2003 Tacoma V6 Water pump Issues

[roadrunner_19_va]

I have a V6 2003 Tacoma. I have 65000 miles on it. I took my truck to a dealer to get the recall for the Ball Joints fixed. They told me that my water pump was leaking. I am an ASE Certified Mechanic so I ordered the parts and fixed it myself. To my surprise when I ordered the parts the dealer said they had 13 water pumps in stock. That seemed strange to have so many in stock (unless it was a problem). When I pulled the old water pump off to my surprise there was not a gasket on it. They used RTV sealant. you could clearly see the RTV was missing on one spot and that was where it was leaking. But the new water pump came with a Metal Gasket. Does anyone know of any body else having problems with theirs? Do you think I should write toyota and let them know about it and see what they do. A water pump should not go bad at 65000. Toyota should be responsible for it. Thanks Travis

[Flash75]

Sounds like you should have it repaired at Toyota's expense, it may be worth trying. I assume the water pump is still good, it was just missing some sealant. Unless your dealer is a very high volume dealer I would consider his stocking 13 spare water pumps indicates they are a high failure item. I think when the timing belt is replaced the water pump is also replaced. 13 spares? Reminds me of a visit to a small Saab dealer about 40- years ago when they had two cycle engines. They had two cars in stock, I looked behind the counter and saw 3 new engines sitting on the floor. Needless to say I quickly lost interest in buying a new Saab.

Clifton