grabber2

Mine have minor crack but extremely dry..........the engine bay was very very clean when I bought the car so I guess the cleaning chemical they use cause the problem to the belt...but sure

mandyfig

Belts are so cheap, get them replaced when they crack.

jzwu

Yeah, I already bought the oem belt but haven't replaced it yet. Just too lazy.

My engine bay is so clean it is spotless. The car has been always serviced by Lexus under previous owners. When I looked under the car, there is not a hint of oil residue from oil changes.

cadzilla88

Thanks. You guys and gals are great with all of the good advice and step by step how too's

Harold57

The serpentine belts are fairly easy to replace, according to several members here. If you do a search in this forum, you'll find the instructions for replacing it and a recommendation for a belt they recommended. (IIRC, it was a Gator belt.) Let me know if you can't find the thread and I'll try to track it down when I have some time at home.

toddmorr

thought I'd add my serpentine belt change experience. Add this procedure to the list of lexus jobs that are extremely easy for anybody to do, brake pad changing being on the list as well. Anyway, my car is a 2002 LS430, 90,000 miles always in the family and meticulously cared for. Started to hear a squeaking when cold that went away when thoroughly warmed up. I sprayed a just a tiny bit of water on the spinning belt, which instantly quieted it, and thus concluded it must be a wearing belt as opposed to a bad pulley. This surprised me a bit since an OEM belt was put on about 40k miles ago, would have expected a Toyota belt to last longer than that. Removal is easy. Two screws to take out the air cleaner attachment. The tensioner is easily accessed...a simple 3/8 rachet will do, combined with a 14mm socket. Contrary to some sources, there is no need for heavy leverage on the tensioner pulley..I was able to twist it counterclockwise with perhaps 30ft lbs of force...really not much at all. Twisted it and the belt of course immediately loosened and slips off. The belt had no visible signs of any wear. I had bought the Goodyear Razorback belt folks had suggested...around 35$ at amazon. Put it on carefully following the diagram printed on the engine bay hood, reattached the air cleaner attachment, started it and presto, no squeak whatsoever. Am curious to see how long the razorback belt lasts, given the OEM belt only went for 35k miles before it started to squeak.
I guess its possible some problem with a pulley might be causing premature belt wear but they all seemed to spin freely. Perhaps its a slight movement of the pulley in and out thats causing abnormal wear...not sure. I'm not too worried about it....i haven't done the timing belt and won't until probably 110k miles or so, at which point if there is a bad pulley i'll have that done too.
boy these are impressive vehicles....in every way. for 15 to $20k you can get an older LS430 that provides more world class driving satisfaction and comfort, and as good reliability as any new Toyota out there. Some day I want to ride in a rolls royce or other mega buck car to compare...something says its no better than the LS430 and may well be inferior.

Harold57

Reviving an old thread but a worthwhile one.

Is Gatorback still the preferred belt to use. (I was told by the mechanic doing my state inspection that my serpentine belt needed to be changed and rather than paying them $136 to replace it, I'd buy the belt and do it myself.)

NEWONE1

Hello Harold....if I'm not mistaken....Good Year Gatorback was bought out by Continental and they have apparently dis continued the "Gatorback" name....I actually replaced mine last year with a Gatorback that had Continental name on it....I think I got the last one..I'm sure their version of the Gatorback version is excellent!

Harold57

Thanks Newone1. Any suggestions as to which belt manufacturers are the ones to go for?

NEWONE1

This works on a 2002 sc430.... ....

Harold57

Thanks for the suggestions Newone1. Does it have the same part number as the Continental (formerly Gatorback) belt that you bought?

So back to the original subject of this thread, a good, quiet serpentine belt. Does anyone know what belts/company make the serpentine belts that are quality belts and are quiet? It sounds like the Continental may be a good candidate if it continued the Gatorback product but with a new name. I noticed that Rockauto has several different belts for under $20. The Lexus OEM belts are typically in the $50 range but I'm guessing that using an OEM belt is not as critical as it is with other engine parts.

Bgw70

I selected Gates the first time, Mar 2015 on the 2002 and Bando on the 2007, Rockauto.
Gates Lifetime warranty
Bando 12 months

Harold57

Did you notice any noise with either? That was the original premise behind this thread and that the Gatorback belt was quiet.

Bgw70

the Bando makes noise at startup sometimes.

the Gates is always quiet.

Harold57

Thanks BGW, I'll look into it via Rockauto.