lowrider Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 I've seen it asked before so I thought I'd share this information. My 94 LS400 has 183,500 miles on the original timing belt. I have only replaced the sepentine. I have owned this car for 5+ years.
silvermate Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 yeah i have heard that many of times before, Ls going 200k w/ orininal TB, its amazing .......its really just the flip of a coin.....some break and some don't but it really is a good idea to get it serviced according to the manual........on Gen 1 if the timing belt breaks nothing else gets messed up (non-interference engine) on the ohters i'm not sure.........but it would be wise to get it changed out, as to not be stranded on the side of the road somewhere. thats great, and thanks for sharing....
lowrider Posted October 22, 2004 Author Posted October 22, 2004 I totally agree the wise thing to do is change it. I hesitated posting this for fear I would be deluged with negative posts detailing what an idiot I am for going so long. However, as Silvermate pointed out this, is the kind of info people here would like to know so I took a chance. It's at the point now that I'm curious as to whether I would ever have a problem with this versus the cost. I have never known of anyone losing a timing belt although I'm sure it has happened. The fact that it will do no more damage than leaving me stranded, for which I have AAA, I may just ride this to the end. I don't even know how much longer I'll drive the car. It's like a challenge now. I do take very good care of the car otherwise. I change the oil religously every 3k and do nothing but highway driving on Interstate roads, my commute is 122 miles a day. This car is not worked very hard at all. Thanks for listening.
92Lex Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 That's pretty good but it would suck to be stranded 61 miles away from home. 1st gen LS' are non-interference but it would be a good idea to take off the timing belt covers and take a quick peep at the condition of the belt. I just changed the timing belt on my 91 with 140k....the belt looked perfect but I just wanted some peace of mind...plus the change interval for is like 7 years or 90k. I'm all about that challenge, I'm trying to rack up them miles just for the heck of it.
silvermate Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 i'm glad you posted this, its very interesting.....and yes we are interested in hearing these things,(i am anyway) i love when people post about how many miles the cars has on them and that it still has original parts........its just great to hear.....it just confirms the fact of the quality of these vehicles, its amazing sometimes :D no one here would ever stone you for asking a question, the worst that could happen would someone would say "its been talked about plenty of times, just do a search" but thats about as rough a comment as your going to get...... ;) i agree with what 92Lex said, take off the cover and see how she looks, as far as wear, cracks, fraying ect.....the you can have an idea of the shape of it... i do have a friend that his 92 Ls broke a timing belt at about 175k, but like i mentioned b/f he was just stranded, no damage was caused i'm gonna reccomend you have it changed, because its the right advice, but man thats just an awesome feat, i would love (i'm sure u would to) to see how long it would actually go with the original TB :P
lovlex Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 what year does it start when the belt breaks and it messes up the engine?
95LS400Bob Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 Hmm. Things are not making sense to me. Non interference I do not understand. I would take that to mean that if the timing belt broke, the valves could not be hit by the pistons. If so..I have never heard of such. With a timing belt broken, the camshaft stops turning. The pistons continue to go up and down and the valves stay where they are until the engine dies (and it will die). Piston valve contact could happen. Timing belt is a non lubricated item. Oil changes and service have nothing to do with that. It's rubber and fibers and in a hostile environment. Hot and Cold. Regardless....change that belt. And buy a lottery ticket on the way to pick up a new one. You're on a roll.
99lsguy Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 I broke a timing belt in my 85 Accord once....... No damage.......around 120K I think. Basically the car just "idled" at 600 rpm if my memory serves me right I'm sure the t-belts in an LS 400 are solid until 120K
silvermate Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 Hmm. Things are not making sense to me. Non interference I do not understand. I would take that to mean that if the timing belt broke, the valves could not be hit by the pistons. If so..I have never heard of such. i agree it is hard to understand and doesn't make much sense. but it is a proven fact FACT that the 1st gen Lexus LS400 (and maybe other gens i'm not sure) are a non-interference engine ;)
95LS400Bob Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 This is very interesting so I have been doing some searching on Non interference. With my racing background, all engines I have ever worked with have interference capabilitys. Now I see some do..some don't. http://autorepair.about.com/cs/doityoursel...imingbelts4.htm Showing OHC as Interference. Still searching for more info.
