2004 Rx330 Timing Belt Question

[tritri]

I just bought a 2004 RX330 with 61k miles, and due for 72 month/90k miles service that neeeds timing belt/water pump change, and dealer quoted $1835, I have several questions:

1. Do I need to change timing belt at 72month although it is not 90k miles yet?

2. What if I wait for timing belt to break and then change it? I read on gates.com the 3MZ-FE engine is non-interference engine, but someone tells here it is interference engine, not sure who to trust. Can anyone help?

3. Should I change the water pump with timing belt, it means $500 extra; timing belt only is $1335.

4. Wonder if I could take it to an independpend shop or toyota dealer to change timing belt.

[code58]

I just bought a 2004 RX330 with 61k miles, and due for 72 month/90k miles service that neeeds timing belt/water pump change, and dealer quoted $1835, I have several questions:

1. Do I need to change timing belt at 72month although it is not 90k miles yet?

2. What if I wait for timing belt to break and then change it? I read on gates.com the 3MZ-FE engine is non-interference engine, but someone tells here it is interference engine, not sure who to trust. Can anyone help?

3. Should I change the water pump with timing belt, it means $500 extra; timing belt only is $1335.

4. Wonder if I could take it to an independpend shop or toyota dealer to change timing belt.

tritri- You have asked the question and I will give you one mans opinion- you will get others. I have done all of that on my DIL's '99RX and I personally wouldn't worry about any of those things at this point. T/L uses some of the finest parts I have ever seen in a lifetime of working on cars. I replaced the T/B on her car at 97k mi, thinking it was way overdue and discovered the original belt looked like it had 20k mi on it. I did replace the W/P, idler pulley and tensioner pulley at about 130k mi trying to find a small squall. I got rid of the squall but upon cutting all of the parts apart to inspect their condition, they all looked new (not kidding) except for the tensioner pulley. All 3 were as smooth as silk but the tensioner pulley was bone dry of grease. (all bearings are sealed) It still was smooth as silk and no sign of damage but I'm sure the dry bearing was what was making the noise, which was only for a little while at start. If you wait for the belt to break (which I wouldn't recommend) you'll be waiting a long time. I only remember 2 people who ever CLAIMED to have had a T/B break, and when questioned a little about the details, neither ever responded- so to me the claims are in question. There are those that have gone to close to 200k mi without any breakage, and I am not surprised. When you decide to have the work done, a Toyota dealer should be able to do the work, and for a lot less than a Lexus. Your money, spend as you wish, but you have the straight scoop from one lifetime mechanic. Good Luck!

By the way, I replaced ALL of those parts with ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT parts bought online for $184. In my opinion there is a HUGE amount of profit built into that estimate, even for a Lexus dealer. Just noticed that that is only W/P and T/B. Sorry, but that is INSANE! Where in Ca. are you?

[tritri]

Thank you very much for your detailed reply, that is really helpful. I live in orange county, and I went to Tustin Lexus, where the former owner did the maintenance.

I know there is another "elmore toyota" nearby with special timing belt change for $269, I will ask if they will change Lexus(I know the Lexus is the same 3MZ-FE engine as highlander).

I can only do simple fluid change(did transmission/power steering/brake/coolant) for my Corolla before, and I believe I can handle the lexus, too. But I can't really handle the engine job, even a spark plug change, so I will have them done by shop.

I will shop around and may wait till 80k miles to do the belt change, my wife drive the car, normally it is only 5k miles a year since she stays home.

Thanks a million.

[newtoncd]

I had ours done at an independent (it had 91K on it) and it was around $450 including timing belt, water pump, serpentine belt (OEM parts).

But, do keep in mind, the 04 RX330 is an interference engine, so I wouldn't wait for the belt to break. A friend of mine that is a Toyota tech said he recommends around 105-110K on our 3.3L V6.

YMMV.

[mylife1903]

i have done all today. change time belt and water pump. original toyota time belt and water pump bought in kazahstan for 250$ and work costs 100$. you have to change water pump with timing belt. sorry for bad english

[tritri]

Well an update of my status after so many years:

My 2004 RX330 finally reaching close to 90K miles after another 4 years. I found a reputable independent mechanic(who worked at Lexus dealer before), and paid $1K for all timing belt related stuff.

1. Timing belt.

2. Water pump.

3. cam seal(2)

4. crank seal

5. tensioner roller(2)

6. tensioner

7. drive belt (2)

Surprisingly after almost 10 years on the car with 90K miles, all the belt are almost completely NEW, NO ANY CRACKS. Lexus/Toyota really put good stuff on the car, and I will only buy Lexus or Toyota for my future cars.

Now I keep my car for anther 5 or 6 years before considering selling!!!!

[JudyAA]

I have a 2004 RX330 so there's much I can tell you. First, I was told by two former Lexus mechanics that the timing belt is NOT interference. Supposedly, I had mine changed at 90K, along with the water pump by a nonLexus mechanic in Chantilly, VA. Another former longtime Lexus mechanic recently changed the drive belts and told me it looked as if my timing belt was never changed because the bolts that would need to be removed for access to the belt had no impressions in them (and removing them would leave impressions). When I looked at the itemized receipt from the 90K maintenance, lo and behold, no timing belt was listed under parts in spite of the job being listed as one the jobs to complete. Sadly, there are lots of disreputable mechanics.

