Timing Belt Question?

[pacoson]

I've done belts before on old chevys but not my lexus.

65$ for the part

20$ for antifreze

186 for the H2o pump

5hr labor @ OH,MY GOD 94.95 per hr

Is the timing belt THAT complex where I might have my local garage shop do it instead of the dealer?

Compentent people with half the labor price.

Thanx

[jzz30]

did your chevys have timing belts that you changed or it was just the components belt you changed? you have an sc 400 right? (i read your profile) the 400 is a litle bit more complex than the 3. but if you have changed timing belts on a chevy than i think you can do it your self

[AWJ]

You can do it! Or your local reputable shop can do it! If you do it, you should get your hands on the factory service manual. It is very necessary.

[vasso]

How can I understand that belt needs to be replaced?

Is there some more belts which I have to replace from time to time? what happens if some of them blows up?

Accurate inf. is appriciated.

tom

95sc400

[jzz30]

on your engine there should be two belts and one you can see just by opening the hood. the one that runs your alternator, p/s pump, a/c etc. is the serpentine belt that can break and it can cause minor damage to your engine compartment. to see your timing belt you need to take off spark plug covers but before you can do that you should disconnect your battery and then wait i think it was 20 seconds. then you can take off your intake incuding your mass air flow sensor. then drain your radiator and take out your fan assembly and radiator. this will give you a lot of room to work on your engine and helps to keep you from damaging your $400 radiator. I havent done this yet to my SC 400 but i did it a few months ago on my LS 400 so it should be similar. then you loosen the tention on the serpentine belt via a tentioner you turn with a 1/2 inch breaker bar or ratchet then proceed to take off variouse covers and rubber gromets, alternator a/c compressor (dont disconnect the lines) and i think you need to take off some hydraulic fan pump parts and so on. now this is the hardest part. to get the main engine pully bolt off. but before you do that you should align your engine to top dead center. and just to make shure you get everything back in the right position you should mark the three pullies with a pen. if you dont have something to hold the crank pully what i did was put some towels in between the belt and the cam pully and if you stuff enough stuff in their, with a good breaker bar you should be able to crack that baby open. and since your throwing away that belt anyway it doesnt matter if you damage it. then another hard part getting that pully off. its best to just go out and buy a puller and a plastic face hammer to help you tap the pully on when you put it back together again. and since its all appart you might as well get a new waterpump and thermostat so it doesnt bother you. but everything back in the same order and it should be as good as new!!! but i still suggest you get the factory manuals because who can you really trust? me or the book of factory wisdom? and plus i dont have all the torque specs in my head and i dont have my manual with me at this point. hope this helps!! wow that was long!

[vasso]

thank you! but still how I know that belt needs replacing? what happens if timing belt cracks?

tom

[pacoson]

The timing belt is changed every 90k mi It should be treated as a normal maint on the car like an oil change

Some cars can go 150k on the same belt but If the belt does break you risk MAJOR internal damage to your motor.

[JPI]

Get you a lexus manual. And some tools. It's not that hard but you have to pay attention to the bolts and nuts, so you can put them back where they were. If you have the non VVT-I then it is the non interference motor. Expect to have your car down for a day. Also remember to get the two 0-rings. Let me know if you need any help. When you have the timing apart, it is a good time to replace your cam seals also. I can get the parts a little less. Good luck(dont bend any valves )

JPI

[jzz30]

if your timing belt is cracked then that means that you need to change it immidiately