Buggeroff6

Hi..I bought my sc in 2014, 38k mi. I had the timing belt changed almost immediately by Lexus, as it was a 12 year old car. While this is a thread almost as ancient, I'm still debating whether to replace belt/H20 pump, as it has about 83K miles to date, which if I rougly divide, is 9,000mi yr!
I can understand the arbitrary nature of 'years', but the low mileage and year of belt is pretty much stronly offsetting any huge "reasoning" to replace-and yes, I am being cheap on this, considering it's prob. closer to USD1500 for a Lex service to do it!
Yup, it could crash around me and junk the car. I guess it's a slight personal risk I would hypothetically be paying to send to junk yard, vs. perhaps getting 10-12 grand if I sold it these days.
Can anyone therafore give me a likely scenario why this garage queen could have a belt which wants to disolve like the drummer in Spinal Tap as soon as it's what the book says is replacement in arbirary 9-10 years or more?
POOOF!

Wilson2000

We've had this debate many times in this forum, but thanks for bringing it up again. It's a reminder for us to consider our own TB circumstances! Most err on the side of caution and recommend replacing the TB per the specified interval, time or miles, whichever comes first. I'm one of the few who does not. Based on the Toyota TB's I've DIY replaced in the past, the intervals are far too conservative. Every belt I've replaced has looked great upon removal and inspection. One was even 50K miles/5 years past due and it still looked excellent!

I bought my 2008 in 2016 with 42K miles. It hadn't had the belt replaced. I now have 65K miles (3.3K/yr) and I'm still debating how long I should wait. While I'm 5-6 years past due, I still haven't reached the miles threshold. As long as one does not live in an area with extreme weather, and/or high ozone pollution, it's safe to go 50K miles/5 years past the recommended interval, even more if one is a gambler. Otherwise, I take exceedingly great care of my SC, and have been rewarded with excellent reliability. Perhaps this fall I'll buy the OEM TB kit and dive in! In the meantime, I'll keep listening for any noises that might spell TB trouble.

Toyota OEM TB's rarely fail from wear, thermal breakdown, pollution degradation. Those that fail, most often fall victim to a bad pulley bearing (idler/water pump/tensioner). Too, sometimes owners use indy shops for a TB change and get aftermarket parts, or the shop skips replacing all the components in the TB train. Since your previous TB was done by Lexus, you don't have to worry about this!

SCWillie

I’m a big believer in preventive maintenance. If you plan to keep the car for a long time I would go ahead and do it. I use a former master lexus mechanic who opened his own shop 20 years ago. He charges $1500 plus tax these days. Mine was done at 83k miles.

lugnuts

Have an 2004 SC430 purchased used in 2007 with 16,000 on the clock and now has 58,000 - about 2,600 per year by us. She's all original, no timing belt or anything done on it except two sets of new tires after originals were replaced upon purchase as they didn't pass inspection. Yes, do have a check engine light that always appears as caused by "front - bank 2" sensor and tire pressure alert as their batteries are 20 years young.

Many old timers on this forum, yes, I'm 78 young, have been on the forum since 2007 reaching out to the forum almost daily as enjoy reading the contributions of so many great and wise people. Then again, I'm old USAF fighter pilot, 275 missions Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, etc. - shot up but never shot down.... The "bottom line" in this business was always "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"!!!
Lots of Toyota & Lexus vehicles out there with our 430 engine from which to gather "data" and help make decisions.

jimisbell

This is a very OLD thread. But some dangerous info in the recent past. "If it aint broke, dont fix it" Only applies when the consequences of failure are minor. In this case a $6,000 engine replacement is not minor. If that belt fails, it is not a question of, "will the engine be trash?" There is no question, IT WILL BE TRASH.
My SC430 has just short of 200,000 miles on it. Belt was changed at 90k, and 180k and will be changed again at 270k. Both replaced belts looked perfect, but I did not test them. A light bulb looks fine until the instant it fails!!!