300gone330 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Is it advisable to replace this part when doing your timing belt (knew this to be the case on 90's and earlier cars, but know little of modern enigne layouts and whether or not the pump is uneffected as to access as to make an "anytime change out" possible)? And, how long do these pumps last/what is the recommended life span? THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RX in NC Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Be aware that one of the BEST quality parts on the RX series is the timing belt (along with the iridium spark plugs). Yes, your owners manual tells you to change your timing belt at 90,000 miles because Lexus wants to gouge you for unnecessary maintenance, but those who do so always report that their original timing belt still looks brand new. I plan to change my wife's 2004 RX330 AWD timing belt at 150,000 miles (assuming she keeps the vehicle that long) and when I do, I'll replace the water pump at the same time.... Notice that on this website and others like it, there are never any reports of timing belt or water pump failure on the RX series prior to 160,000 to 180,000 miles. Given the higher rate of transmission failures, we deserve for SOMETHING on these vehicles to be extremely long-lasting and the timing belt appears to be the component that fits this category.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code58 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Is it advisable to replace this part when doing your timing belt (knew this to be the case on 90's and earlier cars, but know little of modern enigne layouts and whether or not the pump is uneffected as to access as to make an "anytime change out" possible)? And, how long do these pumps last/what is the recommended life span?THANKS! 330- You have opinions all over the map on this and it's your dime, you're going to have to figure out how to spend it. Having said that, I am one that votes on if it ain't broke, leave it alone! When I did the timing belt on my DIL's 99RX I was amazed at the excellent condition it was in. I did not change the water pump and when I was chasing another problem (trying to diagnose) at about 120k I had the idler pulleys off and checked the water pump (original) and all bearings were as smooth as brand new. There was no sign of leakage from the water pump. I attribute all of this to the outstanding antifreeze that Toyota uses and the oversized bearings and extremely high quality of their parts. I personally feel even 150k mi. is still in a VERY safe range for changing those parts. They are all some of the highest quality parts I have ever seen. To me, and I have spent my life in automotive work, I feel the parts that are recommended for change at 90k could easily go double that and rarely ever have a failure. There are those that feel the Lexus recommended maintenance needs to be strictly adhered to. As long as they don't send me the bill they are free to do as they wish- I just feel it is too ultra conservative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtoncd Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Be aware that one of the BEST quality parts on the RX series is the timing belt (along with the iridium spark plugs). Yes, your owners manual tells you to change your timing belt at 90,000 miles because Lexus wants to gouge you for unnecessary maintenance, but those who do so always report that their original timing belt still looks brand new. I plan to change my wife's 2004 RX330 AWD timing belt at 150,000 miles (assuming she keeps the vehicle that long) and when I do, I'll replace the water pump at the same time....Notice that on this website and others like it, there are never any reports of timing belt or water pump failure on the RX series prior to 160,000 to 180,000 miles. Given the higher rate of transmission failures, we deserve for SOMETHING on these vehicles to be extremely long-lasting and the timing belt appears to be the component that fits this category.... I agree with RX in NC, but my only concern is the fact that the RX330 is a valve bender, so I did it around 95,000 miles. The total price including water pump was $425. My wife was getting to take a road trip and I didn't want to take any chances. YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code58 Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Be aware that one of the BEST quality parts on the RX series is the timing belt (along with the iridium spark plugs). Yes, your owners manual tells you to change your timing belt at 90,000 miles because Lexus wants to gouge you for unnecessary maintenance, but those who do so always report that their original timing belt still looks brand new. I plan to change my wife's 2004 RX330 AWD timing belt at 150,000 miles (assuming she keeps the vehicle that long) and when I do, I'll replace the water pump at the same time....Notice that on this website and others like it, there are never any reports of timing belt or water pump failure on the RX series prior to 160,000 to 180,000 miles. Given the higher rate of transmission failures, we deserve for SOMETHING on these vehicles to be extremely long-lasting and the timing belt appears to be the component that fits this category.... I agree with RX in NC, but my only concern is the fact that the RX330 is a valve bender, so I did it around 95,000 miles. The total price including water pump was $425. My wife was getting to take a road trip and I didn't want to take any chances. YMMV. Newtoncd- I stand by what I said in my post, but at the price that you paid (assuming that was total for the water pump, timing belt and labor), I certainly don't blame you for changing them per Lexus recommended schedule. That is about as reasonable as the $1500. was outrageous. ( The $1500. was on another Lexus forum- a "top notch Bosch" shop wanted that much to change the water pump and timing belt! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtoncd Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Newtoncd- I stand by what I said in my post, but at the price that you paid (assuming that was total for the water pump, timing belt and labor), I certainly don't blame you for changing them per Lexus recommended schedule. That is about as reasonable as the $1500. was outrageous. ( The $1500. was on another Lexus forum- a "top notch Bosch" shop wanted that much to change the water pump and timing belt! ) The independent shop I use works only on Toyota/Lexus and has a running special of $189 for a timing belt replacement, but the water pump added a bit more to the price. I also replaced the serpentine belt. When I priced things, the Lexus dealer was right at $1000, the Toyota dealer was around $650 and the indy was $425. They Toyota parts, so I was comfortable with getting it done ... it does suck because the parts looked to be in very good condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
code58 Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 Newtoncd- I stand by what I said in my post, but at the price that you paid (assuming that was total for the water pump, timing belt and labor), I certainly don't blame you for changing them per Lexus recommended schedule. That is about as reasonable as the $1500. was outrageous. ( The $1500. was on another Lexus forum- a "top notch Bosch" shop wanted that much to change the water pump and timing belt! ) The independent shop I use works only on Toyota/Lexus and has a running special of $189 for a timing belt replacement, but the water pump added a bit more to the price. I also replaced the serpentine belt. When I priced things, the Lexus dealer was right at $1000, the Toyota dealer was around $650 and the indy was $425. They Toyota parts, so I was comfortable with getting it done ... it does suck because the parts looked to be in very good condition. I feel they would easily last twice as long as Lexus recommendations but I certainly don't blame you for doing it at that price, and for OEM parts too! What is it with these guys that charge outrageous prices? The price they gave you was VERY reasonable but, $1000.-$1500., that's outrageous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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