rumedic

I own a ls 400 and ls 430. The 400 is 19 years old but looks like brand new. The 400 was flawless up to about 70K miles. The rack and pinion steering was replaced then. After that the engine was missing. The mechanic checked the jets,and spent considerable time trying to find the cause.Finally a Toyota mechanic suggested we check the computer. I mailed it to a Jacksonville company that specializes in computers and when it was reinstalled the engine ran like new. The car now has 99k miles but the story doesn't end there. I ignored advice to replace the timing belt, it broke and ruined the engine.While the car has about a 3k book value, my wife loves it. At considerable expense we replaced the engine. It runs like new now. The moral of the story is saving the cost of a timing belt doesn't pay! My 430 has a sport suspension and finds every bump in the road. The 400 rides like velvet. I've also owned SC400.Up to this point in my opinion nothing beats LEXUS.I am in the market for 2011 LS 460 and ANY advice will be greatly appreciated.

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

I live in Jacksonville, do you know the name of the place you sent your ECU to?

Also, you said your car was 19yrs old. If my math is right that makes it a 94? If your timing belt on a 94 broke, it wouldn't do any damage to the engine. You would just have to put it back in time and put a new belt on it. Now if you had a 95, then that is a different story.

Gene01

Curious.
A 19 year old car would probably be a 1994 model year. If so, it is a non-interference engine, and a broken timing belt should not have caused major damage. Of course, you are stranded where the breakage occurred and will require a tow.
On the other hand, if it is a 1995 it has a newer (interfering) design, and the valves running into the pistons would indeed ruin the engine.

Gene01

Hey, usoff89, we must have hit "send" at the same time! :-)

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

lol. I read your post, and was like "wtf?"

rumedic

The data that came with the vehicle mentioned it was assembled in Japan in1994 and marketed as a 95.I am the original owner. When the timing belt broke my mechanic claimed he could not get the engine to function My. mechanic has been with me 12 years and is perfectly honest. If the broken timing belt caused other problems I cannot tell I am not a mechanic in any sense of the word. I have reported events as they have occurred.












The ls400 came with papers that said it was assembled in Dec. 94 and marketed as a 95. When the timing belt broke my mechanic said that there were problems with the engine that could not be repaired. I. have had this mechanic for 12 years and he is completely honest. I am not a mechanic in any sense of the word. Yes, it was an expenditure to replace the engine, but we have a pristine vehicle and we are pleased.





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usoff89

iTrader: (2)

Ok, so the short answer is that you DO have a 95. And yes, a 95 with a broken timing could mean a ton of expensive damage.

fixmiester

This probably won't make you feel any better, but, AFAIK you are one of a very few--possibly the only one on this forum--that has actually had a timing belt break, that was not caused by other component (WP, bearings, tensioner, etc.) failures. The belt itself is probably good for over 200K miles; it's the other components that are the weak links. Not that that really matters; just very unusual.