2001 Lexus ES300 timing belt advice

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
$300 for the entire job ?


Are you sure? At a Lexus dealer that would be an oil change..
LOL.gif



When the water pump on my 1999 Toyota Camry started seeping the dealer charged $650 just for that item alone.
crazy2.gif
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Paul56
Originally Posted By: PT1
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
$300 for the entire job ?


Are you sure? At a Lexus dealer that would be an oil change..
LOL.gif



When the water pump on my 1999 Toyota Camry started seeping the dealer charged $650 just for that item alone.
crazy2.gif




With Westcoast dealerships typically charging over 100bux/hr on labour, it's not that difficult to reap up to 650 parts+labour.

Q.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
...The engine is not an interference type, so this one is a good engine to learn timing belt service on. ...


The 2001 IS an interference engine. The older non-vvt-i (variable valve timing with intelligence)1mzfe's are non interference.

I did my 2000 ES300 vvt-i timing belt just fine, but the hardest part was the crank bolt. An air impact gun would not take it off. Only cranking the starter just a touch with a breaker bar/socket attached to the bolt would do it. I did not remove the spark plugs either. That's a whole nuther headache which doesn't need to be added to the t-belt. You have to remove the exhust manifold, and wires & brackets to do that. If your front bank of plugs (the easy ones)look good, chances are your rear bank of plugs are good.

Getting the bolt tighted up was easier. I used the impact gun which did not spin the crank, and used threadlocker on the bolt.
 
Done! I did not remove the cam sprockets or idler pulleys as the factory manual suggests. Instead, I checked the idler bearings as best I could by feel. A dental mirror was used to check for leaks around the cam seals. Using the OE Lexus belt made the job somewhat easier because the belt has timing marks stamped on it. The job took about 4 hours and wasn't too bad.
 
Originally Posted By: flanso
Done! I did not remove the cam sprockets or idler pulleys as the factory manual suggests. Instead, I checked the idler bearings as best I could by feel. A dental mirror was used to check for leaks around the cam seals. Using the OE Lexus belt made the job somewhat easier because the belt has timing marks stamped on it. The job took about 4 hours and wasn't too bad.

Could someone please explain to me why it's beneficial to have timing marks on the belt itself?

In auto class, I was taught to line up the cam sprockets and the crankshaft with the corresponding marks, install the timing belt, then set the tensioner. Why would the orientation of the timing belt matter if the cam sprockets and the crankshaft was lined up at the correct marks?

Thanks.
 
I agree with that, but even the Gates belt that I installed on my 1MZFE had the timing marks on it, and those marks are completely off after one revolution. I went by the marks on the cam sprockets & crank.
 
What I don't like about TBs is it another high matenance item cost wise. My Suby dealer wanted $600 that included a WP. and although the interval is 105,000 miles it is still a big piece of change. I did it myself with OEM dealer parts for ~ $150 and 2 hours of my time. I loved the sound of the roller timing chain in my Saab at 205,000 miles.
 
The belt on the 1MZ-FE is quite long and when you install the new belt, it is difficult to tell if there is an extra tooth of slack between sprockets. Having marks on the belt resolves that uncertainty. Ocrstar is correct the marks on the belt no longer align with the marks on the pulley and sprockets after the engine is turned over. After that, the marks on the crank pulley, and the two cam sprockets must align with the marks on the casting behind, without regard to the marks on the belt, on every other engine revolution.
 
You did right when you bought the Toyota belt. I have tried the Gates belt before, and besides being stiffer and thicker than the OEM (which makes it harder to stay in place) the marks on that belt were off. As you point out, there is a way to put that belt on that seems right but it isn't. You are off by one tooth. You gotta almost stretch the belt to get it on that back sprocket the right way.

The Gates belt had the marks off ever so slightly but it was enough that there was NO WAY you could get it onto the engine! No way, no how that line could fall into the sprocket. I took that belt back to NAPA and bought an OEM belt which went on fine.

I've changed the timing belt on 1MZ-FE engines about 10 times. I've got it down now where I can get the old one off in about an hour which isn't bad.

On that idler pulley though (there are two of them), my upper one failed at about 150,000 miles. It made a knocking sound at a certain RPM that sounded like rod knock. I didn't replace them at the first timing belt change, so I had to change out the replacement a little early. No big deal but I would suggest (as does my local dealer) that you change the pulleys every time. It's an added expense for sure but they do fail. It gets hot under that cover.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top