I need to look at replacing my serpentine belt and wanted to get any feedback if someone has used a Dayco or Gates vs an OEM which is 3x the price.

 

Considering it takes literally 1:45 to replace just use whatever you feel comfortable with and keep a spare if you have doubts with a cheap one.

That said I'm using a Lexus one

 

Gates is pretty good if you want to go aftermarket. OEM can be found for about $48 though, so only about double the price of the Gates.

 

Get the Continental or Contitech. It should just be a reboxed Mitsuboshi which is OEM equivalent at a fraction of the price.



This was my experience when I did it on my GX460. Good luck.

 

Both of these show to be for an LS430. Can you think of any real difference between the two?

 

Was the same with the GX460, two different offerings from the same manufacturer. Pick the one with the best reviews, though either will be a safe choice.

 

Both will be great so buy the less expensive one.
There is actually more forum activity re failing idler pulleys (bearing related) than serpentine belt failure

Edit- Also, Continental is basically a Goodyear belt labeled post-acquisition. If that matters...?

 

Mine is giving a slight squeal at start up especially when cold out side. The squeal starts going away as the car gets warmer but you can still slightly hear it. I figure the belt is a quick change and hope that's the issue. If it still squeals after the belt change then I'll be tackling the pulley but either way it will probably need a new belt. I'm betting it's the original with 155k on it.

 

When I bought my LS about 2.5 years ago with 200k miles. it came with a squeal.

Replaced the belt with a gates from the belt table (even though the one it came with looked perfectly fine). The squeal stopped for a short (say 1500 miles) while and came back.

I then put on a new gates tensioner, and while there the idler pulley as well. Been quiet ever since.

Got to say the gates tensioner seems better built/designed than the oe one that came off.

 

If it's the idlers making the noise do not replace it, replace only its bearing with a koyo one since it's cheaper by far and way nicer than any replacement you can buy.

 

Thanks for everyone's replies. Got it squared away even though it took me a little bit longer than I thought it should have but my big fat *** arms were struggling to get past the radiator fans in order to get the belt around the bottom pull. So far the noise is gone but I will keep an eye out for any more noise. If the noise comes back I'll look into the tensioner.

 

In 2010, at 8 years and 86,000km in-service, I replaced my 2002's factory-installed belt with the 90916-02586, purchased from a Toyota dealership (the 1998-2004 Land Cruiser and 4Runner V8 uses the same belt). The noise turned out to be a low AC refrigerant charge, so it was replaced prematurely - no cracks or damage at all.

In 2020, at 18 years and 173,000km in-service (10 years and 87,000km after last change), I replaced again with a 90916-02586 from a Toyota dealership, extra preventative maintenance before a long road trip for from civilization. The old belt was brown instead of black, but no cracks or defects at all, still very grippy and pliable like the new belt.

Therefore, I can say that the authentic Toyota/Lexus belt lasts at least 10 years of age, and at least 87,000km of use (I do realize that mileage is probably a lot lower than most).

The 90916-02586 supercedes 90916-02463, and replaces 90916-02230, 90916-02231, 90916-02360.

The aftermarket belts that match to my 2002 on RockAuto are:
GATES K060882RPM (Racing Micro-V High Performance, EPDM belt, aramid cord), limited lifetime warranty, CAD$51
CONTINENTAL 4060882, 1yr warranty, CAD$30
GATES K060882 (Premium OE Micro-V, EPDM belt, polyester cord), limited lifetime warranty, CAD$29
CONTITECH 6K2240, 2yr/24,000mi warranty, CAD$28
CONTINENTAL 882K6MK (Mileage Maker EPDM), 1yr warranty, CAD$18

The authentic Toyota belt is CAD$61, double to triple the cost of aftermarkets, but considering it works out to $6/yr for me, I don't mind. How long is everyone going, age and mileage, on your aftermarket and genuine belts?

The Contitech 8PK2410 / 8K2410 posted above doesn't show up as compatible. The 8K2410 replaces the 90916-02680, which is for 2008-2018 GX460 and LX570 UR-series V8s, not for the 2001-2006 LS430 UZ-series V8.

 

A post from LS400 Forum regarding aftermarket timing belts...

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...eficiency.html

 

After all is said and done I'll stick with OEM. Just for my own personal knowledge just how many miles or years are these serpentine belts suppose to last. I'm currently at 16 years and 100562 miles. The belt does look kind of dated but no squeal.

 

Honestly, unless an accessory belt is:
A) badly fraying or visibly cracked
B) Isn't squeaking why mess with it?

Boredom?
peace of mind?
Money burning a hole in your pocket?

As for the Oem vs aftermarket debate

for an accessory serpentine belt I personally don't think it matters. Any decent brand is likely going to be fine.

For timing belt- OEM all the way but that is an entirely different kettle of fish in terms of effort and risk management. But that isn't what this thread is discussing.