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Water Pump And Timing Belt


dkehinde

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Hi all!

I need to replace my Timing Belt and Waterpump on my 90 LS 400 with 190,000 miles. Does anyone know good shops in the Atlanta area that could help me out without going to the dealer?

Thanks

do u have a pep boys around there? i would take it to a shop thats corporate owned, reson being they will warranty without question should something go wrong, also they sell the parts there for the job which means they dont have a 40 percent markup on the parts and the parts will be covered as well as the labor for 1 year, i was a service writer as well as a manager there for 3 years, make sure u replace all hoses and belts, have them check the radiator and replace the thermostat and water outlet also! i have done just about everything to my 92 so feel free to pm me or email me with any concerns...i can give you plenty of info on most anything u need to know

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Hi all!

I need to replace my Timing Belt and Waterpump on my 90 LS 400 with 190,000 miles. Does anyone know good shops in the Atlanta area that could help me out without going to the dealer?

Thanks

Did you get a couple of quotes from Lexus dealers first to see what how much they will charge compared to other shops?

I find (at least in these parts) that some independent & chain shops charge just as much & in some cases more than a Lexus or Toyota dealer. ;)

:cheers:

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Hi all!

I need to replace my Timing Belt and Waterpump on my 90 LS 400 with 190,000 miles. Does anyone know good shops in the Atlanta area that could help me out without going to the dealer?

Thanks

I'd try your local Toyota dealer. I have most of my work done by a toyota dealer. I've got a timing belt/water pump change coming up within the next month and they gave me a quote of approximately $ 800 which I thought was excellent. The independents I checked in were charging about the same.

Lexus wanted $1,600 for the same repair.

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Hi all!

I need to replace my Timing Belt and Waterpump on my 90 LS 400 with 190,000 miles. Does anyone know good shops in the Atlanta area that could help me out without going to the dealer?

Thanks

Did the belt already break, or is the water pump making noise?

Reason I ask is because your 1st-generation LS has a non-interference engine, meaning if the belt breaks, no damage will be done to the engine.

If you don't travel out of town much, you could always just wait for the belt to break. Although my local mechanic says, in his 20-year career, he has never seen a timing belt on a Toyota vehicle break. Fords are another story. ;)

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I know that prices vary from location to location at dealers across the country. My 1991 LS400 came from the Atlanta area (been there since new). The guy I bought it from had very recently had the timing belt and water pump done at a local Lexus dealer... they charged him $1300!

Here in my area in northeast Tennessee, the Lexus dealer charges $500 for the same task. I know because I checked when I was shopping for another LS400 because I wanted to know how much I was going to have to shell out for a t-belt replacement if I were to buy one with this unknown. We are not a huge metro area like Atlanta, but no small show either.... we are about 450,000 total metro.

Hopefully you can find a dealer with lower prices than the one that the guy that I bought mine from got.

I know that when I get my motor and transmission mounts replaced that I am taking it to the local Lexus dealer. I gotta call this week to see how much labor will be... hope its not an arm/leg.

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  • 1 month later...
Hi all!

I need to replace my Timing Belt and Waterpump on my 90 LS 400 with 190,000 miles. Does anyone know good shops in the Atlanta area that could help me out without going to the dealer?

Thanks

Did the belt already break, or is the water pump making noise?

Reason I ask is because your 1st-generation LS has a non-interference engine, meaning if the belt breaks, no damage will be done to the engine.

If you don't travel out of town much, you could always just wait for the belt to break. Although my local mechanic says, in his 20-year career, he has never seen a timing belt on a Toyota vehicle break. Fords are another story. ;)

I have a related question.

I have a Camry and the timing belt broke on it twice, once after 90k miles and the second time was after 40k miles on a new timing belt.

What is troubling is the time that it broke after only 40k highway miles.

The mechanic that fixed it was an old Toyota factory trained mechanic. He told me that if a mechanic doesn't install the timing belt correctly, then it could be prone to snapping. He also mentioned that he thinks that LS400's have a "self tightening" feature, whatever that means.

I have 3k miles on a new timing belt on my lexus ls400 (95) and I am a hoping that I won't have a problem. I used all Toyota parts.

Has anyone had a problem with the timing belts snapping before the recommended change intervals?

I didn't have the work done at a dealer, but at a local garage. So, my concern is if a less experienced mechanic put on the belt, would this potentially cause me problems or are timing belts pretty straightforward and not considered a difficult job?

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Hi all!

I need to replace my Timing Belt and Waterpump on my 90 LS 400 with 190,000 miles. Does anyone know good shops in the Atlanta area that could help me out without going to the dealer?

Thanks

Did the belt already break, or is the water pump making noise?

Reason I ask is because your 1st-generation LS has a non-interference engine, meaning if the belt breaks, no damage will be done to the engine.

