landar

Its 90k miles or 72 months = 6 years. I just changed the T belt on my 98 last fall at 94k miles and almost 12 years. The belt looked somewhat worn but still had more life. It certainly did not look as if it were on the verge of snapping. The Lexus tech told me to just wait for 90k miles since they have never seen a broken belt on an LS. Many times, it is not the belt so much as the water pump that goes and takes the belt with it. My opinion (which does not count for much, mind you) is that if the antifreeze has been changed on schedule (it keeps the pump happy) and the car has not been abused (hot rodded or severe duty), wait until 90k miles. Then change the belt, pump and pulleys together. If you fear disaster as you stated, then go ahead and have it replaced. You may sleep better. I never lost a wink worrying about mine. After all, its a Toyota. What could go wro... wait a minute. :D

I have been thinking about changing the original plugs in my 98 sometime this spring but with 96k miles on them and the report from Jim, maybe I should wait. The engine runs great and the gas mileage is way up there. The only concern I have with plugs (in general, not on a Lexus) is that I had heard horror stories of the threads "welding" into place in the head if not periodically removed. Probably an old wive' s tale.

Thanks for the reply. I'll start tearing it apart this weekend, again :cries: Look for some simple things too. Like the distributor caps/rotors and wires. Maybe something is not quite right in that department. It is not uncommon for those items to give problems after being disturbed. Double check vacuum lines, sensor connectors (and connections). Hopefully, you changed the caps/rotors while you were in there?

I do not believe there is any way to check other than removing the cam pulley covers to inspect the marks on the pulleys themselves. The mark has a slight indentation that you should be able to find. Then you can re-mark it with some paint or something. I would think that running rough because of cam timing would throw a code. What year do you have?

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...r+console\ I had to do a quick search (hint, hint) ;)

Yes. Definitely get a list of parts that will be replaced. Here is list of parts (with cost) that I recently replaced. All parts are OEM Toyota from the Lexus dealer, except for the serpentine belt which is a Gates. 1) Belt, timing $41.86 p/n 13568-09070 2) Pump, water $114.46 p/n 16100-59275-83 (comes with gasket) 3) Idler #2 $71.06 p/n 13503-0F010 4) Idler #1 $70.76 p/n 13505-0F010 5) Tensioner $44.93 p/n 13540-50030 6) Thermostat $15.19 p/n 90916-03100 (later 1998 models, earlier require different) 7) T/S gasket $4.46 p/n 16325-62010 8) Antifreeze $18.19 per gallon (x2 = $36.38) p/n 00272-1LLAC-01 9) O-ring $2.63 p/n 96761-24019 10) Serp. belt $49 Gates(NAPA) Total cost: $450.73

Pat...I do not know how you are testing the battery and coming up with 12.4v and 75% charge. A 12v battery is fully charged when it has, well, 12v. If you have the engine turned off and are checking the voltage, then anything around 12v is normal. Start it up and the alternator should charge it around 13.5 to 14v (+/-). You really do not want the charging to go much north of 14v or it will begin 'cooking' the cells by overcharging. More is not always better. The charging voltage should hold fairly steady if the regulator is working as designed. To get a feel for how the battery is doing, I sometimes check the voltage at the battery (w/o the engine running) and turn the headlights on. This puts a decent load on the battery and it will drop down to 12v or perhaps a bit under (11.9v). What I am looking for is the droop over time. It should hold close to 12v for at least 10-15 minutes or more, depending upon size of battery, condition of battery and temperature. The voltage WILL steadily drop, one millivolt at a time but should not go under, say 11.5 volts over this time period. In other words, a good battery with the right capacity for your car should be able to start the engine even if the headlights are left on for 10 minutes. Another thing to check are the battery connections themselves. Do the same test as above (engine off, headlights on). Move the voltmeter probes from directly on the battery posts to directly on the cable clamps. There should NOT be any difference, otherwise you have a connection (resistance) issue that needs to be cleaned. And it does not take much resistance to impede flow to the starter when it is demanding over 100 amps at startup.

For starters, you need to check into it in much more detail. This is way too low of a price for a T-belt replacement, especially from the dealer. Usually, upon further investigation, it turns out that they meant the serpentine (accessory) belt. In which case, $475 is way too high.

