jayrodclg

my LS is at 94,000miles and I going to change the timing belt and water pump and didnt know what people thought about which parts to replace? obviously timing belt, water pump, idler pulleys, front cover gasket, and i was going to replace the tensioner. is there anything else im missing?

randal

You might want to get the thermostat while in there. Also check the fan bracket pulley for slop (the fan clutch rides on this) and replace if it shows wear. Then there is the front crank seal. If it looks wet around the crank, replace that(some do it no matter what). And some replace the Cam seals. I would just check for leakage and go accordingly.
Of course, you will be replacing the coolant. Finally, I would put a new serpentine belt on as you finish it up.

jayrodclg

thanks, i was wondering if people had done the crank/cam seals and thermostat. had planned on the coolant, didn't even think of anything with the fan, and the serpentine was just replaced by Lexus at 85k. i had seen something about bypass seals?

also does anyone have the Lexus PDF about doing this? i know about techinfo.com, i just thought i would ask here first.

randal

I have a fairly detailed tutorial on doing a 98 LS400. I would imagine it is largely similar although there will be some differences. Cant say what those will be.
Here is link to a thread on LOC that you may find of interest. It contains links to the tutorial on the 98.
http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...1&#entry394133

Riick

Yours is a '01, and so 9 years old, were you concerned that L calls for change at 90k or 7 years??
I'm asking since I'm looking at '02, '03 and '04 models, and am pushing each dealer to do the belt before I'll buy.
TIA,
........ Riick

randal

"L" actually calls for 6 years or 90k miles.

wildace

iTrader: (1)

i am also at that stage where i have to get it changed. debating on if i should do it myself or let a shop do it ugh

randal

Look at my situation. 8 year old belt with only 14k miles on the car. It is over the time limit but way below the mileage limit. I am going to give it a couple more years then change. I believe the time limit is super conservative from Lexus. Why? Well, I talked to the local Lexus dealer mechanic and he goes by mileage only. Then, if you look at the change recommendation from Lexus on the new SC460, the timing belt limits are 90k miles or 9 years. Wait. So we go from 6 years on the older models to 9 years on the new ones. Must be better belt material right? I doubt it. They (Lexus) armed with years worth of data on belts probably reassessed the time limit upward because at 6 years it was too conservative. Thats my theory and I am sticking to it.

toantran99

I would also change the spark plugs while your in there.

randal

jayrod, this is your lucky day! Check this toot for an LS430 -> http://www.shastaanesthesia.com/Lexus/Page1.html

wildace

iTrader: (1)

nice find there. i might tackle this during the summer.

Bocatrip

After spending some time on the RX300 forum, there was much feedback on the robust makeup of the factory timing belt that Lexus uses.....at least on the RX. Many members have mentioned that after replacing the belt at 120,000 miles+ that the belt looked as if it had 20,000 miles on it. I read post after post mentioning the same thing. Have you guys had any similar experiences after changing your belts? One "engineer" on the forum mentioned that Lexus derives the recommended replacement in miles (90,000) by deviding the calculated longevity of the belt by 2 which would equate to 180,000 miles on the original belt. Has anyone looked at the condition of their belt after replacement?

randal

Yes, I looked at the condition of my belt with 94k miles. It certainly did not look new. It had cracks and some threads showing on what appears to be splice points. And all the original markings were worn off the belt. But it did not look like it was in imminent danger of breaking.

Bocatrip

Do you think it's possible that those threads are evident on a new belt as well? Were you able to check and see? That belt shows some wear, but very little. I didn't see any cracking between the teeth. Looks like you had some ways to go. Is it possible to peak at the belt without removing major hardware?

randal

Yes, the threads are evident on the new belt but they were not frayed as on the old belt. Yes, the belt would have gone farther but with an interference fit engine, you do not want to push it too far. I believe a belt inspection is somewhat futile as you really can not get a good perspective just from eyeballing it. For all I know, the belt could look "OK" to my untrained eye and 10k (or less)miles later come apart. I would think the self-destruction would occur quickly. In other words, I don't know a reliable way of assigning a degradation value to the belt other than to adhere to the manufacture's suggested replacement interval.

Yes, there is a way to "peak" at the belt but as I said, it is hard to assess the condition.