98 Sc300 Water Pump

[brended]

I have a 98 SC300. I am trying to put together all of the parts for the timing belt service. I am getting most everything from Carson Toyota. However, I really don't want to pay the ~230 dollars for the lexus water pump. I have read that Aisin was one of the OEM manufactures and I see them on Ebay for less than 100 dollars. I also have read that there are different types of water pumps. Some have 10 holes while some have 11?? Do some of them come in 2 pieces and others come in one piece??

How do I know, without taking the pump out first, how many holes it has? Has anyone ever used the Aisin pump? Should I just bite the bullet and pay the money for the OEM Lexus water pump?

Any advise would be greatly appreicated!

Thanks,

Michael