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When To Replace Timing Belt, Etc.


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i was able to wait till 170,000 miles before i paid to have the big timing belt maintenance. i was told by a mechanic that what usually happens is the water pump bearing freezes up & then the belts fry. he said to wait until you see a antifreeze leak on your garage floor that comes from the front of the motor. this means the water pump seals are going out & coolant leaks out through the weep hole on the pump. this is when you have the work done. have them replace the timing belts,water pump, and idler pulleys.

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It is highly recommended that you replace the timing belt and water pump every 60,000 miles or so.

Waiting until it breaks is not a good idea for the following reason:

Say you're on the freeway when the water pump goes out.

You're not aware of this and you're just driving along.

When the water pump is not circulating coolant through the engine, it only takes a few minutes for the engine to overheat.

Now if you notice the temp gauge go up and pull over, well you'll just have to be towed and the job done.

Worst case scenario: You don't notice the temp gauge go up OR it malfunctions and your engine gets so hot, it seizes.

This will cost you a full engine rebuild.

Your choice, but I recommend doing the service every 60-80K miles

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It is highly recommended that you replace the timing belt and water pump every 60,000 miles or so.

Waiting until it breaks is not a good idea for the following reason:

Say you're on the freeway when the water pump goes out.

You're not aware of this and you're just driving along.

When the water pump is not circulating coolant through the engine, it only takes a few minutes for the engine to overheat.

Now if you notice the temp gauge go up and pull over, well you'll just have to be towed and the job done.

Worst case scenario: You don't notice the temp gauge go up OR it malfunctions and your engine gets so hot, it seizes.

This will cost you a full engine rebuild.

Your choice, but I recommend doing the service every 60-80K miles

you are correct about the freeway or far from home problem for sure. in my situation i only drive my 92 sc400 about 5000 miles a year and don't get very far from home so i took the gamble & it paid off. i will keep your advice in mind when i consider the timing belt maintenance on our 03 lx 470 that we take on 2000 mile trips. that kind of breakdown would be a nightmare of a problem on a long road trip.

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I just bought my 92 sc300 (110000 miles) a month ago and I noticed the other day a brown stain which looked like it was splatered all over by the fan. I asked some freinds and they have told me that it was the coolant. Now the debate is were the leak is coming from, I assumed it was from the radiator hose but somebody else also told me that it was my water pump. The dealer said (no paper work) all the maintenance was done (timing belt, waterpump etc.) So is this sign that none of these maintenances have been addressed? The collant level was also very low, I replinshed it a week ago and I havent seen too much change in the level and the temp. has always been normal. So do I need to do the maintenance asap?

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I just bought my 92 sc300 (110000 miles) a month ago and I noticed the other day a brown stain which looked like it was splatered all over by the fan. I asked some freinds and they have told me that it was the coolant. Now the debate is were the leak is coming from, I assumed it was from the radiator hose but somebody else also told me that it was my water pump. The dealer said (no paper work) all the maintenance was done (timing belt, waterpump etc.) So is this sign that none of these maintenances have been addressed? The collant level was also very low, I replinshed it a week ago and I havent seen too much change in the level and the temp. has always been normal. So do I need to do the maintenance asap?

the coolant leak areas i have had on my sc 400 over the years have been from the tank seal on the radiator(radiator then replaced),rubber hose on the back of the thermostat neck(hose replaced),the antifreeze reservoir had a crack(reservoir replaced) and then the coolant coming through the weep hole on the water pump when the pump was failing.

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Lexus T-belt need to replace every 90k miles not 60k. And i wouldn't wait until you see coolant coming out the water pump, What kind of mechanic is this guy? For those of you that have the VTT-i engine, if the t-belts breaks your valves will bend(except on V6).

JPI

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he meant if it was a V-6 then belt snapping would not harm your valves. hondas do that too, if t-belt snaps the pistons will hit the valves. i bought my sc400 at 110,000 and no maintenance ever been done to it except for oil changes and so on. the belt looked like it was about to snap, so i would agree 90k mi is best.

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the only way to check the timing belt is to take of the cover. the one that says v-8 on it, should be 5-12mm bolts each side. the belt is op the cam gear, dont worry, you'll know it whehn you see it.

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