If the alternators test good, why is Autozone giving you new ones as replacements? And when the alternator "goes out" what are the symptoms? Alt light? Dead battery? ...late to the party...did you save me some cake? :P

Well, maybe the 2003's don't delay the shift but on my 98 LS400, the transmission delays shifing from 2nd to 3rd until the RPMs hit 2500. But this is only when cold and only for the very first 2->3 shift. It is that way to allow for proper warmup. Oh, another thing I need to warn you about. Owning a Lexus 'may' turn you into a hyper-critical car owner, expecting perfection from your machine. Hey, after all it is a Lexus. Yeah, but still engineered by human beings. So, try to ignore the small quirks and just enjoy the ride!

If it is 1500 RPM's then yes, totally normal. It will even do that in the summer. Just a cold engine. Now, wait until you discover the delayed shift when cold. ;) Congrats on the purchase and welcome

Vincent, this subject has been covered a lot of times. Just do a search on timing belts. Technically, you should have the belt changed based on going over the time limit(I believe it is 72 months or 90K miles). However, many go on mileage only and are fine. Personally, if I were in your situation, I would not lose a wink's worth of sleep waiting until 90k miles to have it changed. It is really up to you and your pocket book to mull over and decide.

Yes. Exactly. Nice paint jobs do NOT come cheaply. Certainly not for $500. The materials for a nice paint job alone can cost some serious bucks. Not $500. If you take a careful look at the factory paint job on a Lexus, you will notice that it is far better than say, your average Ford, Chevy or Chrysler. Much less orange peel, and more shine/luster which means much better paint, clear coat and workmanship. And these things "aint" cheap. The $15k is not out of line for a nice, factory comparable paint job.

Well, its a long trip from IN to TX but if you buy the beer, I might be willing. ;)

Congrats on the purchase. You will love this car. I see your car has around 175k miles on her. Just curious...at what mileage was the timing belt replaced?

On the antifreeze leak, there are a variety of potential causes, a leaking head gasket being least likely. Could be the power steering vacuum sucking it in, the heater control valve leaking, the reservoir leaking, etc. If you see white smoke at WOT, then its the PS issue.

Mine does something similar but it never seemed a problem to me. Usually, in the winter months, the floor vents(mostly) blow warm air. Summer is "in my face" with A/C, which is fine with me. In the winter, as it warms up (the controls are on "auto"), it might begin blowing both floor and front. You can manually override the air flow(mode) and direct out the floor only if you prefer. If bothered by the front air, you could just re-direct the vents or close them(partially/fully) off.

wuzzy..I would not think the alt has much to do with the odo not working, as long as the charging system is working properly(it is, isn't it?). The connector into the alt. provides the field coil current for regulation. You most likely bumped or disturbed another connection while working on the alt. Or it is pure coincidence and a sensor has failed. I am a bit perplexed as to why the odo would not work, yet the speedometer works? Please clarify. Also, what year do you own?

Sorry for the non-help reply. If you already have the paint and a little time on your hands, consider borrowing a compressor and gun and painting it yourself. So what if you mess some of it up. Redo it. Think of the experience you will gain and the satisfaction when it is finally done. You might even strike a deal to rent a paint booth. If not, a clean garage at home will work. Take a picture of you car and post it. I would like to see what the existing paint looks like. Thanks.

"Decent" does not fit in the same sentence as $500. Would not even cover materials.

Yeah, it was just a joke (perhaps a bad one). Jim is much appreciated as are you EUBT (as well as many others). On an earlier post, I ask 1990 where he got his info and he replied that he "made it up".

And all this time I thought you were "making it up"? ;) Thanks for the link!

What no longer works...the motor or outlet? What kind of motor did you plug into the outlet?

Thanks for posting that TSB, eatingup. That is exactly what my brakes are doing (clicking). I wanted to post but it seemed rather frivolous(if that is possible with a Lex). I did not associate it with a change in direction but it fits. Will give the grease a try. BTW, what/where do you subscribe to get the TSB's? Or are you not telling? :whistles:

EUBT also has a good suggestion in that other post about bleeding out the fluid when compressing the piston rather than sending it on up the line. I had never thought of that but going to try it when I do the rear brakes this spring after the ice thaws. (Mike...I am envious of your weather right now).