Margate330

Someday someone will settle it once and for all. lol
Seen many arguements about whether the 1MZ engine used in Toyota and Lexus cars is truly interference or not.

Manual says it is but some people say this is not so.

Striker223

It's 100% not. Considering I have repaired these before and I just turned the cam a full turn on the right hand (facing) bank and 3/4 turn on the left hand bank then 1+7/8 of a crank turn to get it lined up.

If it doesn't start or run properly I'll rescind that statement but I'm certain it's not interference since I turned it over with the starter for a good while to see if I would be lucky. Fired a few times but as you saw it was severely off

The 3MZ is interference

LeX2K

Cool thanks for the info. That is half settled IMO need hard proof the 3MZ is interference. To be clear we are talking about the 1MZ VVTi not the previous version.

Striker223

Runs great! Heading home, had an issue with a stud but it's handled now

Striker223

Its running happy and this is a VVTi 1MZ engine, the 3MZ has something like 1.1mm more valve lift and that is what kills it if the belt goes. I just know that one can't be rotated if the cams are open fully, I spin over engines before installing to make sure they are moving okay and that's how I knew the 1MZ was okay if the belt goes. When I was playing with a 3MZ I noticed it can't spin around fully without making contact with valves under certain conditions.

Margate330

$1k plus some parts and sweat & labor for a Lexus suv!

That's a home run.
Add +1 more Lexus for OP.

Striker223

Thanks! 130 miles back and no problems at all, also refilled it. Did 105 on a usual road to make sure it has the customary 100+ run all my cars get at least once, it's not a V8 that's for sure but the 6 has a nice snarl up top.

Time to hand off the Jeep to someone else once I install the last of the parts I have for it. This car instantly gave me 5k equity so I can't lose no matter what I decide to do at this point


Old belt was a disaster

The clamps

The crank

Front

Home with the rest of my personal Lexus swarm. I'm now able, with all the cars I care for to make a giant flying \"V" with my 460 at the center, two 430s on each side, two ES350s outside them, two RX300s capping the wings and an RX450h in the center of the "V" forming a line across the rear with the earlier RXs. I'm massively temped to do so

Rear

patgilm

The RX is nostalgic to me. It was the first Lexus I ever bought. It was a 2001 and the exact same color combo as yours except it had the roof spoiler which was a must for me. To me it makes it look so much better and in the early 2000’s I thought the RX was a real looker. Mine even had the factory navigation option and it seemed many at that time didn’t have it. The only thing I didn’t like was the turning radius, it was awful and a real pain if I needed to make a u-turn.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

had a '99 for an easy 115k mi. from new. sold it to someone who was VERY happy to get it.

Striker223

I have never seen one with a nav in person, does it have similar features to a same era LS400/430? Would be a interesting curiosity for sure to own one.

I also like the roof spoilers that this one doesn't have but the rest of the car is good so.....the turn radius is still horrible but unless I'm imagining it it's better than the 99s we had. I'm not sure if it's actually better or I'm just pleased with the car but it appears to be at least somewhat less egregious.

This gen RX is the first Lexus I ever saw/sat in and drove, doesn't really have a super strong pull to me personally but I do respect them for what they are. Overall very very useful cars while still being nicer than 10 year newer domestic "competition" and WAY longer lasting/dependable. They are just better cars than something like a terrain/envoy and won't blow up at random or wield a high entry price and impracticality of a full size/real suv.

The new RX needs cleaned but once I have it looking nice I'll post up better pictures, it's not presentable as is. I'm not going to baby it but I do expect it to present appropriately and cleanly despite the age.

LeX2K

I've tried to help so many people with timing belt replacements I tell them, see the marks on the belt? They line up to marks on cams and crank gears. Do that and you're golden. They STILL say, but how do I put the engine at TDC. Should I rotate the engine 360 degrees to make sure the pistons are at TDC (lol). I rotated the engine and now the belt marks don't line up. And so on.

Margate330

Hi Lex2k, noticed you been helping members on here fix their cars for many years.
It can be frustrating trying to help people with hard repairs like this since we don't know their skill level usually.

Just curious, are you running all Lexus or you like Euro cars too.

Striker223

Yeah it's hard to explain to some, the marks are just idiot proofing since you can easily time it without marks. Just start at the timing pulley after the tensioner clockwise and then WITHOUT ANY SLACK route the belt to the next cam pulley, then to crank while making sure nothing moves off it's timing reference mark. Then turn it over 720* and if all three marks line up you are good.

The markings just make it so that you don't need to worry and make ultra certain you didn't allow any slack/1 tooth off anywhere on the side where tension/slack can't exist. Keep in mind the belts ARE faced, aka you can't flip it the other way and expect the marks to line up since on V6s there are like 68-70 teeth from pulley to pulley but one side has more to the crank vs the other. If you don't know this you won't get it to line up, Toyota and Aisin belts all cal out exactly what goes where but dayco and others only mark cams/crank without saying what cam is what or how the belt should point.

If you have a belt with marks it should fit perfectly with all parts in time plus make it stupid easy. Since there is a number difference in teeth from each cam to crank point when you turn it over to check the lines will be "off" but all hard parts should be in sync.

LeX2K

I've owned Nissan, BMW, Dodge, Ford. Not into Euro cars too many nagging problems. Had a Mercedes CLK that thing was an electrical nightmare especially the "smart" key system. The charging system worked when it felt like I never figured it out. Many people before me tried to solve the electrical demons they also failed.
You'd think but no.

edit - Mercedes CLK not 560 don't know why I was thinking of the 560.

Duck05

Guilty….

Happened in 2015 when the wife got “tired” of her ‘01 LS430 and despite attempts by me to get her into an RX she held fast and landed in a ‘14 LS460. I had my second commuter Honda and after a few months with 4 cars decided to switch over to her “hand me down” LS430 and sold the Honda.

Came close last month to trading out the LS430 for a ‘22 RX350 but couldn’t do it. May reconsider later in the year when the ‘23 RX’s hit the dealerships and pick up a ‘22 as I prefer the V6 over the 4s coming in.