FYI, I would not trust the dealer either. If you get a good, experienced tech you'll get the correct answer. If not then...? I have sent a postal mail query to both Lexus and Toyota on this, the Lexus website contact for online queries does not work. I consider it irresponsible for them to withhold such important information. Way back in the early 90's Toyota released a TSB listing all of the engines and whether or not they were interference. I have searched for another since then and have yet to find one. As soon as I know one way or the other I'll post here. In the meantime, I will simply say that 120k is probably a very good time to change (or no more than 10 years).

Considering the consequences if it's not an interference engine (possibly stranded somewhere or losing power at a critical time) and if it is (catastrophic engine damage) then making a $600 - $1000 investment in your high end Lexus car once every 8 - 10 years is a rather reasonable thing to do and certainly not out of line considering the lowly Toyota Tercel or Honda Civic will require the very same thing.

YMMV...

You may now get back to your regular scheduled flaming...

 

OK, fellas. We can wrap this up now. I appreciate all the comments here. Thank you all very much. I mean that sincerely, particularly to Phil. I think the net result of everything I've considered and thought about is to make a decision to simply replace the belt, tensioning parts, water pump, thermostat, seals and w/p gasket sometime over the next 10,000 miles, before the car hits 100,000. Then the car will be good to 190,000. At my rate of driving, I'll never get to that before I get rid of the car. I'll try to save some money by buying the parts on-line and then finding a non-dealer skilled mechanic who has done this type of work before, who will charge a reasonable fee.

 

its always a good idea just to do your maintenance at the OE recommended intervals with OEM parts and fluids.
saves for alot of headaches in the long run.
spend a little now - save alot later. im a technician, i preach this ****.

FYI according to the gates website my ES does not have an interference engine and it has VVTi.
I just did my belt at 100k and it looked in good shape. did it as a preventative measure.

 

[QUOTE=BillCarson;7044150]I'm new to this forum. I am frustrated because there is so much back and forth (and guessing!) about whether or not the engine in my just purchased 2004 ES330 (V6 with VVTi engine) is interference or non-interference. Is there any conclusive way to determine this bit of information?
I want to know because I'm thinking of not jumping to replace my timing belt at 91,000 miles as I mentioned on another thread. I assumed my engine was non-interference but the comments made me wonder.

Frankly, I'm irritated when someone points to Gates as the possible authority in this matter. Gates should not be the authority! Does Toyota publish this information somewhere? This is such a major question and I'm amazed to note that there is not uniformity of opinion on the engine in my car.

I just replaced a timing belt on a 2007 toyota solara( 3.3L vvti engine) the belt failed at highway speed, It now has a valve tap. I believe the trouble with finding out if the engine is interference or not has to do with the vvti system. Over 4500 rpm the intake valves are open longer possibly creating an interference issue upon belt failure. This is why I believe I now am having valve issues with my engine due to the belt failure at highway speed. I will know for sure when I rip off the head

 

The 1mz-fe engine is non-interference. With the addition of vvti the engine becomes interference because the vvti dynamically varies valve timing. As far as I know, Toyota does not publish which of its engines are interference. If you look at Gates' listing of interference engines http://www.gates.com/downloads/downl...older=brochure for the 1mz-fe engines, you will see that some 1mz-fe engines are listed as interference and some are not. In addition there is a footnote that states "* - Interference engine. Other interference engine applications may exist which are not indicated here". So while Gates is good source for determining which engines are interference it is not 100% reliable. Gates incorrectly lists the 99-03 es300 as not interference. Additionally Gates lists the 98-02 camry as interference. These camrys are not interference because they do not have vvti.

Bottom line: if you have the 1mz-fe engine with vvti, it's interference. 98 and earlier es300, non-interference. 99 and later es300, interference.

 

And this is still NOT true. the 1MZ with or without VVT-i is non interference. the 3MZ IS interference and in the repair manual for the ES330 The timing belt procedure was changed to reflect that. It didnt change whether or it VVT came into the equation. VVT is only active when the motor is running. The 3MZ has bigger pistons and the cams have a lot more lift. There's your interference issue.

 

I came across this.(if this is any help)

http://www.agcoauto.com/content/List...erence_Engines

Some things seem correct and then again I wouldn't ever want to take the risk TBH
Just have it changed and be done with it.

Cheers.

 

I just bought a 2005 Lexus rx 330 with 162,000 miles and no history after 69,000 miles. I bought the car from a Mercedes dealer and it's a shame that there were no receipts or maintenance records for a car that looks like new.
I changed the timing belt, serpentine belts and sparkplugs. the plugs were original Denso and had a huge gap.
I'd like to get my hands on the engineers who came up with the side winder engine placement. I've been doing this for over 60 years and this was a real nightmare with braces and hidden bolts just to get the top manifold off to get to the rear bank. It was worth it to remove the cowl and tray for easier access, leave the wiper motor and linkage it place. I'm not replacing the hidden brace bolts either so next time will be a breeze.
Never use a ratchet to adjust the cams, I did and the valve springs made both cams jump off the timing marks. That said, it's definitely is a non-interference engine when not running. I turned the crank and cams full rotation by hand and didn't feel any interference.
I understand the frustration of members who ask a question and get uneducated answers that still leave them in the dark. Way too much of that on the web.
The wrench who said that he'd seen many miss timed without damage knew, without saying, what he was talking about.

Cheers, Curt

 

How long does it take to develop a Lexus attitude, lol.

 

All US production V6 engines made by Toyota whether 3.0 or 3.3 and regardless of Variable Valve Timing/VVT-I are free-wheeling non-interference type engines. I know this is an old thread but hopefully this will help someone further down the road.

Jason Grady
Master Automotive Technician ASE A1-A8
Master Diagnostician ASE L1