Changing The Belts

[RX in NC]

As part of the 90,000 mile service that my wife's 2000 RX300 AWD will be due for by mid-June, I'm going to change the AC/Alternator belt since it is original and has begun to chirp slightly at idle. Late in 2004 several owners described the replacement of this belt here; it involves loosening three adjustment bolts and then pivoting the alternator downward in order to allow the original belt to come off and the new belt to go on. The position of this belt appears to give you marginally enough room to work from the open hood above. I purchased the replacement belt today and believe it or not, my local Toyota parts department had it priced several dollars less than either NAPA or Pep Boys - just over $13.00. For those of you looking to do this anytime soon, the current Toyota part number for this belt is 99366-21040-83.

But the Power Steering belt on this vehicle is a vastly different story. It's located behind the AC/Alternator belt and not only do I believe that you can't get to it from above, I also haven't been able to spot the adjustment bolts that would allow you to remove and replace it.

Has anyone tackled replacing their Power Steering belt? If so, how did you get to it and where are the adjustment bolts located? I'd like to replace both belts at the same time since the AC/Alternator belt has to come off before you can remove the Power Steering belt. Thanks for any assistance.

[LVheretic]

I did both of my belts about 1 1/2 ago... On the PS belt I found it easier to change from the underside. As to the bolts, if you go to your library and check out the Chilton or Haynes manual for the Camry (97-01 I think) and look the v-6 layout and process to change belts is the same--and it shows which bolts to loosen.

Word of caution---the replacement belt I was given was slightly shorter than OEM for the PS. The only way to get on was to remove the pulley. Hopefully your dealer got you the right one.

[RX in NC]

Thanks for the suggestion on going to the library for the Chilton or Haynes Camry manual as it pertains to the power steering belt on this vehicle. That's a good idea.

A friend of mine (he was a professional tool-and-die craftsman at GM for more than 20 years) and I tackled the AC/alternator belt change this morning. If not for a couple of specialty tool sets that he brought with him, I would not have been able to complete this job. He had a long, slender 12 mm box wrench that allowed us to get to the lower mounting bolt and adjuster bolt that my metric socket wrench set just couldn't reach because of the tight operating quarters around the alternator near the radiator. The top-mounted pivot bolt was the easiest part of the job and can be reached with your typical socket wrench. Once we loosened the 14 mm pivot bolt and then the 12 mm lower mounting bolt, slowly loosening the 12 mm adjuster bolt caused the alternator to begin to swing downwards and gradually release tension on the AC/alternator belt. We slowly unscrewed the adjuster bolt until the old belt could be slipped off of all three pulleys and removed from the engine compartment. Then it was just a matter of installing the new belt and tightening everything up in reverse order. The belt ticking noise is now gone and the vehicle sounds normal again when sitting at idle.

This is one of those jobs where the tools you have access to make all the difference in your ability to complete the task successfully without doing damage to the heads of your bolts. Be sure you have a long, slender 12 mm box wrench in addition to your metric socket wrench set before beginning this job and you'll be much happier with your results.

While my friend was here he took a look at the power steering belt status. There's no question that this is going to be a tough job to pull off because of the location of the belt - it's below and inside the AC/alternator belt. Plus, there is almost no working room to speak of once you get in there. The condition of the existing power steering belt is still good and it remains quiet when operating, so we're going to leave it alone for now. I don't look forward to having to change it but if we keep this vehicle long enough, that day will eventually come.

[TunedRX300]

Anyone has Toyota part number for power steering belt?

[lsrxlex]

It's 99364-20880-83.

[GoldenStateSilverSport]

It's 99364-20880-83.

I called up the guy at iron toad to order the power steering and referenced the number above. He didn't find this part number in his system. I mentioned it was a toyota part number (not necessarily a lexus). He looked for the correct belt for my car (01 RX300) and came up with "90080-91088-83" and insisted this was the right one. Could the part number he provided me be the "Lexus Part number". As I understand it, Lexus and toyota often times use different part numbers for the same product.

Thanks

[monarch]

The Toyota part# of the existing belt is clearly imprinted on the top side surface of the belt itself. Copy down this number and ask a Toyota dealer to match it. Or if you want 28% off on the price call 1stttoyotaparts.com (Bob Bridge Toyota)

If the Toyota dealer insists upon knowing what vehicle you have say "a Toyota Highlander". If you say "RX300" then the Toyota dealer will likely say "we don't carry Lexus parts" because his computer won't tell him what Toyota parts are shared by Lexus models

[strmrdr23]

does it matter what year i tell him for a highlander? i thought the older model used the 3.0l while the newer ones have the 3.3l motor. or could i just say i have the 1mzfe motor?

