Prop Shaft Lubrication And Timing Belt Questions

[diverchris]

Hello,

The Canadian owner's manual states that every 16 000 kms the prop shaft needs to be lubricated. Can someone please provide instructions on how to do this, any tools required, and what products people are using. I would really like to avoid a visit to a Lexus Dealership.

Also, does anyone know if the 2005 RX330 has a timing belt or timing chain as the manual indicates the timing belt needs to be replaced at 144 000 kms

Thanks for everyone's assistance in advance,

[lenore]

your 2005 has a timing belt.....(RX330) And as for replacement, yes, 100k miles would be fine, some have even gone further, but dont risk it. You might check an independent or Toyota dealership for a cheaper price.

[BobQ Tampa]

Hello,

The Canadian owner's manual states that every 16 000 kms the prop shaft needs to be lubricated. Can someone please provide instructions on how to do this, any tools required, and what products people are using. I would really like to avoid a visit to a Lexus Dealership.

Also, does anyone know if the 2005 RX330 has a timing belt or timing chain as the manual indicates the timing belt needs to be replaced at 144 000 kms

Thanks for everyone's assistance in advance,

RE: timing belt. If the vehicle gets hard use (taxi, police harsh conditions etc) 90k miles to replace is called for. BUT if you are a typical highway driver then it is inspect vice replace IMO. Second; the important issue here is knowing that this is a NON-interference engine (which it is) so if by chance it just dies and a quick inspection of the timing belt shows it is not moving when the starter is turning then replace it then. The engine won’t be damaged. It is a matter of odds.

I replaced the belt on my Avalon at 90k Miles (very similar eng) and it looked like new. I could have left it alone for years! And since my wife drives it and has AAA, I wouldn’t worry about it. The manual recommended only inspect at 90. (The RX recommends replace but the AlldataDIY site only recommends replace if heavy duty use!)

My 03-RX has 86K on it and I’ll start inspecting the T-belt via the little inspection hole soon but I really expect it to be working fine at 150K miles. Lastly, these belts typically fail when the engine is cold and you go out to start it and the crankshaft gear strips the belt teeth because the rest of the system is tight and not lubricated at startup. The crankshaft gear being smaller and having higher force applied to the teeth on the belt. So chances are that in the rare occasion of failure it is likely in your parking spot in the morning and you’re late for work. But the likely scenario is you never change it and sell the car before 150K miles.

But be nice and advise the buyer that the belt is original. OTOH the dealers children have tuition payments due <g>.

BTW I have no Idea what a "prop shaft is." is this unique to the 4w drive versions? What we used to call a drive shaft on a rear wheel drive car.

[diverchris]

Hi Thanks for the information about the timing belt I was hoping it was going to be a timing chain like my RAV4.

In regards to the prop shaft its for the AWD option. I'm going on a road trip and I would like to have the prop shaft lubricated. I just need to learn how and where.

[newtoncd]

RE: timing belt. If the vehicle gets hard use (taxi, police harsh conditions etc) 90k miles to replace is called for. BUT if you are a typical highway driver then it is inspect vice replace IMO. Second; the important issue here is knowing that this is a NON-interference engine (which it is) so if by chance it just dies and a quick inspection of the timing belt shows it is not moving when the starter is turning then replace it then. The engine won’t be damaged. It is a matter of odds.

I thought the 3MZ-FE engine was an interference design, am I mistaken?

[BobQ Tampa]

Best to be sure! The Gates com pany web site has a nice lookup both to determine if it is an interference engine and to explain just what that means. I checked the 05 and Gates states it is non-interference.

OTOH Gates has been wrong before. I helped my sister in-law when both Gates and Michelin One service stated it was an Interference Engine. The shop was quoting her $3k to fix. I checked AlldataDiy and they had a service bulletin stating emphatically that it was not an interference engine. Bulletin posted due to confusion in the field. In this case I’ll go with the Gates site.

Also my AlldataDiy lookup did not warn it to be an interference engine and they would have had that been the case.

[bR]

Re: Drive Shaft. Typically they use 2 U-joints and have a grease fitting in the center of each joint. Jack a rear wheel up so you can rotate the shaft placing the grease fitting where it is visible. Not having an AWD I can’t say for sure this is the case but it is for 99% of the RWD systems I’ve seen.

[newtoncd]

FYI, I spoke with a master Toyota tech, he confirmed the 3MZ-FE (VVTi) engine is interference.

"As for your 3.3, yes, that is an interference engine and I wouldn't push it past the 100-110K mark, just because the expense would be high if it failed. Do a water pump at the same time, add fresh coolant afterwards (Toyota red/pink) and new drive belts, ie PS and alt/AC."

[mikey00]

Hello,

The Canadian owner's manual states that every 16 000 kms the prop shaft needs to be lubricated. Can someone please provide instructions on how to do this, any tools required, and what products people are using. I would really like to avoid a visit to a Lexus Dealership.

Also, does anyone know if the 2005 RX330 has a timing belt or timing chain as the manual indicates the timing belt needs to be replaced at 144 000 kms

Thanks for everyone's assistance in advance,

Are you sure about the prop shaft lube requirement for the RX? In the US the RX shares a owners manual supplement with the LX-470. It states that the prop shaft lube is only for the LX-470 not the RX.

[diverchris]

Hello,

The Canadian owner's manual states that every 16 000 kms the prop shaft needs to be lubricated. Can someone please provide instructions on how to do this, any tools required, and what products people are using. I would really like to avoid a visit to a Lexus Dealership.

Also, does anyone know if the 2005 RX330 has a timing belt or timing chain as the manual indicates the timing belt needs to be replaced at 144 000 kms

Thanks for everyone's assistance in advance,

Are you sure about the prop shaft lube requirement for the RX? In the US the RX shares a owners manual supplement with the LX-470. It states that the prop shaft lube is only for the LX-470 not the RX.

thanks for the advice the Canadian manual states the RX prop shaft needs to be lubricated. I guess I'll need to go to the dealer to sort this problem out. Since I bought my lexus used everytime I go into the dealership I get treated like a second-class citizen

[BobQ Tampa]

RE: propeller (drive) shaft

See www.box.net/shared/o55c5697lt and read the file on propeller shaft. This belongs to gabap, one of the forums frequent posters.

It is a 3 part system with 3 spider joints (I always called them u-joints) and what looks like a CV joint. Typically a spider joint has a grease fitting on it. Add grease till the seals start to bulge (if there is a grease fitting). The CV joint should be good for life.

RE: Interference engine.

I did a good bit of searching and pondering. While a master tech is an excellent source what I missed was a reference to the factory tech manual. Since you have a good contact would you mind confirming the source of his information? Is it Toyota/Lexus shop manual, Personal inspection or other.

If anyone has an AllDataDIY account for the RX-330 3MZ-FE (VVTi) please see if the section on timing belt replacement has a large caution stating it is an Interference Engine and post here please with the yea or nay. A goggle search provided a lot of statements that the engine is an Interference design but there was also much about the 1MZ-FE (not VVTi) being the same and I know that not to be true, thus I’m looking for source data. Till I get some hard data I’ll go with Mickey00’s input but …

[newtoncd]

He said factory manual. When I had ours replaced on our '04 RX330 (preventive @ ~90K), the shop said it was a good preventative measure due to the fact it was an interference engine; that is why I originally questioned what kind of engine it was. After we were chatting, I then contacted my Toyota master tech friend to confirm.