Hi guys wanted to let you know.



I have just had my IS200 and SC430 cam belts and a A service carried out by

Westfield Motors in Essex



The IS200 auto has just over 80,000 miles

The SC430 has just fewer than 70,000



You may be asking your self’s why am I telling you about this, well the answer is

My is200 belt was so worn the belt could have give up at any time.



The Sc430 belt was in very good condition I guessing it would have been good for at least 100,000



If you check you service book it recommends the belts on both car be changed at 100,000.



Please don’t wait this long as some of you guys say 5 years or 100,000 which ever comes first.

My wife and I drive our cars with respect and never push them, so if your has been pushing your hard



Get them done around the 60,000 miles area, to save you forking out potential thousands.



The cost with tensioners and

A service

Is200 at £420

SC430 at £530









Ian

I would say that is top advise Ian... better to be safe than sorry.

Sure is good advice Ian, plus on the IS200 check the Water Pump & By-Pass hose for any signs of failure,
as you have to remove the Timing Belt to get to the Water Pump.

I believe Lexus revised them to be changed at 60,000 instead of 100,000 recently. But wouldnt have thought all owners would be aware.

On the Lexus website, there is a section where you can submit a question. I asked what was the correct cambelt change intervall for my LS430. The reason why I asked was because the service book states 10 years or 100,000 miles, which ever occures sooner. Lexus Woodford sent me a letter saying that it was due a cambelt change and serious damage would result if this was not undertaken. They think it is 6 years or 60,000 miles. The reply I had from Lexus was 10 years or 100,000 miles so that is what I'm probably going to stick to. Afterall, if it does break causing catastrpohic engine failure, I have an email direct from Lexus stating when the change should take place.

The change to 60,000 miles is only for the IS200. The V8 4.3 doesn't have the same problem, the belt will easily last 100,000 miles. I also don't believe any engine damage will occur on the V8 if the belt breaks.

I think I read somewhere that the 1UZ-FE engine is non interference but the 3UZ-fe is. I have always wonderd though why some engines have timing chains and some have timing belts. My Micra has a timing chain and as far as I'm aware, there are no replacement intervalls.

We had this discussion a while ago now, but off the top of my head I can't remember what the conclusions were. I think it was that the 4 litre engines are non-interference, but the 4.3 engines were.

As for chains vs belts, belts are lighter, much quieter, do not require lubrication and are cheaper. Chains do not have an infinite life, and slowly stretch as they wear which changes the timing of the valves. They are also much more expensive to replace. I guess the manufacturers have decided belts provide a better cost of ownership, even if you do have to change them. And let's be honest, most cars will only ever require 2 cambelts in their lives, so the benefits of belts come at a cost of a single, if expensive, replacement operation at something like 60-100,000 miles.

Does this mean that my 3UZ GS430 09/2002 47000 miles FLH is interference or noninterference and is any cambelt failure likely to cause engine damage? I had My Series 1 300 cambelt done at 70k(5 years) and at 128k(9Years)

I think it means it's an interference engine. Most likely, the engine will be ruined if the belt breaks... Same as mine! I intend to get mine changed when I get up to about 90k, just to give myself a bit of a safety margin.

Can't afford to sell it anyway, big cars are rapidly becoming worthless so will just hang onto it for a long time yet. Cambelts and petrol are much cheaper than losing thousands in depreciation by selling at a bad time! Besides, I love my big old bus and I'm hardly doing any mileage at the moment.

Only had mine 5 weeks or so.Full service done including plugs,fluids,discs/pads by Coventry prior to purchase but it is nearly 6 years old and I'm just not sure about cambelts over that age even on lower mileages like mine. May get it done next year with the Interim service if there is engine damage risk.

Does this effect the IS300 then?

Not sure. What engine is the IS300?...don't say 3ltr!

I would of thought so mate...the same time as the is200 needs changing ( revised ) 60,000 miles

The 3.0l engine used to have a 60k cam belt service interval, but may have been extended to 100k on newer models (post 2000). Check your service book to confirm. I've not heard stories of worn belts on the series I/II GS300/IS300 as with the IS200.

What engine number is the IS200, is it safe?

My IS200 2002 model year Service manual stated 100,000 miles my car would never had made that milage on the old belt.

That why i started this thread so other's could consider if they wanted to change there belts around 60,000 miles

Ian

Just a quick question....whats a A service and B service (saw this in another thread, but not sure what they are on about)? Mines due for a 70k service..is that a A or B and does anyone know the rough price i'd be looking at....and yes i will also get the cam belt/tensioner done at the same time.

A is minor at 10k, 30k etc. B is major 20k, 40k etc.