The Toyota part# of the existing belt is clearly imprinted on the top side surface of the belt itself. Copy down this number and ask a Toyota dealer to match it. Or if you want 28% off on the price call 1stttoyotaparts.com (Bob Bridge Toyota)

If the Toyota dealer insists upon knowing what vehicle you have say "a Toyota Highlander". If you say "RX300" then the Toyota dealer will likely say "we don't carry Lexus parts" because his computer won't tell him what Toyota parts are shared by Lexus models

[GoldenStateSilverSport]

The Toyota part# of the existing belt is clearly imprinted on the top side surface of the belt itself. Copy down this number and ask a Toyota dealer to match it. Or if you want 28% off on the price call 1stttoyotaparts.com (Bob Bridge Toyota)

If the Toyota dealer insists upon knowing what vehicle you have say "a Toyota Highlander". If you say "RX300" then the Toyota dealer will likely say "we don't carry Lexus parts" because his computer won't tell him what Toyota parts are shared by Lexus models

I did this with my car. The power steering belt doesn't hvae a part number on it...it did show something like E = 13 or something.

The A/C alternator belt on my car did have a part number labeled = 80090 - 91147...it was a 10 digit part number. I think it's old part # cause i couldnt' find any part numbers on this forum match that. mine is a 2001 RX300

[Hotpursuit]

As part of the 90,000 mile service that my wife's 2000 RX300 AWD will be due for by mid-June, I'm going to change the AC/Alternator belt since it is original and has begun to chirp slightly at idle. Late in 2004 several owners described the replacement of this belt here; it involves loosening three adjustment bolts and then pivoting the alternator downward in order to allow the original belt to come off and the new belt to go on. The position of this belt appears to give you marginally enough room to work from the open hood above. I purchased the replacement belt today and believe it or not, my local Toyota parts department had it priced several dollars less than either NAPA or Pep Boys - just over $13.00. For those of you looking to do this anytime soon, the current Toyota part number for this belt is 99366-21040-83.

But the Power Steering belt on this vehicle is a vastly different story. It's located behind the AC/Alternator belt and not only do I believe that you can't get to it from above, I also haven't been able to spot the adjustment bolts that would allow you to remove and replace it.

Has anyone tackled replacing their Power Steering belt? If so, how did you get to it and where are the adjustment bolts located? I'd like to replace both belts at the same time since the AC/Alternator belt has to come off before you can remove the Power Steering belt. Thanks for any assistance.

[Hotpursuit]

I have Haynes manuals for a 2001 Sienna and 2000 Camry. Both of the vehicles use essentially the same V-6 as the RX300. The Haynes manual suggests changing both belts at the same time. It states that the PS belt can be changed by loosening the adjustment bolt that secures the pump to the slotted bracket and pivoting the pump (away from the engine to tighten the belt, towards the engine to loosen it). Repeat the prodcedure until the drivebelt tension is correct and tighten the bolt.

[lenore]

does it matter what year i tell him for a highlander? i thought the older model used the 3.0l while the newer ones have the 3.3l motor. or could i just say i have the 1mzfe motor?

The Toyota part# of the existing belt is clearly imprinted on the top side surface of the belt itself. Copy down this number and ask a Toyota dealer to match it. Or if you want 28% off on the price call 1stttoyotaparts.com (Bob Bridge Toyota)

If the Toyota dealer insists upon knowing what vehicle you have say "a Toyota Highlander". If you say "RX300" then the Toyota dealer will likely say "we don't carry Lexus parts" because his computer won't tell him what Toyota parts are shared by Lexus models

Same belts as the 2001-2003 highlander....My neighbor just borrowed mine and they fit fine. He has the 2003 highlander..

[tjmc11]

On the alternator: If you get a long extension to your ratchet, you can reach the adjustment bolt if you feed the extension and socket through the opening just to the left of the grill area. You may need to put a universal link before the socket, but this makes adjusting very easy because you can easily turn the ratchet.

As for the PS: You need to get to it from the under side. I would reccomend taking the wheel off. Once you loosen the bolts, you may need a pry bar to push the assembly back far enough to tighten the belt properly. I had to. Secure the bolts and the job is done.

I would reccomend doing them both at same time. I've replaced mine 3 times (295K on mine), and used aftermarket belts one time and toyota parts others. Didn't notice any noticable difference which would prevent the job from being done.

[code58]

It's 99364-20880-83.

I called up the guy at iron toad to order the power steering and referenced the number above. He didn't find this part number in his system. I mentioned it was a toyota part number (not necessarily a lexus). He looked for the correct belt for my car (01 RX300) and came up with "90080-91088-83" and insisted this was the right one. Could the part number he provided me be the "Lexus Part number". As I understand it, Lexus and toyota often times use different part numbers for the same product.

Thanks

When I have to buy Lexus parts locally because I'm in a hurry I always go to Toyota and simply ask for Camry parts of that year. There may be some parts that are different but I have not yet come across them. They are definitely cheaper most of the time than Lexus. They WILL have a different part #. You can't ask for a part for one from the other, they have no way of looking it up.