n4osg

The typical problem reported after a cam seal replacement is " engine sounds like a diesel" but almost never a solution. My LS430 is at 240k miles and this
condition only happened after the timing belt/water pump/tensioner/all idlers/ and of course because of the high milage the cam seals. Before the work was done the
engine was quiet and ran great but it had been 140k miles since the first timing belt was changed at a Lexus dealer. A do-over by the mechanic isn't possible-he has
left the state. Im interested in the danger of just driving it as is. I'm sure now that the scissor gear springs were not set right. The timing marks are all dead on and the
gas milage is right for this year with plenty of power-no error codes are showing. The valve train noise is only heard at idle and isn't even heard from inside the car. By
my research the main purpose of scissor gears is to keep the gears on the cams meshed tight which cuts down valve train noise. What would you do ?

2KHarrier

Depending on how long you plan on driving the car, you may want to (regrettably) break down and re-do it. Who knows what kind of wear or stress you're placing on those parts, and how long it will be until something stops working correctly. It could last 100K, or you may break one of the cam gear bolts next week....

Is it worth the chance?

n4osg

Can anyone provide a link on procedure for changing the cam seals on the 2001 Lexus LS430. This information should include how to set the scissor gears
and the alignment marks on the input and exhaust cams. Assume the scissor gears have to be reset from scratch-not just insert bolt to hold in place and
re-insert cams after seals have been replaced. After timing belt is removed is engine still setting at 0 deg mark , are timing marks on belt still
set to marks on controllers ? Im located in central Florida-anyone want to give me an estimate ?

911LE

Are you sure that is where the noise is coming from? If it is are both banks making the same noise? There is a good chance that your mechanic forgot to remove the bolts used to lock the gears together while the cams are removed/ installed. As long as your timing marks are lined up you should be OK. The basic procedure for cam removal is to remove the timing belt with the timing marks lined up. Install the bolt to lock the intake cam gears together and then rotate the exhaust cam until the timing marks on the internal timing gears line up and then loosen the cap bolts in stages and in the correct order. If you are doing the seals again the cams can then be put in a vise and disassembled.