jbarhorst2 Posted November 3, 2004 Share Posted November 3, 2004 I am getting ready to change my timing belt next week on my 1997 SC300. Has anyone ever had to replace the crankshaft and camshaft seals when they do this job? How common is it to change these, or do you typically only change them when you rebuild the engine? If I do need to change these, is it an easy job while I'm in there to do the timing belt?? If I don't need to worry about them, I'll just leave them as they are. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny3 Posted November 4, 2004 Share Posted November 4, 2004 Some people & shops recomend it & water pump cause you're right there (easy to get at) when you repl. the belt. Personally I don't if they're not seeping but I do my own work. Get prices both ways if you're having it done. I just did one with 191,000 mi. thats had the belts (me) changed 2 times now but original water pump & oil seals, still did'nt change them. soooo you'll have to decide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted November 4, 2004 Author Share Posted November 4, 2004 Thanks for the info. I'll probably just leave the crank and cam seals alone unless they are leaking. I am going to do it myself, but I think I will go ahead and change the pump. I have 154,000 miles on it. I would hate to have to take it apart again in 30 or 40K. Thanks Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted November 5, 2004 Author Share Posted November 5, 2004 Johnny, one more question. The service manual shows removing both cam gears and the crank timing gear to do this job. I don't see where that gains you anything because you put them right back on. What is the purpose in that?? Is it just inspection, or should you clean them while they are off? Or, are they in the way and you have to remove them? Thanks Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny3 Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 You don't have to do that, that's only so you can get to those oil seals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted November 5, 2004 Author Share Posted November 5, 2004 Johnny, thanks for the info. I just picked up all my parts to do the job. $415 with tax for the water pump, timing belt, tensioner, pulley, thermostat, some gaskets and some o-rings. Oh, and a gallon of Toyota antifreeze. I didn't think that was too bad from my Lexus dealer. I have heard of prices being higher elsewhere. It looks pretty straightforward in the service manual. Are there any words of advice you have for me? Thanks for all your help. I have heard that the crank bolt can be a pain to remove and replace. Is it really that bad? Is there a trick to it? Later. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted November 16, 2004 Author Share Posted November 16, 2004 Well, I did the job this past weekend and everything went well. The crankshaft bolt is a pain to get loose, but once you learn the trick it is not too bad. It certainly is satisfying to do the work yourself, plus you know exactly what was done. My SC300 had 154,024 miles on the clock. Everything was original - timing belt, water pump, etc. I replaced it all so that I would not have to go back in there for a while. I felt I was pushing my luck and did not want to get stuck this winter if my belt broke. However, the belt looked great when I removed it. Certainly is pleasant to change a water pump with o-rings for seals instead of a glued on gasket. I like that design. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC4Million Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 So what is the trick with the crankshaft bolt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny3 Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 The bolt sets up, the face of the bolt grips the balance pulley making it tough to break loose, it's dificult to hold the pulley (engine) stationary & get good leverage on the bolt head. Lexus makes a tool to hold it or you can improvise something. I always heat the bolt head red (just the head if the bolt not the pulley) a couple of times & give the breaker bar a good whack & it breaks loose. Bolt gets longer when you heat it, therefore a little looser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbarhorst2 Posted November 17, 2004 Author Share Posted November 17, 2004 Here's what I did. Take your old serpentine belt (you're probably changing it too) and cut a piece to wrap around the pulley. Use a large pair of vise-grips that has the attached chain and wrap it around the pulley on top of the serpentine belt and tighten. I then used 2 jack stands underneath the car to hold a short piece of 2x4. The handle of the vise-grip should rest on the 2x4 as you break the bolt loose. You can also use the water pump to push against if and only if you are replacing it. That is what I did. Then you just use a breaker bar and a pipe extension to break the bolt loose. Torquing the bolt back to spec on the reinstall is basically the same. Just move your jack stands and 2x4 to the other side of the pulley and use your torque wrench to tighten the bolt. I certainly could do this job much faster the second time as I learned all the tricks now. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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