Timming belt question.
 

Hi guys. Since this is an OT board, I guess it's ok for me to ask question about my Lexus. It's a 2000 ES300, has 110k miles now. Someone told me that it has timming belt and must be replaced at 100k. If not, I am taking a very big risk. And when replace the belt, I need to replace water pump and something else, (the package) cost around $700 bucks. Are these all true? Or what is the least I can do?
Thanks.

Sounds reasonable to me. That's par for the course for any interference engine that has a waterpump driven by the timing belt.

928s are the same setup.

If you take a chance and skimp you could very well end up with a 3500lb paperweight, and one that will cost a HELL of a lot more to fix than $700.00

But i would suggest you find a lexus site and ask for details.

Lexus site is useless. I asked a simple question about headlight with no response after months. Another question about high idle, the reponse was "did you change plugs?" They are not into mechanical and DIY, I guess, since the car doesn't have anything for you to fix/modify.
BTW, do you know if replacing timming belt and water pump involved much?
Thanks.

I believe your engine is a NON-interference engine (but you may want to check to be sure). So if the belt breaks, your engine will simply stop running, and won't be damaged.

(Of course, having your engine suddenly stop running can put you in a dangerous situation if you are in traffic, etc.).

You don't need to replace the water pump when you do the belt, but it isn't an expensive part, and it is right there when you do the belt. So most do it because it is basically little or no extra labor cost. If you don't do it, and the water pump goes out next year, it's a decent amount of labor to replace it (several hundred $$). If you are really tight on money, tho, you could skip the water pump and hope for the best. It will probably last several more years.

$700 seems about right. It's a decent amount of labor.

yeah, $700 seems about right, especially since it's a twin cam v6...

Yes, it's a major job to do a T-belt on any car.

That being said, it's also a job any typical DIY'er can do on almost anything.

IF it's non interference you dont have to worry about it- just change it when it breaks. But MAKE SURE it's non-interference before you make that decision.

The Toyota VZ engine is indeed a NON- INTERFERENCE engine. The belt will start to degrade at about 120,000 miles.

You are likely due for a change based on time and mileage. Look for an independent shop to do it cheaper.

If the Lexus forum isn't helpful, why not try a Toyota forum? Drivetrain would be the same

Do the water pump at the same time.

As stated earlier, it needs to come off to do the belt. It's cheap insurance to do it at the same time.

If you go to google and type this in lexus es300 timing belt you will find all your answers

I recently looked at a Toyota truck motor and at first thought the whole front of the engine had to come off to get to the belt(s?). Then I saw that the covers might come off at each head so that you could hang a belt in there from the side. Is that correct?

http://yotarepair.com/1FZ-ME_timingbelt.html

Looks to be the same procedure as the older 3VZE engines. I know for a fact that the 3VZE were non-interferences (all Toyota engines with belts were non, all with chains were). I cannot see them changing this basic thing after 1994 or so (how anyone can build an engine otherwise is beyond me).

For my 3VZE (and for the OP's engine) you remove 3 or 4 covers, which then exposes the entire belt-train. 2 or 3 idlers hold the belt tension. You would not be able to get the belt mounted without having full access to the crank pulley, so the covers gotta come off. They're plastic, about 20 small bolts total, actually pretty clean and easy.

Thanks guys. I will search. BTW... once I and my friend did the head on my old MB 560SEL. After we took it out, we couldn't get it back in right for days. After it went in, we found out that we need to get the engine and head to TDC. Basically, we had to take it off again to learn about TDC since we removed the timing chain without seting the engine to TDC and took off the head and messed with all the valves and cam shafts, etc.
Do I have to wory about this with this Lexus car, when removing timing belt?
Thanks.

Yes.


You need a new belt, new waterpump, new idler pulley, new tensioner, new seals, new gaskets. Yes, there should be a single standard kit for all of that. You won't need new pulleys unless you've been in an accident or something.

You'll WANT the spanner wrench to remove the cam pulleys, but it can be done without one. To remove the crankshaft bolt, get a 3/4 inch breaker bar and socket (22mm I think?). Pull the coil wire. Put socket on bolt, breaker bar pinned against the ground/frame. Crank engine for a second, it'll break the bolt loose (otherwise, you're looking at a 600+ ft/lb impact gun crammed in there)

With any car, when you removing the timing belt or chain, the relationship between the crank and the cams must be maintained.

Not sure on the toyota, but often there is a tool or device available to lock the cams in place. as long as you don't turn the engine over (like cranking the starter or something), the crank is not going to move.

so, in most basic terms, you lock down the cams, loosen the tensioners, replace the belt (and usually the idler and any other bearings and tensioners), and retension it.

people often put the engine at Top Dead Center on the #1 cylinder, just in case the cams somehow turn while the belt is off. There are usually TDC marks on the crank pulley and the cams, so it would be easy to realign them.

Oh!!

Is your VVT-i? I think so, and if so, it's interference. They decked the heads to change some combustion chamber parameters when they went to VVT-i, and that made the engine interference. That means that you CAN crush the valves if the belt goes, and you CAN damage things if you're not careful while disassembling/reassembling the engine.

The cams and crank pulleys are marked, you align the marks vertically and put the belt on. I don't know of (nor was it in the factory manual) and service tool to freeze the cams in place while the belt is off.

... and I have to do the same when reinstalling to tight it up to the similar torque?

Another question on parts. I did a quick search and found too many parts available. Some belt is going for $38 bucks, while some at $89 dollars. Is belt a belt or it worth the peace of mind to go to dealer?

Look like I am having a big Lexus/Toyota proj. comming.
Thank you everyone very much.