Change Driving Belts

[tong]

I have learnt a lot from other members on this forum about how to take care of our Lexus by ourselves. I want to share my experience of changing driving belts with all the members because I have not found a detailed article about it. I hope it will help others to prevent some mistakes I made.

My car is a 2000 year RX300 with about 120,000 miles.

Part: Toyota #99366-21040-83 for alternator/air conditioner belt

#90080-91088-83 for steering pump belt

Both bought from a Lexus dealer for about $25.00. If you can buy them from a Toyota dealer, it may be cheaper.

Tools: 14mm socket

12mm ratcheting wrench (one is long handle and one is short or stubby)

A pry bar or a big screw driver

A bottle of white wite out

Shop manual from Haynes or Lexus

First, disconnect the negative cable from the battery for the safety, because you need to work in a very close range to the fan or even touch the fen blades to loose or install the adjustment bolt, then take off the two electrical cables from the alternator because you need more space to work with the bolts.

Before take off the bolts, using your figure to push the belt down and have a feeling on how tight of the belt is. It will help you to determine the tightness when install the new belt.

3 bolts need to be loosed to take the alternator belt off:

1. Pivot bolt on the left side of the alternator (when you face to passenger side). Using the 14mm socket to loose it.

It is a long shaft bolt but is easy to loose. Totally loose it but do not take it out.

2. Adjusting bolt on the right side and near the bottom part of the alternator. Using the 12mm stubby or short

ratcheting wrench to loose it. Mark the position on the bolt stem first: it gives you an approximate position

when you install the new belt.

3. Lock bolt on the right side of the alternator but face you and a little above adjusting bolt. Using the 12mm slim,

long handle ratcheting wrench to loose it. This bolt has a long shaft. Totally loose it but don’t take it out. I took

it out and it took me a long time to put it back because you can’t see the hole and your figure can’t tough the

hole at first. I even have to took off the cover board on the bottom of the engine to find out where the hole is,

and then using one hand to push the bolt into the hole and another hand to lift the alternator to let the bolt to

screw in.

Then you can push down the alternator to take off the belt.

For steering belt:

Raise the front of the vehicle and take the driver side wheel off. Remove the inner fender apron by taking the two screws off. You can see a slotted, half-moon shaped bracket with two bolts on it. Mark the position of the bottom bolt (adjustment bolt) on the bracket and loose the adjustment bolt with the socket drive (14mm or 12mm). Then, loose another bolt that is above the bracket. I’m not sure what function of this bolt (lock bolt or others), but I could not loose the belt after I loose the adjustment bolt. So I loose this bolt, pivot the pump several times towards different directions, and then was able to take the belt off the pulley. You need to push or pull the steering pump to loose the belt and take it off.

Put the new belt onto the wheel; make sure it fits in the ribbed grooves in the pulleys.

Use the pry bar or a big crew drive, press the steering pump down to the point where you can position the adjusting bolt to the mark you made before you take off the belt, tight the bolt, then use your hand to push the belt down to try the tightness. If it’s OK, finally tight the both bolts.

Then, put the new belt onto the alternator pulley, lift the alternator with one hand and tight the adjustment bolt using another hand until the bolt reach the marked point or reach the desired tension by push the belt with your thumb to test it. Then, tight the lock and the pivot bolts.

Notice: Tight the adjustment bolt first. If you tight the lock and pivot bolts first, the adjustment bolt will not work, and you may damage the adjustment bolt if you try to tight it too hard. And of course, you can not tight the belt to the proper tension.

Put the alternator electrical cord and battery cable back. Install the inner fender apron and the wheel. Start the car. If the car runs smoothly and no abnormal noisy (High pitched), the belts are installed correctly.

Congratulations!

[RX in NC]

Good report. I changed the AC/Alternator belt on my wife's previous 2000 RX300 AWD and agree that your instructions for doing so are accurate. Never changed the Power Steering Pump belt and was not looking forward to climbing around under the vehicle in order to do it. We sold the car back in January so I never had to deal with it....