ArmyofOne Posted October 22, 2004 Posted October 22, 2004 alot of engines are non interference. yay! mine is LOL. LEXUS Engine Interference Replace 2.5L no 60,000 im well over the 60,000 mile interval, now with 140,471 on original TB
90LS400Lexus Posted October 23, 2004 Posted October 23, 2004 Wow- you were lucky on that one, because I think those are interference engines. At least the 86-newer models are. I had a 84' Accord LX sedan - loaded to the maximum a few years ago that was my grandmas car. SHe had big Thunderbirds and Cadillacs for years, then got this Accord- what a change. It had 210K when I sold it- still running fine, but the transmission was getting very weak. My dads 88 Nissan V6 truck went to 205K on the original timing belt. My uncle bought it new and he told my dad it was never changed. It may have went a bit further, but it was getting extremely thin. I broke a timing belt in my 85 Accord once.......No damage.......around 120K I think. Basically the car just "idled" at 600 rpm if my memory serves me right I'm sure the t-belts in an LS 400 are solid until 120K ←
90LS400Lexus Posted October 23, 2004 Posted October 23, 2004 The 4-cylinder Volvos of the 1980s are non-interference engines. My uncle can tell you this- one broke on his 280K mile 87 Volvo 240 wagon. Replaced the belt and it was running like NEW again, even despite nearly having 300K. :) This is very interesting so I have been doing some searching on Non interference.With my racing background, all engines I have ever worked with have interference capabilitys. Now I see some do..some don't. http://autorepair.about.com/cs/doityoursel...imingbelts4.htm Showing OHC as Interference. Still searching for more info. ←
Lexls Posted October 23, 2004 Posted October 23, 2004 The previous owner of my LS was driving when the timing belt broke. He said it just stopped, this was around 130 or 135K...I'd have to look at my records. That was the original timing belt. There was no damage when it broke. So 92Lex, I can only recommend checking yours and just replacing it. But.....I can see how you would want to see how long it can go. Remember that Seinfeld where Kramer and a car salesman see how far below the red E on the gas gauge they can go? Hahahah , same thing here, how far can it go?!?
nitefire Posted October 23, 2004 Posted October 23, 2004 Yea, I just changed a timing belt on a LS 400 and it barely looked worn. It was in very good condition. Just wanted to share.
99lsguy Posted October 23, 2004 Posted October 23, 2004 The previous owner of my LS was driving when the timing belt broke. He said it just stopped, this was around 130 or 135K...I'd have to look at my records. That was the original timing belt. There was no damage when it broke. So 92Lex, I can only recommend checking yours and just replacing it. But.....I can see how you would want to see how long it can go. Remember that Seinfeld where Kramer and a car salesman see how far below the red E on the gas gauge they can go? Hahahah , same thing here, how far can it go?!? ← HAH!! I was thinking the same thing!!
ArmyofOne Posted October 23, 2004 Posted October 23, 2004 i broke the OEM one on my contour at 190,000 miles, i was doing 90 MPH at the time. it just snapped, the motor started sputtering, so i pushed the clutch in and it died. i pulled off to the shoulder and tried to restart, it wouldnt. i figured it ws the timingbelt, got in the trunk and got out my tool kit, popped the hood and pulled the cover off, sure enough. ;)
ec437 Posted October 23, 2004 Posted October 23, 2004 i broke the OEM one on my contour at 190,000 miles, i was doing 90 MPH at the time. it just snapped, the motor started sputtering, so i pushed the clutch in and it died. i pulled off to the shoulder and tried to restart, it wouldnt. i figured it ws the timingbelt, got in the trunk and got out my tool kit, popped the hood and pulled the cover off, sure enough. ;) ← iterference or no?
