I’m a timing belt whiner

[87warrior]

I wouldn't trust any shop within 150 miles to touch my 100, let alone the timing belt, so I did it myself. I plan to do it again here in a few years and expect it to take 1/2 a day in the garage... but that is still a few years down the road. Luckily I have a rusty, yet reliable, 35 year old Jeep to drive if I hit a snag working on the 100.

The biggest frustration I had doing the timing belt was threading two bolts into the end of the harmonic balancer for the balancer holder.

 

[GTV]

If I found someone I could trust for a reasonable rate, I might consider letting them at it. I really do like knowing how this machine of mine ticks though so when a too cheap to pass up ‘03 Sequoia fell into my lap earlier this year that needed a timing belt (and bunch of of other work) I felt like it would be good practice before I have to do it to my 100. I spent 3 weeks off and on (took it slow, needed to order more parts, etc.) but I’m confident that I could pull it off in a day now.

 

[2001LC]

I kind of like doing Timing belt server. Gives me a break, from the front-end work I do so often.

I typically take 4 to 5 days. Can be done in 2 days!

Most times I recommend coolant service and tune-up at same time. Which may add a day or so.
Having all parts on hand is key these days, as I see parts backlog, shipping damage & delays all to often.

Day:
1) Disassembly, and restore face of block pitting under water pump gasket with FIPG 1282B, and let cure overnight.
2) Order any parts found needed, that arent on hand. Clean and restore parts and assemble to point of water inlet housing (FIPG 1282 B) and let cure, before adding coolant!
3) Complete assembly, tune, add coolant, test drive and inspect.
4) Top coolant in the AM (before sun-up and OAT increases).
5) Top coolant again, if added any, the day before. Instruct on how to check coolant level!

I'd be very weary of a 1 day $360 labor T-belt job. That's a 3 hours job.

Tips: Make sure to inspect all new parts. I'm finding more shipping damage than ever. So much so, I typically order 2 Aisin kits, fan brackets and fan clutches at a time. I also like to have an OEM drive belt tension assembly along w/various clips and bolts on hand.

Block pitting.

 

[Ironsides]

Im done with the 12 hour work days. I now work from 12 to dinner on the days I can work on cars. It keeps me from getting frustrated and from damaging things. I too can walk away at any time but have one rule, clean and organize when I call it quits.

Keeping things clean, labeled and organized saves time. I dont normally hire people to do work because its more money. I would rather know exactly what was done and since I am OCD with car maintenance, I dont trust someone else to put the care into it like I do.

I clean every bolt, ensure everything is in full working order, ect. No other mechanic will do this unless theyre paid to do it.

I could work some days of readily available OT to pay for it all to be done but that isnt fun for me.

Part of the pleasure of wrenching is knowing your hard work spent on the rig paid off. Plus, building ones own rig has an element of respect/accomplishment that others dont have when they "just send it to their guy" and have it all done.

 

[lxj1]

People shared very valid points for doing the job yourself and I totally get it:

• No funds to pay a pro.
• Learning for yourself.
• Reassurance what work was actually done.
• More detail and care.
• Satisfaction of a completed job.

However, the reason I started this thread was to balance those prevalent sentiments out with people who decided to let a pro take care of it. My original question was... Will anyone else fess up and say they hated doing their timing belt and that they will never do it again? I think so far these folks answered:

I admire all the folks here that do it themselves...but I have a great indy mechanic that I trust here and I rarely do anything myself these days.

Other than saving thousands in coinage, this is another wonderful reason to not do the job at all until the belt or water pump actually fails….on non VVTI engines. Never underestimate the costs of OCD.

Put me in the "hired a professional" club.

I prefer not to do much more than change parts anymore.

If I can get everything done by an experienced shop for under $1500, i'll spare myself the hardship.

Could I do it, probably, but really dislike working on engines. A buddy of mine has a GX470 and hooked me up with his indy.

