First of all, does a 2001 RX300 engine have a belt or a chain?
If a belt, what is the replacement interval, both mileage and time?

It's my mom's car, she bought it used but it had always been serviced by Lexus and she has records I think. I don't know if any service has been performed in this area however because I've only seen the service book, not the records. And there's no indication in there.

It has about 120k on it now. If it needs doing I'll obviously recommend it be done asap. I know what happens when timing belts break lol.

 

I was going to suggest (until I saw that your at it) 120,000 miles. So I would start getting some qoute`s for replacement.SUPPOSEDLY(VVT-I),is an interference motor,so you dont really want to drive it till it breaks.I would normally say it can go much longer,however being your mom`s car and all I wouldnt chance it.

 

I would get it replaced soon, but for what it's worth, I recently had a Lexus mechanic tell me that it wouldn't be a complete disaster, just a few bent valve stems and stuff like that.

 

"A few bent valve stems" is exactly the type of disaster I'd like to have her avoid if possible. The thought of my mother alone on the side of the road at night with a disabled car does not thrill me. And she can afford a timing belt replacement. She'll complain, but she can afford it.

I would do it, but I've only done one, and that was on an SOHC BMW engine. Which was easy as pie. 4 cams worries me a bit more lol.

 

Having been into my DIL's RX 3 times in the timing belt area, I can tell you it's not that bad. In spite of the fact the Toyota factory manual says to remove the cam gears to replace the W/P, I did the W/P and didn't remove the cam gears at all. The timing belt is much easier than that. I don't mean to say it's easy, but it's not anything that someone who is mechanically inclined can't handle. And the timing belt will go a LOT farther than 120k mi. so I would chose carefully what you do and don't think you have to rush out tomorrow morning to have it done. When I changed my DIL's at 97k mi. it looked like it had 20 or 30k on it. The 4 cams only have 2 cam gears, 1 on each bank.

 

So it sounds to me like the RX motor is easy on timing belts.That combined with a quality Mitsuboshi belt.

 

Well, her local Lexus dealer service department tells me that replacement of all belts is part of the 90k mile service. Which I think she has had done (we'll check). If not, we'll make sure it gets done before her upcoming road trip.

 

Check the records. When Lexus replaced the T belt around 90k, they put a sticker near the radiator.

Salim

 

+1 Salim, at least my dealer did in VA, wonder if it's corporate policy ??

 

The dealer will certainly have all service records on file, and they will gladly print you a copy!

 

L-114, I've never in all my years in automotive seen timing belts that last like the T/L belts. I can't even imagine what they're made of to last the way they do. Although I worked with a guy who bought a '88 Ranger PU new. He was coming in to work 1 morning and the truck just quit. He had it towed to a Ford dealer and it was a broken T/B. He didn't even know it had a timing belt. The speedometer had been broken for about 2 years and it was SHOWING 175k mi ! And I know Ford doesn't put the quality T/B that T/L does.