92Lex Posted October 23, 2004 Posted October 23, 2004 The previous owner of my LS was driving when the timing belt broke. He said it just stopped, this was around 130 or 135K...I'd have to look at my records. That was the original timing belt. There was no damage when it broke. So 92Lex, I can only recommend checking yours and just replacing it. But.....I can see how you would want to see how long it can go. Remember that Seinfeld where Kramer and a car salesman see how far below the red E on the gas gauge they can go? Hahahah , same thing here, how far can it go?!? ← Me? I already went ahead and did that last weekend. I wonder how long it would take to get the odometer to read all 9's?
Lexls Posted October 23, 2004 Posted October 23, 2004 Me? I already went ahead and did that last weekend. ← Opps, sorry I meant lowrider :whistles:
92Lex Posted October 24, 2004 Posted October 24, 2004 Me? I already went ahead and did that last weekend. ← Opps, sorry I meant lowrider :whistles: ← It's all good...I love my car and I just didn't want anyone to think that I was neglecting it.
silvermate Posted October 24, 2004 Posted October 24, 2004 a ford contor TB and a Gen 1 LS TB are two completely different situations......... a lot of those cars including hondas, if the TB breaks it bends valves, simple as that..... its good to know that early LS are non interference, but the correct thing to do is go ahead and change them out as scheduled, (and thats the safest way to fly)
ArmyofOne Posted October 24, 2004 Posted October 24, 2004 i broke the OEM one on my contour at 190,000 miles, i was doing 90 MPH at the time. it just snapped, the motor started sputtering, so i pushed the clutch in and it died. i pulled off to the shoulder and tried to restart, it wouldnt. i figured it ws the timingbelt, got in the trunk and got out my tool kit, popped the hood and pulled the cover off, sure enough. ;) ← iterference or no? ← nope, the 2.0L Zetec is a non interference motor. i put a new belt on that weekend, and changed the WP and all the pulleys, timed it and was back on the road, it only took 4 hours. (2 people) a ford contor TB and a Gen 1 LS TB are two completely different situations......... yes i know that, i even said that...and mine didnt bend any valves. i snapped it 3 times. the 4th time i changed it before it happened.
jimH93 Posted October 28, 2004 Posted October 28, 2004 Yea, I just changed a timing belt on a LS 400 and it barely looked worn. It was in very good condition. Just wanted to share. ← What year and mileage is your LS400? Also what climate was you car in most of the time? I am in the same situation with 136k. Also once you open it up it's not just the belt it's also time for a water pump and the belt pullys,etc. the belt is about $60.00 and the rest of the parts are going to be around $250 to $300. the reliability of these cars make you think time is on you side. Jim
kcpth Posted October 28, 2004 Posted October 28, 2004 My 92LS400 is super awesome. My dad beat on this car like crazy until 118k miles. He has lead for a foot. He floors it n brakes hard. MAJOR WHIPLASH when you go in the car with him. He even drove past 120mph or even 130mph (i don't remember b/c i was sleeping in the car)... wouldn't recommend anyone going that fast... ur crazy if you do... cause i tell my dad he's crazy. He barely changes oil unlike me (i change mine every 3k). We both never changed our tranny fluids (i just got it changed 3weeks ago for the first time n the toyota guy said it was SUPER BLACK). Anyways.... through all of that... it is at 176k now since i took over it 5 yrs ago. Still on its original T-belt. Transmission still smooth as hell. BELIEVE IT OR NOT... SO FAR NO BLACKOUT ON THE RADIO **KNOCK ON WOOD**. But i do have the needle problems on the cluster. Luckily its only the tips. I did get the P/S pump changed... since they always seem to have a problem for the LS. I believe this car is going to have more problems in the future since it is clearly aging n i live in the harsh climate of Plattsburgh or NYC depending on time of year. My G/F thought i was crazy when we were sharing ideas about if we won the MEGA MILLIONS over the summer. She thought i would dump this car. I told her HECK NO... i would of course buy others, but i would love to restore this car to its ORIGINAL PRISTINE CONDITION. I love this car. Since its my first car too. She'll never understand. But like what everyone suggest, do the changes for a peace of mind. I'm just broke so i can't afford it and my g/f car is starting to suck money out of me.
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