Head Gasket!

[RAVCLAN]

Hello, havent posted for a while but could really do with any helpful advice. My 57 plate rav that has done just under 60,000 miles had to have the head gasket replaced at 51,000 miles, this was carried out a my local dealership, however, 6,000 miles later my water pump is leaking and my driveshaft is leaking! i have taken the car back to the dealer and they spoke to Toyota regarding these matters to see if they would be willing to carry out repairs under 'goodwill' yet Toyota have said no. I have asked the dealer why these repairs are not part of the warranty given when the head gasket was done as both seals (that have now failed apparently) where disturbed during these works.......all I keep getting is no no no and that this is apparently nothing to do with any work they carried out???? can anyone help me further with this matter? I feel that this is disgraceful behaviour, its bad enough that the head gasket went but this is just too much! Thanks in advance....waiting to hear form you all......regards.....

[RAVCLAN]

Should have also said, the car was under original warranty when the head gasket went and it is just over 6 months ago that this was completed, so now out of warranty and that is why everything is a no! regards....

[junebug1701]

Did your RAV4 come with a powertrain warranty? Here in the US, we get a 3 yr./36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 5 yr./60,000 mile powertrain warranty that covers engine and transmission. If the dealership won't budge, call the Toyota customer help center and see if they might be able to help.

[anchorman]

Warranties are quite different here James. Just one 3 year/60k warranty at that time that covered virtually everything that has now been pushed out to 5 years/100k.

RAVCLAN

It would be very difficult to prove that your faults are a result of having the head gasket done but it might be worth writing to Toyota GB. If the faults could be linked then TGB might tell the dealer it is because they have not done it right and they need to pick it up so can you be sure that TGB know about it??? I would write to them and explain what has happened and let them come back to you. You can almost certainly forget about the water pump as that cannot be associated but you can get one off Kingo and fit it yourself (or have a garage fit it). Disregard any manuals that tell you the engine has to come out for the water pump - it doesn't and if it is only weeping pink fluid from the vent hole underneath forget it anyway - they mostly all do.

Those seals are a bit more involved as the driveshafts have to come out but you can do it yourself if you are reasonably competent. However, it might be worth trying a carefully worded letter to TGB on them;

Customer Relations

Toyota (GB) PLC

Great Burgh

Burgh Heath

Epsom

Surrey

KT18 5UX

If you go in guns blazing with comments like "disgraceful behaviour" then you might as well not bother. Remember you had a 3 year 60k warranty and that is all you are entitled to so you need to be quite humble in your approach!

[RAVCLAN]

Thank you for advice, can I ask why the water pump seal can't be associated with the head gasket work?

Toyota apparently know about the problems as that is what the dealer stated and gave me a reference number and phone number to call-but that was all the advice they did give.

Can't help being concerned about the standard of work when they carried out head gasket work and now- ?they did say that everything concerned with that work would be covered by a 12 month warranty? Find the fact that a car that is less then 3 years old and had such a major engine fault in the first place troubling. Have to say we have always been Toyota Devotees in our family but now......it doesnt fill you full of confidence.

[wardude]

When my bro in laws head gasket was repaired last month they ended up putting a new engine in BUT he had to pay for a water pump!!! Work that one out

[tatteam]

When my bro in laws head gasket was repaired last month they ended up putting a new engine in BUT he had to pay for a water pump!!! Work that one out

You're right wardude, I've passed through same experience myself, had a head problem and they changed all engine and I had to pay for water pump and it was worth changing clutch kit as it was out, of course at my expense.

[RAVCLAN]

Thank you all for your useful info.

Can I ask- is there a known problem with the 'newer' shape Rav 4 engines (head gaskets) (06 onwards) as many people seem to have had new engines/ gaskets etc?

It seems that the water pump is going to end up my problem- dealer wants 400 pounds for doing this work can any one adivse me as to how much a new water pump is?

Thanks again everyone.

[tatteam]

yes, infact mine is an 07 model and it had the problem. The water pump cost me about €120 (part only).

[anchorman]

OK, the head gasket problem affected earlier 4.3s, that is from 2006 until about 2008. In some cases the anti-freeze reacted with the gasket and caused premature failure but it doesn't affect all vehicles.

The water pump is a stand alone seperate component. It is not part of the head or gasket, it is actually bolted to the cylinder block. Again, some of the earlier models were flagged up by dealers for having "leaking" water pumps when in fact they were only "weeping". Underneath the pump there is a little hole that allows any water that gets past the seal to escape before it gets into the bearing. It is quite normal for there to be a pink stain under the pump where coolant has weeped but this usually only occurs during warm up and then stops.

In answer to your question then, the water pump is not part of the head gasket job so they would normally charge for it to be changed OUTSIDE the warranty period. It should of course be covered under the warranty inside the normal period. Before agreeing to cough up for a new pump I would want to know if it is leaking or exhibiting a pink stain in which case I would leave it as they can work normally for years like that. If it is inside the warranty they should pay and if it is outside then you should only be paying for the pump (I think Kingo said they were about £90) and the labour which would only be about 1 hour. If they tell you the engine has to come out tell them forget it and take your business to a local garage.

RAVCLAN Don't cough up for this until you have fully debated it with TGB. Write to them and state that although the warranty has expired you feel that this is a premature failure and that it would be reasonable to expect a "policy warranty claim".

[RAVCLAN]

Thank you ANCHORMAN. I will indeed write to Toyota GB.

I am unsure what is leaking on the water pump, it is pink fluid, i took it back because I noticed that it had started loosing a small amount of water again and was fearful that my head gasket had done the offskee again! as these where that same symptoms that it showed the first time around. The car has never over heated at any point (pre head gasket) or (water pump)

Can you advise at the best way of finding out what is leaking on the water pump exactly? is there a procedure?

With much thanks.

[anchorman]

You can only just see the water pump from above so the best way is by removing the under engine cover. If you crawl under the car you might just get a glimpse without the cover off but you have to know what you are looking for. In this case the water pump leaking would be a far better result than more head problems but you could still approach TGB for that claim not ony because of the water pump leak but to get them to stump up at least some of the costs including those seals.

Rest assured the water pump was not damaged by them working on the cylinder head.

[RAVCLAN]

Once again, thank you for the advice anchorman.

Would the gargage have been able to distingiush with certainty that it is a water pump problem only-not a head gasket and water pump problem? are there specfic tests for both that they should have carried out- just dont want to do the water pump and it have somthing to do with another problem with the head gasket again- could you advise if you think the two could be related etc?