About Dusty Expertise I can answer questions about operation, electronics, powertrain, suspension and steering, and trim. I cannot answer questions about body repair or refinishing, specific dealerships, or how much a repair should cost.
Experience Lexus Master technician, 6 years exp in a Lexus dealership, 10 years automotive exp.
Organizations ASE Master and L1 certified
Education/Credentials Some college, working towards associates in automotive technology.
Question QUESTION: It started with my car only starting about every 8 hours then went to not starting at all i replaced the crank sensor,the spark plugs,the fuel pump, and the top mounted coil pack,and it started correctly for about a day.Then went to starting once a day.The last time i started it,it cut off on me. A former mechanic said it was the timing belt and said at a dealership it would cost about $1800 to replace but he would do it for $800.Like i said I've been buying parts that was kind of unneeded,with all this being said what do you suggest i do?
ANSWER: when you say its not starting what does it do? does it click once then nothing else? does it crank over and over and never start up? have you ever had the timing belt replaced?
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QUESTION: its turning over but its like a long dry cough lol if you can understand that,it only cranks over once not over and over it doesn't click.No i have not had the belt replaced.
Answer Sorry, I should have asked before, what kind of mileage? I'm going to suggest a few things on the assumption that you can perform this based on what you've done already.
Remove the spark plug and timing gear covers and crank the engine over by hand until the mark on the crank pulley is at 0, then look at the timing gears and make sure both camshaft timing marks line up. If you don't see any marks turn the crank another 360 degrees and that should bring them to the top.
This will do two things:
1) makes sure the engine turns over freely
2) verifies that the timing belt has not skipped or broken
Make sure that this battery is good, if you cant get a battery or have this one tested, jump it with a truck or whatever you have just to make sure. Starters are also problematic on the 400, not sure if you've ever had yours replaced.
You don't need spark or fuel to get a motor to crank over, hell you don't even need compression. All you need is a good starter, a free motor, and a good battery...and of course all the wiring in between.
