When I drove a Volvo I just did a belt and water pump every year. OE Aisin one every time.
Aisin is what my shop used when mine started to die at 140k. No problems so far at 150k
Go for Aisin, Toyota just repackages same pump so skip the brand tax.
Aisin pump $67 on rockauto. I know they make a ton of Toyota OEM water pumps, not sure about this specific model.
I put a gates on my 2005 in August. No issues so far.
The fel pro gasket set and head bolts + head bolt tool will be close to 300 and then you'll need RTV sealant. Another probably 200 for the Aisin water pump.
I used the same kit on my tl and the water pump started leaking 2 years in.
I went with a aisin kit and at the 2 year mark the water pump went.
During COVID, that water pump was on backorder from Ford so I used one from Gates. I guess Gates had a bad batch and 2 of their's failed in the span of less than a year.
The Aisin kits are fine. I would not use a gates kit; the water pumps are junk and so are the tensioners
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If choosing water pump across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare water pump across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, water pump AISIN were overall better than Gates.
In March 2026 on PartReview, water pump AISIN were overall more popular than Gates.
By vote balance, water pump AISIN surpassed Gates:
By number of reviews, water pump AISIN surpassed Gates:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, water pump AISIN led more car-specific ratings than Gates:
AISIN are chosen by owners of cars such as: Toyota 4runner, and others.
Water pump Gates have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of water pump Gates with: OEM Volkswagen, OEM Audi, GRAF, Hepu, Pierburg, OEM FORD, OEM BMW, OEM Toyota, GMB, Saleri.
Also available: comparisons of water pump AISIN with: OEM Volkswagen, OEM Audi, GRAF, Hepu, Pierburg, OEM FORD, OEM BMW, OEM Toyota, GMB, Saleri.
You can also see who is better among other water pump manufacturers: OEM Audi or OEM Volkswagen, GRAF or OEM Volkswagen, AISIN or OEM Volkswagen, Gates or OEM Volkswagen, Hepu or OEM Volkswagen.
