Ls 400 Timing Belt

[Tom]

Does a 1995 LS 400 have a Timing Belt or a Timing Chain? B)

[VMF]

as far i know i have a timing belt on my 96 ls 400

i think we have the same engines. i checked on parts.com and they said its a timing bell and dealer gave me a price quote for it and its around 80$ but the labor will be much more, like from what they told me i need to change 3 belts, water pomp, all spakr wires and spark plugs, PCV valve, fuel filter and some other things i forgot, (i got the list at work), but this all together with net prices on parts from the dealer and labor from my mechanic will cost me around 800-1000$

so be ready to spend these money if your car has 100-120k miles

[SKperformance]

it is a belt not too sure but japanese do not seem to use chains much more of a domestic thing

[Tom]

Hey, thank you, I'm inspired to motorvate and take the next steps :D Appreciate ya

[JPI]

All lexus use timing belt. Suggest replacing them at 90k.

[Rich Sweitzer]

I believe that all LS-4xx machines use a belt (belts tend to be quieter than chains). Lexus does recommend changing the belt at around 90K miles, sooner under "adverse" driving conditions, but you might be able to delay the change if you need/want to. The early LS-400s (up through '94 or '95) have non-interference engines so if you do loose the belt the engine will stop, but probably not experience internal damage so you can probably skate for a while past the recommended interval if you need to. Models from then on will most likely be in BIG trouble if the timing belt fails (something about pistons and valves trying to defy one of Newton's laws); very expensive to repair, so the later model years should have the change-out schedule followed religiously. Your local dealer should be able to tell you, or you can check the Gates Rubber WEB site. Having said that, I was asked by the parts guy at my local dealer why I was changing mine on my '91 LS-400 (@270,000 miles) and he then proceeded to tell me that they had only seen two cars with timing belt failures, both of those shreaded due to water pump lockup (the timing belt drives the water pump). The belt is quite robust, about 5-cm wide.

As to changing out all that other stuff . . . the water pump is a good idea because it's right there in front of you (or the mechanic) when you have the timing belt off, (and the timing belt drives the water pump). It's an ounce of prevention kind of thing. You may also want to change the tension idler bearings (two large roller bearings, one on either side of the belt just above the drive pulley). The only other belt I have on my '91 is the auxillary drive belt (for the alternator, fan, power steering pump & A/C). It's a good idea to change it regularly but it's not necessary unless it shows signs of deterioration (it's cheap and easy to get to). The rest of the stuff you list is basically a minor tune-up. If your 400 is running fine and passing emmissions testing you shouldn't need to change the plug wires or the plugs. (An aftermarket wire set is about $125, plugs are $3 to $10 each depending on brand.) Likewise the fuel filter and PVC valve, but they're also relatively inexpensive.

[VMF]

the reason why i decided to do it is because i already can hear the tensioner making noises on 800-1000 RPM, the whole tuneup thing i wanna do because i noticed a significant incease in fuel consumption and i think its time to put iridium NGK plugs, as to the rest of them, serpentice belt and water pump i will change only to make sure and to forget about them for the next 60k. i also want to check the seals if they are ok or not.