'99 LX470 would this engine be a concern?

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flintknapper

flintknapper

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Looking at a 1999 LX470 with 185,000 miles on it.

Found this service history on it:

COMPLETE C.S. HEAR NOISE FROM BELT AND NOW CAR WILL NOT START - 157837 500 UPON INSPECTION FOUND TIMING BELT OFF TIME AND SHREDDED AS WELL AND BOTH SERPENTINE BELT AND TIMING BELT TENSIONERS SEIZED AND CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR DAMAGED FROM TIMING BELT R AND R CRANK TIMING BELT PULLEY BOTH BELT TENSIONERS BOTH BELTS AND PERFORM VISUAL VEHICLE INSPECTION AND REPORT - 157837 miles PERFORMED VEHICLE INSPECTION.

There is quite a bit of good service history for this vehicle but apparently.... the timing belt had never been replaced (Toyota recommends every 90K miles).

The 'repair' (after the fact) seems appropriate...all affected parts replaced and the engine now has an additional 30k on it since the repair.

Question: Would you consider this engine to be O.K. at this point or is it an automatic No-go?

I don't see that the water pump was replaced at the same time, which should have been done while they were in there. Also an aftermarket starter has been installed at 65K

Thank you for any advice. I am not too familiar with the 2UZ engine.

Flint.
 
I'd not worry about the engine. We've had many accounts here in mud of the none VVTi engine (pre 2006) belts breaking without issue. The aftermarket starter can be replace with a new or rebuilt OEM any time. Most replace water pumps when doing T-belt, but they can go for 100's of thousands of miles if properly cared for. Just check weep hole under harmonic balancer for coolant leak.

Look for rust (don't buy rust), body, paint, interior, any major accidents. If not properly maintained there can be a lot of work that needs done, which I consider fun to work on, but that me. If you must pay someone to work on for you, then it's best to buy well maintained, and maintained by a 100 series pro not just any shop mechanic.
 
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Are they discounting it appropriately for having such a "catastrophic" blemish on its service history? I wouldn't worry about it, 30K miles since the repair would be proof enough for me...but I also wouldn't pay the same amount I would for one with a clean history. They should take a hit on price for delaying routine maintenance for 60K and shredding the belt on what is "technically" an interference engine.
 
labcab said:
Are they discounting it appropriately for having such a "catastrophic" blemish on its service history? I wouldn't worry about it, 30K miles since the repair would be proof enough for me...but I also wouldn't pay the same amount I would for one with a clean history. They should take a hit on price for delaying routine maintenance for 60K and shredding the belt on what is "technically" an interference engine.
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I don't think they know about the incident. It isn't 'detailed' in the CarFax I ran on it. I happened to discover it when I ran it through LexusOwners maintenance records. And no....it is not discounted....but the asking price I feel certain is negotiable.

IF the technician's notes are accurate...I am wondering if the tensioner/idlers were actually 'seized' or if that was just his description of items needing replacement. I can see if the water pump were leaking how that might affect things, but no mention of the pump being replaced is in the service record.

My inclination....would be to pull the covers and inspect everything.
 
How can I run a vin through that????
 
I've actually found histories back to the first oil change. But, it has to have been serviced at a Toyota dealership for a LC, or Lexus for a LX. I also found some dealers are very skimpy on notes, others are thorough like the note above.
 
Exactly. There are service records from three different dealerships on this vehicle. Two are quite detailed, the other not any better than CarFax (I.E.) "Serviced".
 
I can register and run a vehicle I don't own yet?
 
You really should have it inspected. It's hard to say just off the report but it would throw up flags for further research.
 
WatchTimes said:
You really should have it inspected. It's hard to say just off the report but it would throw up flags for further research.
Click to expand...

(From the report)....it sounds like the timing belt skipped a cog or two and was 'mis-timed' but also partially 'shredded' taking out the cam position sensor which would cause the 'No-Start' condition.

I would be more concerned if the belt had broken (under power) since the possibility of bent valves would exist. The engine has gone 30,000 miles since the repair. That sort of suggests it is O.K. but I know of no easy way to test for bent valves.

IF I purchase it....I will go into the front of the engine and replace the water pump since I see no record of that being done. Check the cam seals for leaks, etc...

One other thing I noticed....is the that the vehicle appears (per records) to have been completely repainted.

A little research there turns up the color (Smokey Topaz Mica) is known to have 'fading' issues and I see a customer complaint about that. In 2003 (if I am reading the report correctly) it was repainted. The current condition of the paint looks very good.
 
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