If you don't travel out of town much, you could always just wait for the belt to break. Although my local mechanic says, in his 20-year career, he has never seen a timing belt on a Toyota vehicle break. Fords are another story. ;)

I have a related question.

I have a Camry and the timing belt broke on it twice, once after 90k miles and the second time was after 40k miles on a new timing belt.

What is troubling is the time that it broke after only 40k highway miles.

The mechanic that fixed it was an old Toyota factory trained mechanic. He told me that if a mechanic doesn't install the timing belt correctly, then it could be prone to snapping. He also mentioned that he thinks that LS400's have a "self tightening" feature, whatever that means.

I have 3k miles on a new timing belt on my lexus ls400 (95) and I am a hoping that I won't have a problem. I used all Toyota parts.

Has anyone had a problem with the timing belts snapping before the recommended change intervals?

I didn't have the work done at a dealer, but at a local garage. So, my concern is if a less experienced mechanic put on the belt, would this potentially cause me problems or are timing belts pretty straightforward and not considered a difficult job?

Hi,

I also have a Camry in addition to my LS. It is a 2000 with 67k miles. I have never changed the timing belt due to it having a non-interference engine, and I do not drive the car out of town much.

The mechanic that installed the second timing belt on your Camry may not have used Toyota factory parts. That could have had something to do with the belt breaking. The other guy was probably referring to an automatic tensioner when he said "self tightening".

It is good that you used all Toyota parts when the belt was changed on your 1995 LS. Most belts do not break on their own before the recommended replacement interval. However, the water pump on the LS, and most other Toyota vehicles, is powered by the timing belt. So if it is in poor conditon and siezes up, it will take the belt with it. Driving agressively can also cause the belt to wear faster.

Changing the timing belt on any car is almost the opposite of straightforward and easy. There are marks on the Toyota-branded timing belts and the car's engine to line the belt up correctly. The mechanic should have seen them and used them to make sure the belt was aligned properly.

Remember that starting in 1995, the LS came with an interference engine, unlike the Camry. So do not wait for the belt to break on it. It does not sound like you would on any of your vehicles though.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hi all!

I need to replace my Timing Belt and Waterpump on my 90 LS 400 with 190,000 miles. Does anyone know good shops in the Atlanta area that could help me out without going to the dealer?

Thanks

Did the belt already break, or is the water pump making noise?

Reason I ask is because your 1st-generation LS has a non-interference engine, meaning if the belt breaks, no damage will be done to the engine.

If you don't travel out of town much, you could always just wait for the belt to break. Although my local mechanic says, in his 20-year career, he has never seen a timing belt on a Toyota vehicle break. Fords are another story. ;)

I have a related question.

I have a Camry and the timing belt broke on it twice, once after 90k miles and the second time was after 40k miles on a new timing belt.

What is troubling is the time that it broke after only 40k highway miles.

The mechanic that fixed it was an old Toyota factory trained mechanic. He told me that if a mechanic doesn't install the timing belt correctly, then it could be prone to snapping. He also mentioned that he thinks that LS400's have a "self tightening" feature, whatever that means.

I have 3k miles on a new timing belt on my lexus ls400 (95) and I am a hoping that I won't have a problem. I used all Toyota parts.

Has anyone had a problem with the timing belts snapping before the recommended change intervals?

I didn't have the work done at a dealer, but at a local garage. So, my concern is if a less experienced mechanic put on the belt, would this potentially cause me problems or are timing belts pretty straightforward and not considered a difficult job?

Hi,

I also have a Camry in addition to my LS. It is a 2000 with 67k miles. I have never changed the timing belt due to it having a non-interference engine, and I do not drive the car out of town much.

The mechanic that installed the second timing belt on your Camry may not have used Toyota factory parts. That could have had something to do with the belt breaking. The other guy was probably referring to an automatic tensioner when he said "self tightening".

It is good that you used all Toyota parts when the belt was changed on your 1995 LS. Most belts do not break on their own before the recommended replacement interval. However, the water pump on the LS, and most other Toyota vehicles, is powered by the timing belt. So if it is in poor conditon and siezes up, it will take the belt with it. Driving agressively can also cause the belt to wear faster.

Changing the timing belt on any car is almost the opposite of straightforward and easy. There are marks on the Toyota-branded timing belts and the car's engine to line the belt up correctly. The mechanic should have seen them and used them to make sure the belt was aligned properly.

Remember that starting in 1995, the LS came with an interference engine, unlike the Camry. So do not wait for the belt to break on it. It does not sound like you would on any of your vehicles though.

Tom said "starting in 1995, the LS came with an interference engine". Does this mean all LS430 need to change the timing belt before it break otherwise engine will be damaged? I just bough a 2004 LS430 with 85K miles on it - should i be worry & should i need the timing belt and water pump services soon. Please, comments :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Regards,

Michael

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