Darkblue

I was driving my 1997 Lexus ES300 at 45 miles speed . I saw check engine light suddenly and realised the speed is decreasing.I could not accelerate the speed and it died ,tried to restart , but failed. Called Geico for assistance. While I was waiting for the assistance, I tried again to restart, it gave clicking sound but did not start. Car was driving very smooth until then.
Two weeks backs I took the car to the service since smoke was coming when ever I apply the brakes. The technician cleaned and refreshed (dont remember the term) the engine. I asked him to fix it completely. He said there is a gasket leakage, bring it back after two weeks. And this happened.
Car was towed to the local mechanic. They took a day , but could not figure out what is the issue. Finally the technical called and said timing belt is broken and there may be some issues with the engine which we dont know now. It will cost $1300 including labor & parts for Timing belt. Extra couple hundreds if they find something wrong with the engine after fixing the timing belt. I bought the car for $4600 3 years back. 135000 miles on it. I spent $2000 for break pads, rotors, fixing toe arm, oxygen censor ,engine mounts, maintenance etc in these 3 years. Put on 40000 miles.
I am not sure even I put extra $2000 it is not going to give me problems.
I am in dilemma what to do with this car. Any suggestions?

LeX2K

$1300 is way too high for a timing belt job find another mechanic. Also your engine is non interference which means when the timing belt breaks no internal damage will occur.

Darkblue

Thank you. How much does it cost to replace timing belt, water pump and tensioner/idler pulley inlcuding labor?

Does the mechanic know if it is time for new timing belt? I dont know much about timing belts, but i do know that they need to be replaced every 100k miles.

LeX2K

A kit like this and $400-$500 labour is fair IMO. Or do it yourself! If you don't know the mileage then visual inspection will show when a timing belt is past its prime.

kailuaguy

Sounds like the alternator belt broke not the timing belt. If you hear only a clicking sound when you try to start the car, the alternator belt may have broken and as a result, your battery is weak. If the timing belt broke, you would hear the engine turning when you try starting the car but it wont start because the camshafts are not turning to close and open the proper valves. I hope it is only the alternator belt... Way cheaper and easier.

mark71

A little knowledge goes a LONG way. Your mechanic sounds like a scumbug....

Kaluaguy is absolutely correct. It definitely sounds like the alternator died or the alternator belt broke. How am I so sure? Because my wife's Hyundai Veracruz exhibited the SAME symptoms and it turned out to be the alternator. I wasn't aware that the alternator not only charges your battery but its also tied into your transmission. It CAN shut down your entire car if its not engaged. Go to a 2nd mechanic and ask him to check the alternator. I don't want you to spend money unnecessarily.
Report back to us and let me know what they found.

Mark

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

A dead battery will not turn the engine off in the same way as described by the OP. Yes, the alternator is responsible for charging the battery and helps keep the engine running, but it will not prevent the engine from starting. In fact, if you have a good battery, the car can run without an alternator.

What OP described definitely sounds like a broken timing belt. It's very possible that the car is still on its original timing belt, since it was purchased at 135k miles.

kailuaguy

A dead alternator doesnt charge the battery and so the engine dies out. Clicking sound when attempting to start the car is from the starter not getting enough current to turn over.

OP please get another mechanic to diagnose your car. And you can take a look under the hood and see if there is a belt missing before the mechanic gets there. Good luck

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

A dead battery would have caused a bunch of electrical issues, such as flickering gauges, the radio going in and out, the lights dimming. It would also display a red battery light on the dash.

A second pair of eyes is always a good idea, but I suspect it's not the alternator.