lower fan shroud, and remove the shroud. Remove the six bolts that attach the main fan shroud. Remove the nuts from the four bolts that attach the fan to the water pump, and lift the fan and main shroud out of the engine compartment.

4

Remove the water pump pulley. Disconnect the radiator hoses from the radiator.

5

Remove the 10 bolts that attach the water pump to the engine. Loosen the bolts a little at a time, rotating among the bolts, to avoid damaging the pump or timing chain cover. Remove the water pump from the engine.

Six-Cylinder Engine

6

Turn off the vehicle and ensure the engine is cool. Disconnect the negative battery cable. Place a drain pan beneath the radiator drain valve, and open the valve by turning it counterclockwise. Open the radiator cap to facilitate draining.

7

Remove the two bolts that attach the lower fan shroud, and remove the shroud. Remove the six bolts that attach the main fan shroud. Remove the nuts from the four bolts that attach the fan to the water pump, and lift the fan and main shroud out of the engine compartment.

8

Disconnect the upper and lower radiator hoses. Disconnect the overflow reservoir hose from the radiator filler neck. Disconnect the automatic transmission cooler lines from the radiator (if equipped).

9

Remove the radiator grill by prying the retaining clips out of the radiator support. There are four clips on the top of the grille, and three along the bottom. Remove the radiator mounting bolts, and lift the radiator out of the truck. There are two mounting bolts on each side of the radiator, which you access from the front.

10

Remove the engine drive belts from the power steering pump, alternator/water pump and air conditioner compressor. To remove a belt, use a socket to loosen the lock bolt in the center of the pulley, and the adjustment bolt, then slip the belt off all the pulleys.

11

Remove the spark plug wires. Before removing the wires, mark them so you can properly reconnect them to the correct cylinder. Remove the power steering pump and secure it out of the way with a piece of baling wire. It's not necessary to remove the power steering pump hoses.

12

Raise the front of the vehicle and support it with jack stands. Remove the air conditioner compressor and bracket. There are four bolts attaching the compressor, and three additional bolts attaching the bracket. Be careful not to damage the refrigerant lines.

13

Use a spark plug socket to remove the spark plugs from the engine. Remove the upper timing belt cover.

14

Place the transmission in neutral. Disable the ignition by disconnecting the electrical connectors from the three coil packs.

15

Attach a socket wrench to the bolt in the middle of the crankshaft pulley and rotate the pulley clockwise to line up the marks on the timing belt with the marks on the three timing belt sprockets.

16

Remove the two bolts from the timing belt tensioner, and remove the tensioner. Remove the timing belt from the sprockets.

17

Remove the alternator adjuster bolt and bracket assembly. Remove the thermostat housing from the water pump by removing the three nuts and pulling the housing off the pump. Detach the oil cooler hose from the side of the water pump, if equipped.

18

Remove the seven bolts from the water pump, and remove the pump from the engine.