Lexus 13523-20020 Pulley, Camshaft Timing

Start by disconnecting the negcative cable from the car battery. Take out the coolant reservoir tank and windshield washer bottle. Then, take off the drive belts from the engine's alternaor and power steering pump. Keep the right front wheel's lug nuts loose, lift up the front of the car, support it on safe jack stands, engage the parking brake, block the rear wheels, and remove the right front wheel after that. Lift up the right inner fender, put your number one piston at top dead center, use a jack to hold up the engine's bottom side, and take away the engine movement control rod and its supportive bracket. Take out the spark plugs, the upper timing belt cover and its seal, then check that you left guides on the timing belt during installation. If new ones are needed, mark them with a pen. Get the marks on the camshaft pulley lined up correctly, take off the timing belt tensioner, ease the tension between the camshaft gears, then remove the timing belt. When camshaft sprockets are too worn or broken, you must take them off. Also, take off the valve cover to grab and hold the camshaft when you unfasten its bolt. Before work begins, take off the upper idler pulley, the crankshaft pulley bolt, and make sure the crankshaft's TDC position is correct. You should be able to remove the crankshaft pulley by hand applied force. If not, use two prybars to help lift it off. Drop the lower belt cover and gasket, slide the timing guide off the crankshaft, and check the belt's defect on the crankshaft sprocket where its marking matches a dot in the steel. Use an Allen key to take out both the idler pulley and its plate washer; replace the idler pulley and washer if they are broken or show signs of wear. Loosen up and inspect the belt tensioner for oily drips, test it for leaks, measure the height of the pushrod, and make sure both idler pulleys move freely. Clean the space where the timing belt goes, match the crankshaft and sprocket together, then put the sprocket properly into position. Protect your idler pulley bolt with thread-locking compound. Then, slide the idler pulley into place and start laying down the timing belt from the crankshaft sprocket side. First, place the belt guide over its pathway on the crankshaft. Then put on the lower belt cover with gasket. Lastly, fit the crankshaft pulley onto the crankshaft. Place the upper idler pulley, front camshaft sprocket, and secure the sprocket with its bolt. Recheck the valve timing position, add the rear camshaft gears, and bolt them securely. Put the front camshaft sprocket into small rotation, place the belt onto it, and then stretch it over to the rear sprocket. Before placing the timing belt tensioner, squeeze in its pushrod, put the tensioner in place, shove the crankshaft slowly clockwise twice while making sure the timing markers remain aligned. Reattach the bracket for the control rod, replace the timing belt cover on top, and reconnect the control rod and braces safely, tightening all bolts firmly. Replace all components in the order you took them off, working backwards.

To repair models from 1999 to 2007, you must start by removing the battery cable from its negative terminal and then take off the belt driving and alternator. Also, you need to remove the valve cover and the ABS actuator if your vehicle has that system. Before you take off the right front wheel and splash shield, block the rear wheels, put the parking brake on, and lift the vehicle up through its jack stands while loosening the right wheel's nuts. Pull the coolant fluid from the system while taking out the power steering pump, leaving it safely out of reach. Place the number one piston on top by its maximum travel point on shortening stroke, making sure the timing mark on the crankshaft driveshaft lines up with "0" marked on the timing chain plate and the camshaft gears face the front engine mount bearings. Carefully take off the crankshaft pulley/vibration damper, keeping the engine from turning when at Top Dead Center (TDC), by supporting it from either above or below. First remove the passenger side engine mount and movement control rod. Then disconnect the drive belt tensioner(s) and crankshaft position sensor from the timing chain cover. Unplug the big wiring connection junction and disconnect the timing chain tensioner from the backside of the timing chain cover. Remove and set aside the timing chain cover fasteners, then carefully use a pry tool to take off the cover from the engine. Take off the crankshaft position sensor reluctor ring from the crankshaft, then take off the timing chain tensioner pivot arm/chain guide and lower chain guide. Raise the timing chain off the camshaft sprockets before removing it with the crankshaft sprocket assembly. Check the timing chain parts after removal for three types of damage: missing or loose pins, cracks, and worn rollers and side plates. Also look for chipped, broken, or hook-shaped sprocket teeth. Check how much your timing chain can stretch before replacing it. Also test the size of your timing sprockets to find any wear that needs fixing. Look for abnormal wear on the chain guides and replace them right away when you notice it. Wipe away all remaining old sealant from both the engine block and cylinder head's mating surfaces and from the timing chain cover. Place the camshaft pieces at the top where they fit into the pins, then put both camshaft gears on, and use medium-strength thread lock on the bolts. Rephrase: When the camshaft sprockets have TDC marks, line them up. If you moved the crankshaft off TDC, turn it back until its keyway points straight up. Put the stationary timing chain guide in place, thread the chain through the crankshaft sprocket while keeping the No.1 link right, and set the chain and crankshaft gear together. Slide the timing chain into the stationary guide's channel, over the back exhaust camwheel, around the front intake camwheel, with both remaining colorlink connections straight. Pull the loose chain ends and put the timing chain tensioner pivot arm/chain guide in place, doing up the pivot bolt. Make sure the first engine piston is at its highest position, and confirm the timing marks are lined up properly. Apply sealant to cover joints, position timing chain cover over bolts, and fit them in their original places. Tighten all bolts at equal intervals. Put the timing chain tensioner back where it begins and make sure it stays there. Add lubricant to the O-ring on the tensioner, and put it back onto the timing chain cover. Put on the crankshaft pulley and release the engine rotation to set the chain tension. Then carefully pull off the string that held the chain to the crankshaft sprocket. Position the mounting bolt in the guide, put in the new gasket, and screw in the tensioner with bolts. Make sure the cylinder one piston stays at top dead center, and check that the timing marks are correctly aligned. Fix the top chain guide (mounting bolt and guide), apply sealant to the timing chain cover, put the cover back and bolt it down in place, then tighten each bolt according to its original setup. Put the movement control rod bracket on the front of the timing chain cover, and use the correct bolt torque pattern when tightening. Twist the engine clockwise at least twice, and check that the number one piston is back at its highest position before moving the timing chains. After reinstalling everything back in reverse order of removal, complete the setup.

