DIY VL●OG: Lexus ES300 Toyota Camry/Solara Timing Belt, Water Pump & Thermostat

My daily driver '97 ES300 is the most reliable car I've ever owned. At 216k miles, only the timing belt has ever been replaced on it. I didn't wanna take no chances past 200k so I decided to start gathering parts for it to replace the timing belt, water pump, idler pulleys, tensioner, drive belts and thermostat.

The process was no walk in the park, as I managed to round a lot of the old bolts that were pretty stuck on good. The previous owner never really took care of maintenance much, other than the basic oil change stuff, so it pretty much has oil leaks everywhere. I had to pressure wash everything underneath prior to reassembly.

The 1MZFE was widely used across several platforms and should be very similar with minor variations.

1998–2003 Lexus RX 300
1999–2003 Lexus ES 300
2000–2004 Toyota Avalon
2000–2003 Toyota Highlander
2001–2003 Toyota Sienna
2003–2006 Toyota Camry (V6)
1998–2003 Toyota Solara (V6)

I ordered most of the parts from RockAuto.com. All seals and bolts were OEM from either Toyota/Lexus.

AISIN TKT024 Timing Belt Kit with Tensioner
AISIN THT019 Thermostat
GATES K040345 Power Steering Belt
GATES K060410 Alternator and A/C Belt
DORMAN 594140 Harmonic Balancer

16325-62010 Coolant Pipe O-Ring
90080-10289 Idler Pulley Bolt
90910-09104 Coolant Drain Plug (Rear Engine)
90311-40022 Engine Crankshaft Oil Seal
90311-38034 Camshaft Oil Seal (2x)
00272-1LLAC-01 Toyota Red Coolant

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