Brake fluid and coolant are changed at different intervals so it's difficult to give a price for a 70k service unless you know if they are required or not.

Assume coolant and brake fluid are not required a 70k A service should be around £150-250 depending on dealer.

Ah, cheers for that...yeah my brake fluid has been done few months back as i had to have a new caliper. Must phone lexus and book this is in as im getting a bit paranoid about my cam belt+ it was written last service that the belt was on medium worn..eek

I got mine done around 2k before the 100k schedule, thank god I did. The tensioner had gone and was causing the belt to rub against something. This in turn wore the belt down to about a third of its original width. The garage said it could have gone at anytime!

Top advice fella!

Engine number I'm not sure of, but 60,000 or 6 years is good advice for changing mate.

Cheers, but I ment as in safe that if belt goes the valves will clear the pistons!

Either way mine needs doing as i just my 100k service (at 107k) and lexus called to say they had no record of it being done, now the guy i bought it off said he had it serviced at a local garage, so i made some calls and it seems the garage owner remembers the car (and owner as hes a friend) and its never had one done! So my £450 service/mot is about to tirn into a £700-800 one!

Defo not a 'safe' engine when it comes to valve/piston interference. Get it done sharpish & ask
to see the belt that comes off. Then post up a picture

Picked it up this morning. They commented and stated they still work to 100k or 6years for the IS200. Which still isnt great but better than i first thought (means its only 1 year/7000 miles late)!

Booked mine on the 9th to be done at a garage next to lexus...70k service (£105), timing belt change, inc tensioner, idler (£230) all in. Not bad considering lexus wanted £310 for 70K service and £300+ for just timing belt!! Also is cambelt same thing as timing belt? So in all Lexus would have charge me @£610+VAT, whereas a garage down the road costs £335 all in! I know where im going....

Yes, timing belt and cambelt are the same thing. Definitely agree with the non-franchised dealer route too, I used ABM in Sydenham, SE London for my 70k service and it was hundreds cheaper than either Croydon or Guildford wanted for a minor service. When I get nervous about my own cambelt, it'll probably be going there for that too.

any pictures of the belt they took off ?

Hi


Just had my 60,000 mile service, with timing belt & tensioner changed at Lexus Cardiff, car 7 years old now!


total cost £694.61



2ddesign

I won't rub it in, but my 70k service plus cambelt/tensioner/idler all costed £500, only reason why it went up is cos i insisted in having the Denso IK20's which nearly added to £70 by themselves and ofcourse the VAT at the end, but still hundreds less than what lexus would do for. Also they found that the (could be idler or tensioner, but i forgot which one) was seized and the roller had changed colour where it was just rubbing into the belt, so my lexus lives for another day. The mechanic said it may have lasted another 10k or snap in a weeks time. Heres my cambelt..yes it had chucks taken off the edges and my cars done just over 70k.



Sorry about the blured image, rubbish camera..but you get the idea..

Hi Just asked this question regarding the IS300 on the IS forum, but got no replies, as i was unsure.
I have an 02 IS300...it says 100k in the book, but the talk about early changes on the 200 has made me unsure, it seems i can go to 100k with the 300, how can i clarify ?

best to get it checked out. what milage have you done,also the is200 should be changed at 6yrs so if the is300 is the same yours would be due now any way with age! hope this has been some help

02 plate reg/d march-sept 2002 so it would be 6yrs old

Good point, forgot about age. She has done 57000 miles, so close to the 60000 suggestions for the IS200, but a long way from the 100000 in the IS300 manual. If it is a different engine without belt 'issues' then I would usually think about it at about 80000, but if the belt material actually does deteriorate through age then it looks like I should have it done soonish, especially as I want to keep her despite the 100% road tax hit next year.
Thanks!

WHAAAAAAT!!!!!

Maybe car engine technology has moved on since I last took an engine apart, but surely, a broken cam belt means the valves stop moving in and out while the engine (assuming you're driving when it breaks) keeps on going. This means the pistons will collide with the valves and your engine is only good for the scrap heap; costing you A LOT.

It depends on the design of the engine........

There are two types of engines that use timing belts. They are described as: "Interference Engines" and "Non-interference Engines" The difference lies in the proximity between the valves and the pistons.

If the timing belt breaks on a non-interference design, there is enough clearance between the pistons and valves to prevent damaging contact.
An interference design does not have sufficient clearance between those parts and engine damage would result from a broken timing belt.

Kev

My understanding from these forums was that the IS200's 1G-FE engine was an interference design, i.e. cambelt failure = expensive bill.

However, Wiki reckons that all Toyota 1G engines are non-interference designs. I presume that Wiki is wrong on this ? (I know that Wiki is pretty good but can often be wrong).

I agree, the IS200 is an interference design