So don't let peer pressure get to ya! You are still worthy if you let a pro take care of your timing belt so you can focus on other important things in your life!

 

[KFunk740]

I concur that the job sucks. I've done timing belts and chains on smaller vehicles plenty of times, and those can be a fiddly pain, but nowhere near as daunting or as uncomfortable as the LC. The LC is just big all over, and even getting up and over the hood and scratching the hell out of my chest on the grill was miserable. Leading up to job had me really anxious, and just wanted to get it done. I ended up having to delay finishing it for a week or two, because I boogered up a new camseal while installing it, and had to wait for a new one to come in.
I'm getting older and wise enough to pay somebody else to do stuff like that. But there's nobody near me that I'd trust to do it. If there was someone I trusted, I wouldn't want to pay them the amount of money to get it done.
I did finally give in and paid a mechanic friend to swap my rusty gas tank this past winter. It was middle of winter, and the leaky tank had like 20 gallons in it. If I did it in my attached garage, it'd stink up the entire house from the fumes and be a safety risk. If I drained and swapped it in my driveway, I'd be on my back in the snow in the dead of winter, trying not to break rusty bolts. So, I finally gave in and gave a friend a couple hundred bucks to do it on the lift in his shop. He had recently opened and needed the business, and it worked out fine.

 

[AlpineAccess]

I've done the 4.7 T-belt jobs a few times. It isn't a project I enjoy but I have my reasons for doing it myself.

Unlike quite a few other routine maintenance items on the 100, this is one that I think paying to have done makes perfect sense for a lot of folks.

 

[flintknapper]

I'd do a Tbelt job again on my 100 series before I'd replace the motor mounts on my 80 series again. I can tell you that.

THAT'S a job I'll never do again.

 

[abuck99]

Doing it yourself ensures each item on your list gets done with care and possibly precision.

Very few techs can afford to meander through this job and shortcuts are common- in that things get missed and ignored.

Good on you for taking it on and quit yer whinin’ you gotter done!

 

[medtro]

Key stats

Many hours of preparation and research.
18 hours of active work over 2 days.
26 parts replaced.
9 parts postponed til my body and sanity heal.
$1,100 spent on parts.
7 sore/bloody body parts.
1 wife and 3 teenagers who won’t appreciate what I’ve just done!

It was for my 2002 LX with 145k miles that I purchased a year ago. I felt compelled to do this work since there were gaps in its history, in particular the timing belt. Car now has all new fluids and nearly all common replacements.

And here are all the parts going to the graveyard.

View attachment 2826601

View attachment 2826605

Congrats on job well done. Now you have more time to wonder why you didn't replace those seals

 

[lxj1]

Congrats on job well done. Now you have more time to wonder why you didn't replace those seals

Oh don’t go there! I know I may regret it one day but you’re hitting on another reason to just let the pros take care of it. Theoretically they’ll finish the job you pay for instead of running out of steam!

Here’s how the cam seals and crank seal looked. It looked a little iffy under the crank seal I think it was just debris and I had spilled some coolant there at some point. If the judgment is that they needed immediate replacement, please keep it to yourself! Really. My emotions are thin.

 

[lxj1]

Questionable calls

Theoretically (again) a pro would be less prone to bad calls and oversights, like the ones I did that may nag me for a bit.

Broke the cam sensor stud. Otramm talks about being gentle and apparently I was not. Luckily the cam sensor is held by two fasteners and there was still a piece of the stud that can prevent the cam sensor from moving.

Another thing that is nagging me is my liberal use of FIPG on the water outlet. Afterwards I realized FIPG squeezed out of the outside means its squeezed out on the inside too. And it can break loose into the cooling system. I may go back in there since it’s easy access but I don’t think I put that much more than Otramm (1st photo) and Timmy the Toolman (2nd)

Oh and I didn’t flush the cooling system. Neither with the old radiator or new because well that would take more effort and time.

