edgeguy

Girl friend has a 2000 RX300 showing 102K. At 56K, the local Lexus dlr replaced the engine except for heads under warranty due to the sludge build-up issues they had.

Now, a local and very good but VERY expensive shop wants $1500.00 to do timing belt and water pump. Belt was replaced at 56K. My question, I'm a dang good back yard mechanic though I don't have an OBD tool. I've done belts, pumps and tensioners on my Volvo turbos. Is this something I can do with out special tools to lock the cam gears and crank?

Any good but not so expensive recommendations for shops in the suburbs of Detroit.

JAB

Is that quote from an independent? I don't think that the dealer would charge that much.

edgeguy

Yes, independent shop, Bosch authorized with solid reputation.

blueridge

Lexus here in Charlotte quoted me around $750 for both when changed out at the same time. Around 500 for the belt replacement and 250 for the pump. $750 total, parts + labor.

bob2200

It sounds to me like you're saying that the timing belt has 54,000 miles on it. And, the recommended interval for changing it is 90,000 miles. If I'm understanding what you wrote, I'd say wait for the 90,000 mile point.

code58

Edgeguy- Read my post on the other Lexus forum. In my honest opinion you have a 100k mi. to go before you even need to seriously think about changing either one of those parts. 90k is so ultra conservative as to be almost laughable. Those are some of the finest parts I have ever seen and will go vastly beyond what Lexus recommends. Also, that estimate sounds like they are going to fly the Queen of England over to personally change those parts for you- that is nothing short of absurd. Unless you hit some hug lottery and can't wait to get rid of the cash, I would stay away from that repair shop. That is better and a whole lot more immediate than Obama's "wealth redistribution plan".

AlexusAnja

Unless it's a speciality shop like radio or suspensions... no independent shop should charge more for maintenance than the dealerships. If you've got $1500 to throw in this economy on maintenance, then bring to Lexus and get the full 60K maintenance done, should only be about $1500 before taxes, and it includes the timing belt, brake bleed, all filters, etc.

lexus114

It`s only got 46,000 miles on it, you have at least another 40,000 miles to go on it. I would not tackle this job,when it`s hardly got any wear on it.

lastplace

I paid less than $400 to have my t-belt changed

edgeguy

Wow! Thanks you guys for the good insights. For sure I don't get quite as immediate responses from a Volvo site I'm use. We've decided to let it go at this point based on your input. Now I'm told the dash control wont take the heat to the floor and just blows through the a/c vents.

lexus114

Do a search on here,thier should be a sticky here somewhere regarding this. It sounds like it could be the servo motors,you can take them apart,clean,lubricate put back in and should work fine.

lexus114

I`m not sure who originally posted this, so forgive me for that.



The noise is coming from the servo motor that moves the door for the "mode" button. This servo moves diverters to change from vent to floor, etc.
- I popped the bottom panel off under the glove box.
- I then removed the glove box assembly. 2 screws up high, 2 bolts down low.
- With the key on engine off you can press the mode button and watch the servo move. Turn the key completely off.
- Remove 3 screws and plug to take the assembly out.
- Do not attempt to rotate the arm on the end of the servo. It engages w/ a worm gear. Turn it and you will break gears.
- The servo is a snap together unit. Carefully take it apart w/ the arm side down.(so gears don't fall out)
- inside you will see multiple wiper fingers that make contact w/ a gear. Carefully clean these w/ alcohol and a cotton swab.
- Redistribute the contact grease on the wiper pad w/ a clean finger (any oil or lotions on skin will mix w/ the grease and make the copper contacts corrode.
- Carefully snap unit back together.
- Clean contacts on the outer part of servo also w/ alcohol.

The other option is to have Lexus diagnose this for you and hit you for $160 for the part plus ~ an hour or 2 labor.

So far the noise is gone and the HVAC system works properly. I will post any updates if the problem comes back. I think the problem was caused by crusty contacts in the servo that were creating a poor signal back to the computer that controls it. Now that it has a clean signal, all is well.....

sysanalyst

Took me 3 hours 15 minutes to replace the timing belt and water pump on 2002 RX300 AWD. Most difficult part was removing the crankshaft pulley; was accomplished with a $15 steering wheel puller purchased at Harbor Freight Tools. Truth be told; the belt, idlers, and pump were in excellent condition and most likely didn't need replacement.

Oh yes; I'm a software engineer, not a mechanic. If you are a mechanic, you should be able to do the work in 1/2 the time.

Lexmex

Welcome to the Club.

How many miles did you have on your RX when you did this?