Loose Cam Pulley-anyone Heard Of This?

[KTA525]

Has anyone heard of this?: I have a 98 LS400 that I bought with 90k on it. Now it has 156k. It had Lexus dealer service up to when I got it, but the 'slick' used car place I bought it from put a new timing belt on it at 90k just before I bought it. I've have only had one probem: a starter at 135k, I had a Toyota dealer put it on-money saving advice from this forum.

OK: last week the engine started making a metallic ticking noise at idle. It seemed to get a little quieter at higher RPM. Because it is a Lexus, you could not hear it from inside the car, unless you had the window down and were listening for it. I though it was a sticking valve that was impacting the Cam or rocker(which ever it has).

I brought it to the dealer. They took it apart and told me that the timing gear pulley on the left cam was loose. That the bolts had backed out. This pulley attaches tp the cam through a variable timing assembly. Has anyone ever heard of this happening?? Lexus claimed there were no factory service bulletins on this. the mystery is that they assume someone took it apart, yet Lexus didn't do it in the first 90k, they guys that put on the timing belt SHOULDN'T have messed with this, and no one else has taken that area apart. The starter replacement doesn't touch the timing belt cover, does it? While it is apart, I'm doing everything in there: timing belt, thermostat, water pump, idler bearings, etc.

[Kennyr]

Sorry for going off the subject but how much was the starter job?