Serpentine Belt

[Topangali]

My '93 Lexus 400 has only 40,000 miles, but sat for 7 years before I got about a year ago. Should I replace the serpentine belt and hoses? What other service would you recommend? I don't want to spend a lot of money. Is there a better place to get the struts for the hood than from the dealer?

[SRK]

I have never seen a coolant hose go bad on these cars. However the serpentine belt will show wear symptoms. Remove it and look for cracking on the ribs.

Few per inch are fine, but a lot mean replace it. It's easy and cheap. Folks around here have the part number for struts that work as well as the dealer part, for far less. I got mine locally for about $22.00 each. Forget the part number and anyways it's a Canadian part number.

[CUMan]

The serpentine belt on my 93 LS had to be replaced several years ago. It didn't break apart, but one edge separated from the rest. This separated piece wound around the fan and was a real mess to remove.

I would definitely replace it.

None of my hoses ever leaked, and I now have over 150,000 miles on the car. However, just a few months ago, I had the two radiator hoses and the three heater control hoses replaced.

[AZ Mike]

I got my hood struts on ebay for about $40/pair. You can also find them at local parts stores. Lexus wants over $100 each, which is ridiculous for something that holds up the hood.

[PilotguyPA28]

I would be concerned about two majors items:

1. Corrosion inside the engine. I'll guarantee you it's there. You could end up overhauling the engine/cylinders.

2. Gaskets going bad on you.