Blaizze

Alrite, I purchased a used 1995 Lexus LS 400 a few weeks back which had been serviced at the dealership regularly since it was purchased....

183,000 Kms

Timing belt Replaced at 128, 000 Kms.



Ive noticed when I take my foot off the gas sometimes I get the "Off throttle shock" and sometimes my car shudders...

Today I was in a drivethru and could hear a squealing sound coming from the engine area... I pulled over after and tried to listen but couldn't hear it too loud anymore..

Well about 20 minutes down the road later, I was stopped at a red light at an intersection and all of a sudden the squealing began, EXTREMELY LOUD... and scared the heck out of me...

It was so loud, I was going to turn the car off, but I put it into park and the noise stopped.. then I drove another 5-10 minutes to work without a problem.

Any ideas on what this could be.. I have to take it to work Monday and cannot get into the dealership until Tuesday..

Thanks for any help,..

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

check accessory belt, prolly a dead pulley or just some water on the belt.

replace rear transmission mount to get rid of the "off throttle shock" as you call it and the shudder.

CptnTonus

Sounds like it's probably a loose serpentine belt. Have the belt re-tensioned, make sure the belt is in good condition. The actual serpentine belt tensioner could have gone bad as well.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

If it turns out to be the serpentine belt, you might as well change it to the Goodyear Gatorback belt. Cost about the same as OEM, if not $10 more, but the design is so much better. It's quieter and will resist cracking. I changed it on my car and the noise difference was audible. Then again, my belt was sort of squeaking from before.

Blaizze

Ok appreciate the replies... I will have this checked out immediately.

Is it safe to drive for the time being? As in... today / tomorrow?

Thanks

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

you should just pop your hood and take a look at the belt

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

Since i had my belt changed i have also had a cold start up squeal.
I changed the serpentine idler which is one bolt and easy to do , i also have the serp tensioner but it may be my alternator or PS bearings . I will wait until i flush the PS fluid to narrow it down . My idler did need to be changed though.

Blaizze

Well the belt looks fine right now... I didn't hear anything today when I went to work and back..

Have an appointment booked with Lexus on Thursday

Blaizze

Well I had the 150 safety inspection done at Lexus today... the loud noise is the serpentine belt...

Should I be switching it to the Goodyear belt.... $160.00 to repair the belt (Canadian) at the dealership.

Thanks for the advice

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

buy a belt at your local autoparts store and go here
http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/maint...drivebelt.html

takes <15 mins.
<10 if you know your way around the engine bay.

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

Or if you are in the GTA let me know the belt should be $50 and it takes a few minutes to change.

Thermactor

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't screw around with Gatorback belts, personally. I'd get an OEM belt. No need to try to second guess the hundreds of millions of dollars that went into the R&D of this car.

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

For a serpentine belt going oem or aftermarket is not an issue. I use everything oem but a serp belt is not like an timing belt for reliabilities sake.

Even Lexus know they are not perfect in every design which is why they evolve and change models to improve them. It is like saying they put "Toyota" oil in the car new so i would never buy anything else. Dealers will sell you OEM branded oil for 4X times the price or something else which is just as good. My preference is motul which exceeds any other engine oil i have ever used.

Thermactor

iTrader: (1)

Serpentine belts are a little more specialized than motor oil, IMHO. Other belt companies try to make "one-size-fits-all" belts that'll fit multiple vehicles. For example, the Goodyear Gatorback I bought for my Supra is also listed to fit some old 1.6L Mopar. It said so on the box it came in! Also you have to consider the exact engineering tolerances of the grooves in the pulley, and the chemical composition of the material in the belt - from Toyota, it's been engineered to endure the heat ranges that the Lexus goes through.

You could argue that Goodyear has perfected upon the standard belt design and knows more about belts now than Toyota did in the 1990s.

Motor oil is a totally different matter. I'll play around with motor oil but not transmission fluid.

skperformance

iTrader: (6)

I agree with tranny fluid as i also would never use anything else but only sticking to a OEM serp belt is overboard. If i could get an upgraded Kevlar t-belt like VW i would in a heartbeat, want to bet that lasts 4-5 times longer than a normal petroleum based belt?

Toyota does the same thing with there parts bin and reuses the parts for as many cars as possible that is just good business. A belts duty is to keep tension to transfer friction and resist breaking caused by friction.

Now what is the harm to using a non OEM belt ,it breaks faster or makes more noise. If it breaks what damage can be done?
Nothing , it breaks you replace it with your old belt in your trunk with no tools or time. You would notice the noise before it breaks.

So if you weight the pros and cons of every part you can make a proper decision on which to use. As using a blanket statement of OEM only just does not hold much weight with me for readily available parts that are viewed as upgrades.
Just like there are better tires than what Lexus choose ,there is also better belts.