Point is that a pro should not be making these questionable calls (or at least I’d be ignorant of them and carry on)!

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Oh don’t go there! I know I may regret it one day but you’re hitting on another reason to just let the pros take care of it. Theoretically they’ll finish the job you pay for instead of running out of steam!

Here’s how the cam seals and crank seal looked. It looked a little iffy under the crank seal I think it was just debris and I had spilled some coolant there at some point. If the judgment is that they needed immediate replacement, please keep it to yourself! Really. My emotions are thin.

View attachment 2827858
View attachment 2827859
View attachment 2827860

crank seal looks jut fine carry on.

 

[MJK]

To each their own and no judgements on how you elect to service your own vehicle. That said, some folks in this thread seem to fear that the 100 is a particularly difficult vehicle to do this on. I don't find that to be true, and I am just a novice home gamer.

Plenty of front of bay access, no need to disassemble suspension, remove the engine, or jack the truck up. Cams stay in place and are easy to align. No valve adjustment required. Belt comes pre-marked. Quality parts are available and relatively cheap. Coolant system burps easily. Good community support and youTube instructions. IMO easily accomplished over a weekend, and there are few better platforms or forums to start learning to do it yourself than here. Plus it is done right, its cheaper, and that knowledge is always with you on the trail.

If don't want to do it - then by all means don't.
If you are just intimidated, then make a new mud-buddy with pizza and beer. I don't even own a 100 any more, and I'd help someone local.

 

[lxj1]

Maybe a premature replacement

Once I removed the timing belt, it looked pretty good to my naïve eyes. But I was told on this forum that the integrity cannot be determined by how it looks outside. Anyway here’s how mine looked and if it is original it has 145,000 miles on it over 19 years.

And I’m wondering whether this writing is standard practice. Did this come from the factory or is it possible the water pump was replaced in January 2016?

 

[Ironsides]

Once I removed the timing belt, it looked pretty good to my naïve eyes. But I was told on this forum that the integrity cannot be determined by how it looks outside. Anyway here’s how mine looked and if it is original it has 145,000 miles on it over 19 years.

View attachment 2828129

And I’m wondering whether this writing is standard practice. Did this come from the factory or is it possible the water pump was replaced in January 2016?

View attachment 2828130

That appears to have been changed on Jan of 2016. Probably didn’t need it but now you know!

How many miles were on it in 2016?

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Mine was replaced at 120k miles back in 2012. Now I am at almost 170K miles, so no where near 90K miles on this belt but should I be worried that my timing belt is now almost 10 years old and replace it?

 

[KFunk740]

Mine was replaced at 120k miles back in 2012. Now I am at almost 170K miles, so no where near 90K miles on this belt but should I be worried that my timing belt is now almost 10 years old and replace it?

You know what the paranoid purists are going to tell you. But I've got a belt that was on my LC for around 15 years, and you can grab that thing and use it to swing from a tree ( I tried it, heh). They don't age that badly.

 

[lxj1]

That appears to have been changed on Jan of 2016. Probably didn’t need it but now you know!

How many miles were on it in 2016?

Oh brother. Fortunately there is some history online of service done at Lexus dealers and I estimate in January 2016 this car had 105,000 miles, so it makes sense.

Seems very plausible the PO could not muster the cost of a timing belt change at the dealer and took this car to an indy. And the indy was nice enough to forget to place a timing belt sticker. Well all the pulleys felt rough so at least those got timely replacements.

Anyone need a 5yo, 40k mile timing belt and water pump?!

 

[1sar39]

Mine was replaced at 120k miles back in 2012. Now I am at almost 170K miles, so no where near 90K miles on this belt but should I be worried that my timing belt is now almost 10 years old and replace it?

Here's the belt that was just replaced in my LX. It was installed 3-09 and had just about 130k miles on it. It still looks pretty damn good. I was surprised it was made in USA.