GR8DNA

all u lexus owners are way nicer online than the nico (nissan infinity club online) members...they were *** holes! they wouldda ripped into the guy with the es300in this forum and thye wouldda had an anyerism seeing "timing belt" for the LS400...not the proper"timing chain"

PERRYinLA

Well, that's good to know we are better-behaved than some others, but it is a belt!

RA40

iTrader: (6)

As an update to this I was recently quoted from an independet shop:

Timing belt, idlers, tensioners, water pump, major fluid change (PS, brake and tranny) along with spark plug replacement ~$1,300. Some shops will do the basic timing belt ranging from $400-$600.

The bearings in the Idlers and tensioners wear along with the water pump, these are usually spec'd for about 100K so while in there, it is suggested these be done because you are at that point. For the other motors, you'll have to check your service guide what is applicable.

mmccutchin

1993 LS400 @ 165K miles here - 2nd Lexus owner (previously had an 1992 ES300).

Last T-Belt & W-Pump change was 80-85K at a Lexus dealer.

I've always heard from a variety of service professionals that: (i) they should be changed in the 60-90K range (preferably towards the end point), and (ii) the T-Belt & W-Pump should be done at the same time.

Perhaps others here may disagree but this part of the car is one of the achilles' heels for Japanese cars (and Toyotas/Lexuses in particular). . .T-Belt and W-Pump wear is unreliable and is generally more expensive to fix than American or German luxury cars. . .so I just follow the mileage and don't really care if the Belt or Pump look worn or not.

BTW. . .I just had the Belt and Pump replaced at an independent here in the SF/Bay Area. . .$900 parts/labor/tax. . .don't forget to include the pullies, tensioners, several cams and a crank seal if these need to be replaced (in my case they added about $200 to the total bill).

RA40

iTrader: (6)

At least they have improved on the recco'd service life of the timing belts. For my 5M-GE it was about every 60K miles. I've read of otherr owners doing from 100K-140K miles before a timing belt service. A bit chancey for my wallet to wait that long so I'll be doing mine fairly soon; mine just turned 100K miles last week.

PERRYinLA

Count me as one of those others that (respectfully) disagrees. What else do you think a service professional is gonna say? It's right there in his title- by definition, a "service professional" is one who makes money by performing service!

I'm not gonna bore everyone by repeating what I said on post #11 of this thread, except to say that a full three years later, I still stand by it (for non-interference engines).

Instead of blindly following such biased advice from "service professionals", try searching these forums. I'll take the word of long-time CL owners over SP's anyday.

damon

Changed my T-Belt for the first time on a 94 LS at 168,053 when the bearing in the fan bracket support failed & locked up. Went ahead & did the belt, pump ,pulleys & tensioners since they had all been stored as a "kit" in my trunk for just this occasion. Belt was still in pretty good condition,btw. My AAA+ membership gives me 100 miles of free towing. Where is the risk???

mmccutchin

Two Ls400s selling on ebay, autotrader, or this forum. . .exactly the same and at roughly 95k miles. . .one of them advertises "well maintained w/ new T-Belt and W-Pump just installed". . .the other does not except to say "well maintained".

Which car is going to receive the better offer?

Cars break down. . .and not all at the same time or for the same reasons. . .even for the same make/model/# miles driven.

It's great to hear that someone went 168K on the ORIGINAL T-Belt and W-Pump. . .but there are actually MORE stories about T-Belts and W-Pumps going out in the 60-90K range.

(As an example. . .within the Lexus line. . .my 1992 ES300 was towed TWICE for W-Pump failures at 80-85k and 135-140K. . .and a third towing due to a failed transmission which Lexus of North America paid for at 77K. BTW, my car had virtually NO problems in the 0-60K performance range.)

Japanese parts production still have room for improvement. . .as do the electrical and cabin related parts for European/German cars.

PERRYinLA

Well, at the risk of escalating this from discussion to bickering, I have to say your first point makes no sense at all...if you'd really recoup more in car value than you spent when you replaced the belt, then everyone would be doing it, and KKB.com would have a "Changed Timing Belt? "check-box when appraising car values. Sure, your car's value will go up a bit if you lay out a grand for new belt, but, so what?

As for your second point, I've monitored the timing belt issue on both this LS forum and the SC forums, and it is simply not true that there are "MORE stories about T-Belts and W-Pumps going out in the 60-90K range" on the 1UZ-FE. Perform a search and see for yourself.

Sorry to hear of your ES problems, but you're making the common mistake of thinking your limited experience applies to the greater community. I notice you chose to cite your ES, and not your LS, as an example.

damon

At 168K the fan bracket bearing seized & still did not break the belt!! Amazing.
It simply does not happen to an LS or 1UZ-FE engine that is not abused in someway.

2nd point: If you have the early non-intereference LS then who cares if it breaks. You have done no damage.

texrexlex

A mechanic just told me today, that even with non-interference engines, damage can occur if a timing belt busts, if your RPMs are high enough (in the upper 4-5000 range or above).

That's just what he told me.

mmccutchin

See originating thread #1. . .then see my first responding thread #19. . .I own a 1993 LS400 and just replaced the T-Belt and W-Pump with an independent (saved 40% on the labor rate). . .I believe this is exactly the kind of feedback the original posting was asking for!

My additional comments in a later thread were addressing the fact that someone here (probably well qualified to do Lexus service work him/herself) was disagreeing with the Lexus service approach to the T-Belt and W-Pump: interval replacement (60-90k) regardless of the equipment's condition.

As but one Forum member, I support the interval replacement approach. . .but not necessarily with a dealer.

I also believe a well maintained LS. . .and one that has completed all intermediate and major service (plus T-Belt and W-Pump replacement at least every 90-100K miles). . .will sell at a HIGHER price than a comparable LS with deferred maintenance service this way.

I will back up my words with proof:

*I just bought a 1993 LS400 (164K). . .outstanding condition but with deferred maintenance issues (nothing but oil changes had been done since 80-85K. . .and just prior to that a tune up had been done, plus replacement of T-Belt and W-Pump).
*Owner wanted $7K - I was able to purchase it for $5.6K.
*Last week, about $1.8k was spent on getting the car updated (incl. T-Belt and W-Pump replacement).
*The service technician showed me the box of replaced parts. . .a T-belt with clear traces of rust on it. . .and a worn looking W-Pump with a tiny hole developing. . .the tensioners looked pretty shot and may have been the original ones (technican commented that often folks look to replace T-Belt and W-Pump but not necessarily the tensioners, etc.)

Thank you for reading!

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Each of us will perform maintence on our cars as we see fit. Some go by the factory schedule while others follow a different schedule. There is no "right" or "wrong" way because there are too many variables with a machine and these cars are not controlled lab samples running in a strict environemnt. This is leading towards one of those countless discussions about what oil and when to drain it. It's your car, you do as you feel is applicable.

Lexozz

Very well said! Timing/water pump changes would also depend on your driving habits as well.