To remove the components, first disconnect the cable from the negative battery terminal, then remove the drive belt and the alternator. Next, take off the valve cover and the ABS actuator if equipped, ensuring to remove the three gaskets from the camshaft bearing caps on 2008 and later models. With the parking brake applied and the rear wheels blocked, loosen the right front wheel lug nuts, raise the front of the vehicle, and support it securely on jack stands before removing the right front wheel and splash shield. Drain the cooling system while removing the power steering pump without disconnecting the fluid lines, tying it to the body to keep it out of the way. Position the number one piston at TDC on the compression stroke, confirming alignment of the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley with the "0" mark on the timing chain cover and the camshaft sprocket marks with the marks on the camshaft front bearing caps. Remove the crankshaft pulley/vibration damper without rotating the engine from TDC, supporting the engine from above or below. Remove the passenger side engine mount and movement control rod, followed by the drive belt tensioner(s) and the crankshaft position sensor from the timing chain cover, along with the bolt securing the wiring harness. Detach the main wiring harness junction and remove the timing chain tensioner from the rear side of the timing chain cover, then pry off the cover after removing the fasteners. Slide the crankshaft position sensor reluctor ring off the crankshaft, remove the timing chain tensioner pivot arm/chain guide, and lift the timing chain off the camshaft sprockets, removing the timing chain and crankshaft sprocket as an assembly. For 2008 and later models, remove the movement control rod mounting bracket from the front of the timing chain cover, then remove the cover fasteners and pry off the cover. Remove the O-rings from the crankcase, the top chain guide mounting bolt and guide, and extend the tensioner plunger until a pin can be inserted into the alignment holes. Remove the mounting bolts and the timing chain tensioner, followed by the timing chain tensioner pivot arm/chain guide and the stationary timing chain guide. Lift the timing chain off the camshaft sprockets and remove the timing chain and crankshaft sprocket as an assembly. To remove the camshaft sprockets, loosen the bolts while holding the hex on the camshaft with a wrench, noting the identification marks before removal. Visually inspect all parts for wear and damage, checking the timing chain for loose pins, cracks, worn rollers, and side plates, as well as the sprockets for hook-shaped, chipped, and broken teeth. Measure the timing chain for stretching and the diameter of the timing sprockets for wear, replacing them as necessary. Check the chain guides for excessive wear and inspect the chain guide oil hole for clogging. For installation, remove all traces of old sealant from the timing chain cover and the mating surfaces, position the camshafts with the dowel pins at the top, and install both camshaft sprockets in their original locations. Ensure the TDC marks on the camshaft sprockets are aligned, install the stationary timing chain guide, loop the timing chain around the crankshaft sprocket, and align the No.1 colored link with the mark on the crankshaft sprocket. Slip the timing chain into the lip of the stationary timing chain guide and over the exhaust camshaft sprocket, then around the intake camshaft sprocket, aligning the remaining colored links with the marks on the camshaft sprockets. Remove slack from the chain and install the timing chain tensioner pivot arm/chain guide, ensuring the tab on the pivot arm can't move past the stopper on the cylinder head. Reconfirm that the number one piston is at TDC and that the timing marks are aligned. Install the crankshaft position sensor reluctor ring with the "F" mark facing outward, apply RTV sealant to the timing chain cover sealing surfaces, and install the cover with bolts in their original locations, tightening them evenly. Reload and lock the timing chain tensioner, lubricate the O-ring, and install the tensioner into the timing chain cover. Install the crankshaft pulley/vibration damper, rotate the engine counterclockwise slightly to set the chain tension, and for 2008 and later models, temporarily install the crankshaft pulley bolt and rotate the crankshaft counterclockwise until the keyway is pointing to the 10 o'clock position. Align the TDC marks on the camshaft sprockets, install the stationary timing chain guide, loop the timing chain around the exhaust camshaft sprocket, and align the yellow-colored link with the timing mark. Guide the chain into the stationary chain guide, align the crankshaft sprocket with the pink-colored link, and slip the timing chain around the intake camshaft sprocket. Rotate the crankshaft clockwise until the keyway is pointing to the 12 o'clock position, install the tensioner guide and mounting bolt, then install a new gasket and the tensioner. Confirm that the number one piston is still at TDC and that the timing marks are aligned, install the top chain guide mounting bolt and guide, apply RTV sealant to the timing chain cover sealing surfaces, and install the cover with bolts in their original locations. Tighten the bolts in sequence, install the movement control rod mounting bracket, and tighten the bolts. Finally, rotate the engine clockwise at least two revolutions and reposition the number one piston at TDC, visually confirming the alignment of the timing marks. The remainder of the installation follows the reverse of removal.

Yes, the sprockets are the same for either side