Horta

Hey all

Well my car is in the shop for a tune up and other stuff. Well two days before I put it in the shop a very loud clanking noise started in the engine bay first thing in the morning. After driving for ten or so min the clanking would stop.

The shop just called me and diagnosed the problem as being the water pump. Because its Sunday they can not give me any kind of quote. They said I can continue to drive the car until next Saturday when I can put the car back in.

Does anybody have any experience with this problem? Does anyone know what a fair price for this repair should be?

Thanks for your help
Jerry

LOTC

Everytime you have a tune up you should get a new water pump as well.

If you need a good price on a part try to contact Steve Ganz at
http://www.carsontoyota.com

his screen name here on Clublexus is SUPRATRD so might want to send him a private message.

Horta

Are you kidding or serious? I did some research and the part is less than $90 but I'm being told the labore is 5 hours and at $65 thats $325 + $90 = $415.

I dont realy think you mean everytime do you???

Guys does this labor time sound about right?

GA400

Horta,

One of the guys on the board is a Lexus service advisor, dd something, he is in the IS300 forum and in the maintenance forum, I bet he could answer your question. You could also call John Minozzi at Ozzi's auto repair in Roswell, Georgia. He is a former Lexus mechanic who has his own shop. He will give you an honest quote on the labor time.

Good Luck,

rhlight

Horta

Well all this morning I was driving to work and right before I get on the turnpike the engine started to bog down then stall. I was able to retart it and limp to the shop.

The clanking noise I have been hearing for the last couple of days was not only the water pump but the timeing belt had deteriating and splitting. I was running on only 3 cylinders when I got there cause I blew the plugs. The shop beleives the belts skipped and jumped some teeth.

What a pain in the but. I need Pump, belt, and two or three brakets. Also I thought about going after market on the parts and the mechanic flat out told me he would not warrentie the job or even do it if I did not put Lexus parts. He knows I'm very picky about ride quilty and wired noises and such.

Well the total is going to be $1,200 I just hope that this engine is "Interference-Free" as they say out there. We will find out.

Jerry

kreativ

The '91 LS engine is not interference-free.

How many miles on your LS?

VVT-i

You probably talking about Devildog. He's not a service advisor. He's Lexus diagnosic specialist and shop foreman and still working at Lexus dealer.
The price should be around $600-$800. You have to included the sealant, coolant, thermostat+gasket, all the seals behind the timing belt covers. Then, it some of the timing tensioner or idle pulley is bad, that's extra.

PERRYinLA

Jerry- As far as you know, is that the original timing belt and water pump? How many miles are on them? What does "blew the plugs" mean?

Those belts are solid and I've never seen a post of one deteriorating or splitting, unless the water pump first seized up and started to tear the belt apart.

A lot of the same engine parts must be removed to either replace the timing belt or the water pump, so that is why it is good preventative maintenance to replace both at the same time- the cost of the extra part is minimal compared to the labor involved.

There are many conflicting posts on whether the early 1990's Lex V8s are interference or not. But my dealer said that on the very few engines they've seen where the belt actually broke, there was no engine damage.

Horta

Hey my car has 114k on it and was was cosmeticly extreamly well taken car of. The car has a full service history up to 65k when I ran the VIN at Lexus. I do not remember if the belt was replaced back then but doubt it.

I was told by my shop that the belt was splitting is that true? They have been good to me so far.

So far they feel that the belt jumping some teeth did not cause any other damedge other than burning up five of the spark plugs.

I have my fingers crossed.

Jerry

Sooner

95 and newer ls motors are interference you will be just fine