I understand that my 2007 LS460 has a timing chain and not a timing belt. I have 81k miles on my LS460. At what point should I have the timing chain checked or replaced based on mileage?

 

Does the engine rattle while idling? The CEL will come on if there is an issue. It should last the length of the engine. Never heard of a chain going out on an LS. 81k miles is nothing for an LS so if you don't hear any abnormal noises I think it'll be fine.

 

If you have no issues with your engine, you should be good for a while. Just change oil in time and make sure the coolant level is where is should be. However, I would watch for oil and coolant leaks.

 

My 07 LS460 has a 140K miles on it, and it burns a little oil here and there, so make sure you are constantly checking for oil burn which can reduce engine protection. I use 5W30 engine oil which has reduced the oil consumption by quite a bit. I change my every 3-4K miles TOPS. I don’t go over that because the oil tends to get pretty black by 4,000 miles. You will extend the life of any engine especially ones known for timing chain issues by simply changing your oil much sooner than what the automaker recommends.

I only use Castrol 5W30 Full Syn Extended Performance motor oil and so far my Lexus has been running smoothly with that oil with less oil burn off.

 

Good info to know. I've always wondered whether the chain on my '11 LS with about 75k miles was a candidate to be swapped out at some point.

 

Actually there is a proper way to determine if the chains are out of spec but it requires quite a lot of disassembly.

 

That's not even broken in yet lol

 

Well, I had a '69 Pontiac Grand Prix and the chain (plastic type) went at around 60K miles and I was lucky it didn't tear things up. These are the type events one never forgets. Anyway, this is something I don't have to worry about with the LS. Thanx,

 

I don't know about Lexus but other manufacturers that use timing chain it doesn't have a service interval and is for the life of the motor. Would anyone say Lexus would be different, meaning there is a service interval on the timing chain?

 

It has a stretch spec like any other chain does, the rollers eventually wear down and slack increases and you get cam/crank relation issues. Non-roller chains are somewhat immune to this but are not good for the sheer lengths of chain OHC engines need or the higher RPM operation of more modern engines. Change the oil on time with good oil and it will be long lived.

 

Every timing chain will stretch. That's the nature of the design but doesn't Lexus put a tensioner or tensioners on them for just that reason?

Just asking because I'm curious. Thanks in advance.

 

That doesn't matter since point to point length increases. It just won't have slack in the incorrect measurement