oldmandate

I need to know from the experts on this forum whether the engine in my 2000 ES300 (1MZ-FE) is toast! For couple of weeks my car has been hesitating and shuttering when it reached normal operating temps (started fine and ran fine until I drove for a while). So last Friday when I came home as I pulled into my garage the CEL and Track lights came on and again the car shuttered badly. I turned the engine off and decided to work on it on the weekend.

I did some research and decided to clean carb-clean the manifold and the little port hole to the IAC. In inspecting the car I found a cracked hose from the top of the cylinder head to the air intake. Replaced the hose and thought to myself that I probably found the problem. Started the engine and heard the loudest and most terrible metal on metal sound coming from the engine. It sounds like the pistons are hitting the top of the engine.

The car has 140K miles. Extremely well cared for. Timing belt was changed at 75K and then 95K (we forgot that we had it changed at 75K!!!) I read the code it generates: P1349. This being an interference engine my question is: is the engine gone? What's the easiest way to check to see if the timing belt is torn or not?
Thank you!

PFB

I don't know what that noise that you heard was, but contrary to what you are going to hear from some others, your engine IS NOT an interference engine.

The CEL code tat you retrieved, as well as the symptoms point to an oil control valve issue, possibly accompanied by a blocked oil control valve filter. So concentrate on those components.

If pssible, post an audio clip of the noise you heard/hear, or at least describe the circumstances under which it occurs in much more details.

Phil

tomf

Doubtful it's your timing belt. The only way to check the timing belt is to remove the timing belt covers.

P1349 Toyota - Variable Valve Timing System Malfunction Bank 1

Possible causes
- Dirty or low engine oil
- Valve timing
- Oil control valve
- Variable Valve Timing controller assembly
- Engine Control Module (ECM)

I don't have the experience to comment on the metal on metal sound you heard. Speaking from experience, the hesitating and stuttering is typical of a blocked oil control valve filter or a defective oil control valve. But I suspect, based on the sounds you described, that your problem might be something else.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

Check oil control valve, this sounds exactly like the problems I had when I replaced mine. I paid $1,000 at the dealer to get it all fixed I believe there was two of them. I could have done it cheaper elsewhere, but o well

oldmandate

Grateful for all the responses. I wonder if the carb cleaner got into the pistons and causing this. The sound is so bad that I'm reluctant to start it again. May be I just leave it in the garage and call it my garage queen. :-). Question: if timing belt is torn there should not be a metal hitting metal sound since there's really nothing there to turn the pistons, correct?

01LEXPL

iTrader: (10)

If there's one thing i've learned with these cars, its that it can be 'the smallest of things' that makes it wonky.

Carb cleaner would do no harm, like brake cleaner it evaporates within seconds of being sprayed, unless done liberally then it may take a few seconds longer.

tomf

If you decide to replace the oil control valves, consider doing it yourself. Replacing an oil control valve is a simple procedure. You could do it in less than 30 minutes, tops. You can buy both the bank one and bank two valves for less than $130. http://www.partsgeek.com/ss/?i=1&ssq...ight&x=20&y=17 and http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/...FYpaMgodZFgAfA

BTW you would need the right side oil control valve because bank one is on the right side of the engine or the side closest to the rear of the car.

Take a look at the links provided by Lexmex in the second post on this thread https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...lp-please.html One thing to note is that Lexmex has the bank one and bank two confused. Your error code indicates bank one which is the one on the right side of the engine nearest to the firewall.

Remember the engine is turned sideways in the engine compartment. The front of the engine is on the passenger's side. The rear of the engine is on the driver's side. The right side of the engine is closest to the rear of the car. Bank one is located on the right side of the engine. The left side of the engine is located closest to the front of the car. Bank two is located on the left side of the engine.

tomf

If your timing belt was broken you would be unable to start your car.

oldmandate

Actually it does not start! It doesn't even turn!!! After making that horrible metallic sound it quit starting. I just don't understand how it get to this condition!

oldmandate

I have to examine the belt before moving on to any other repair.

oldmandate

The good news is that (as you guys said) the timing belt is not torn. So I decided to go ahead and replace the OCVs and the filters. Managed to take both filters out but the valves are STUCK! After much pulling and turning the tops and the stems came out but the body is still in there. Do you guys have any suggestion on how to get the rest out? Thank you!

tomf

Somebody posted this:

The inside of the OCV finally came out by sliding a #8 Truss-head 2" machine screw in head first, fiddling with it until the head was firmly placed in one of the OCV's grooves, and pulling with a 16" pair of channel locks (Not enough power with the 8"). http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...how-to-remove/

Not sure if the situation is the same as yours.

oldmandate

Thanks a lot tomf. I'll try that.

brucelee1

iTrader: (2)

Seems like progress of a sort. Good luck.

PFB

No matter what method you use to extract the remaining pieces, spray the thread liberally with some penetrating oil first and let it soak for a few minutes,