Well it would be nice if previous owners would note of a timing belt change, but to no avail i'm in the dark.

I pop the TB cover and the cam/ TB gears are clean, belt looks decent. No fraying, tension is good, etc. Timing cover is also clean. Gaskets around the motor leak free. WP is Toyota brand and looks great. Guess i'll just wait and see...


https://www.dropbox.com/sc/531yrtup3507lgw/4QIrx1HNLx

 

I would definitely go ahead and have it changed if you dont know when it was last changed. Might as well go ahead and take care of that and the water pump. I learned my lesson the hard way by looking at physical appearance with the timing belt on my GSX.

 

Be careful there TI. Waiting to see could be costly.

 

Type in your VIN in the official Lexus site. If any work was done at the dealership there will be a full history of it. It's worth a try.

 

My thing is, I want to do everything associated with the job while everything is apart. Well I had plans to do the job anyway just would hate to pay 2X if not necessary.

 

I would go that route. Piece of mind is much more comforting because you'll have no worries. It's also a plus because everything is right there in front of you and like you said, you can kill like 6 birds with 1 stone while it's all apart. When I first bought this car I was unsure as well so I just decided to take action and not worry about it. When I did my timing belt replacement I did: t-belt, pulleys, WP, thermostat, rad hoses and flushed the cooling system since I was already in there. Later on my cam seals started to leak and I had to go back in. That job was a lengthy process. While there I also replaced the valve cover gaskets and the crank seal. I know for a fact that I am worry free when it comes to that entire area.

 

how many miles are on the car?

 

just do it. the same week i bought mine i had it done. and might as well do everything that comes in the kit. I had the TB WP as well as both cam seals and crank seal, thermostat, serpentine belt. Better safe than sorry.

 

100,900

When I do it i'm doing everything. All seals etc.

 

miles are pretty low, but age matters to on my 01 I did my first timing belt change about 2 years ago and it had about 130k miles... its now got 190k still running amazing ma

 

I agree, above 100,000 just get it done, piece of mind...

 

For some reason the pics are not showing on my computer, but I've seen enough of these TB to vision how it looks. I changed mine at 109k, but there are posting of members here changing at 150 and 180k! The 180k post was some time ago, but it was amazing to see that his belt looked like any normal belt. A certified Lexus mechanic told me personally that these belts are good for at least 150k. Lexus used the 90k service to generate more money. I changed everything that he recommended on the first go around: hoses, cam and crank seals (ONLY MAKES SENSE to change at this time), WP even though it wasn't leaking, coolant, drive belt (did this myself), and TB. He told me based on his years of experience, the changing of the pullies, tensioner, thermostat isn't needed until the 2nd TB change. So that's what I'm going to follow.

 

I reposted the link.

I'm doing the TB, wp, tensioner, ect. I'm going to hold off on the spark plugs and valve gaskets.

 

Yeah, I'm not touching my spark plugs or vc gaskets until 150k or if I develop the light stumble before then. I already have the NGK plugs ready to pop in. Plan on installing caster, steering, and sway bar bushings at this time also, along with any other obvious suspension problems.

 

My VC gaskets or cam seals are not leaking. So when it happens i'll change the spark plugs. All I have left on the front is the caster arms and i'm done.