IF the belt was never replaced, that means mine has lasted over 150K miles. I plan to trade in the car soon, so if it breaks, I'll have it towed.

Here's something interesting. I'm shopping for a newer RX and if you look at the 2011 maintenance schedule on the Lexus website, timing belt isnt even listed. Is it "lifetime"? Is it one of those things that doesn't need replacing till it leaks/breaks/look worn during an inspection? I can tell you, I still have the original shocks on my '04 and have been told that they don't need to be replaced unless leaking.

[1990LS400]

Toyota has been phasing in timing chains over the last decade or so. Based on what I seeing on the Toyota website, it look like their last vehicle with a timing belt was in the 2007 model year.

[lenore]

Actually the RX400h has a timing belt and was last produced in 2008...Yes the 3.5 liter engine is a timing chain. As for the reference to interference engine in the RX330 it is definetly interference and the Lexus mechanics quote saying it is not is not true. With the introduction of VVTi technology on the Toyota engine from 1999 thru 2008 the engines are all interference. There is no such thing as lifetime on anything. Shocks do wear, timing chains do stretch, and transmission fluids do become contaminated. Life time is a sales pitch to say no maintenance cost. Buyer beware.

[Jimmylee1000]

Lenore, lifetime parts and lubrication certainly do exist. If you consider the life a car to be 300,000 miles, and you assume an average speed of 30 MPH over the life of the car, that's only 10,000 operating hours. That's 416 operating days. That's only 1.15 years. I worked an an engineer in a refinery where we ran everything 24/7. I can assure you we had belts, chains, bearings, that EASILY ran 1.15 years with zero attention. We had things run five times that with zero maintenance.

[lenore]

I personally consider that lifetime on a Toyota product is around 500k miles. As for your theory would probably be great if the car ran 30mph constantly, but the stop and go creates gear lash etc. It also depends on the specs on the equipment, as some is specked to fail earlier (cheaper) and other products can run for a very long time do to the specs on the metals, tolerances, etc. Cars do not live in an ideal environment, and consequently will have failure do to outside environments. Pot holes, rough roads, dirty conditions, slow and stop and go situations (commutes) all contribute to wear and tear. I can guarantee cars are generally not made to last forever, yes they are better than yesteryear, but still have issues with these conditions. I know of some old Mercedes engines that have gone 500k to 1 million miles with very few failures, but those generally were diesels.

[Jimmylee1000]

I personally consider that lifetime on a Toyota product is around 500k miles. As for your theory would probably be great if the car ran 30mph constantly, but the stop and go creates gear lash etc. It also depends on the specs on the equipment, as some is specked to fail earlier (cheaper) and other products can run for a very long time do to the specs on the metals, tolerances, etc. Cars do not live in an ideal environment, and consequently will have failure do to outside environments. Pot holes, rough roads, dirty conditions, slow and stop and go situations (commutes) all contribute to wear and tear. I can guarantee cars are generally not made to last forever, yes they are better than yesteryear, but still have issues with these conditions. I know of some old Mercedes engines that have gone 500k to 1 million miles with very few failures, but those generally were diesels.

Even at 500,000 miles (insanely high, even for a Toyota), it's still only about 2 years equivalent operating time. Trust me when I tell you that we had very severe services in the oil refinery where bearings, seals, belts, sheaves, and other things went much longer than that with no problem. My point is this: You said there is no such thing as lifetime on anything. But it is absolutely possible, and credible, to have some components last the lifetime of the car with zero maintenance. So when they tell me that a bearing or fluid doesn't need changed, I believe them. The operating time is low, and the severity of service is nothing compared to that in an oil refinery.

[lenore]

However if you read their maintenance book carefully there are clauses that state severe duty over rides the lifetime maintenance schedules. And one of those is extreme climate (we have very hot summers here) and stop and go commutes which we also experience. You have to remember that the oil industry like military standards require more stringent standards for parts. They are expected to go at least 150% of normal, whereas a car manufacturer wants their products to decline for sales, and they also engineer quite well, but the bean counters get in there and try to cut cost by using cheaper parts which generally equate to higher failures.

[kartdude]

On 6/10/2015 at 10:17 PM, lenore said:

I personally consider that lifetime on a Toyota product is around 500k miles. As for your theory would probably be great if the car ran 30mph constantly, but the stop and go creates gear lash etc. It also depends on the specs on the equipment, as some is specked to fail earlier (cheaper) and other products can run for a very long time do to the specs on the metals, tolerances, etc. Cars do not live in an ideal environment, and consequently will have failure do to outside environments. Pot holes, rough roads, dirty conditions, slow and stop and go situations (commutes) all contribute to wear and tear. I can guarantee cars are generally not made to last forever, yes they are better than yesteryear, but still have issues with these conditions. I know of some old Mercedes engines that have gone 500k to 1 million miles with very few failures, but those generally were diesels.

I totally agree here on your comments. Lifetime warranty is a very broad statement. Just use some common sense on what you

are considering on parts replacement. Everything wears out at some point, or at least gets out of tolarence. 

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by kartdude