scottinky

so, I am at 173.5K, original belt was changed at 61K. should I bother?
or just drive it like I stole it, and only deal with it if it breaks?

id rather find out why my A/C is only blowing hot air.

MDSC

iTrader: (3)

you should have the major service done, t/b, w/p crank seal,cam seals, valve cover gaskets and full tune up if you havent done so. You could keep driving it till it goes, just hope you not far from home..or tow will be so expensive you wish you would of done it. Fix the a/c too....when these cars get this old you need $$ to upkeep

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

well considering the timing belt is quite costly im thinking og waiting till it goes as well before changing it.


the ac can sometimes be an easy fix

FatBrian81

iTrader: (2)

These are interference engines and a broken timing belt will cause catastrophic damage to your engine. If you decide to let it go until it breaks I suggest you start saving for another engine to swap in and stay close to home.

MDSC

iTrader: (3)

heres a tip, cant afford an upkeep on an older lexus...get rid of it and buy a new car

scottinky

well, my car actually needs front seals, valve cover gaskets an oil pan gasket and a new power steering hose. Im just trying to address the most important crap first without going bankrupt. I paid 2800 for it, but one shop quoted 3K for all the repairs. are you sure it is an interference engine, i thought those were only 1998 models with the higher compression, or was it 1995?, i may roll the dice.

FWIW, i have seen these V8 motors on ebay for $650, sure seems cheaper than fixing one with a load of miles on it.

MDSC

iTrader: (3)

so what you want to do is run the car into the ground untill you can afford to fix it? Find a good tech to do the work on the side and buy the parts yourself it will cost less if youre on the budget, dont neglect the car. I would do this work for $900 out of my shop if you bought the parts. It would cost you half of what you got quoted....supra TT line fits and its only $60 dollars.
The engine is not interference but if it goes....and youre far away from home you cant drive it...you will pay for a tow $$$$$ and plus the repairs...i'm sure you would love that. Better get AAA if you going to ride it out.

MDSC

iTrader: (3)

:edit its a 1us yes interference motor for sure...still 3gs is expensive you seen 650 dollar engines on ebay that are going to be the same as yours same miles.same problems..theres no cheap way out of this if you cant afford it lease a new camry or corolla. You bought the car for 2800 great but its still a 50k dollar car when it was new and repairs are still somewhat expensive.

SexyLexy

I was at a hole in the wall shop once, they were working on a 2jz because the timing belt broke. It was a 4,000 job because the owner didn't want to be bothered to change the belt. Take it from someone who has had the engine out of the car, it is not as simple as pulling one engine out and putting another engine in. The car is old and the money you will spend just replacing the hoses will probably be more than just doing your timing belt job.

scottinky

point made. I actually have a Lexus mechanic who works for toyota who is getting back to me with a quote this weekend. He works on the side and gets parts at wholesale.
I wish I could do the work myself. My SC is my single man/weekend toy. I have a 2005 Honda Pilot as my DD.

bugjug

Make sure you know what you are talking about WRT interference engines. My understanding is that the early sc400 are not.

So, how many of you have actually broken a timing belt??

brad11140

iTrader: (3)

You should try doing it yourself. Especially if it isnt your daily driver. Get a copy of the FSM and just follow the steps. Park it in your garage and do a little at a time. From what I understand the timeing belt is not extremly hard to do. But you have to pull the radiator and the fan. You will need a crankshaft pulley puller. I bet you could do it yourself for under $200 in parts.

brad11140

iTrader: (3)

While your at it you should replace plugs, wires, rotors, caps, valve cover gaskets. Replace the sparkplug tube seals wile your at it. Yank your injectors and send them up to witch hunter for flow testing and cleaning. Just start takeing it apart and get to know it. Look at rockauto for good deals on all of your parts. Oemlexusparts is another great place to get wholesale pricing on Lexus parts.

brad11140

iTrader: (3)

When you say your AC is blowing hot air do you mean its blowing hot air like the heater is on, or its just blowing uncooled air. There is a workaround for a failed heater control vakve where you switch the vacuum lines so it always blows hot air. People do this so they dont have to replace the HCV and you just flip it back when it gets warm out. Possible your PO had it this way, if your blowing HOT air.

Carfreak70

iTrader: (16)

Interference or not, replace the freaking belt. The car is at MINIMUM 11 years old, and I doubt you have a 00' model. Haha.
Just replace it. Do research and do the work yourself. Mark your old belt to make sure if something were to happen you can at least put the old one back on. The belt is like $13 I believe.