[200q20v] dubious distinction?

[Bernie Benz]

Phil,

I will agree only that belt changing apparently makes you feel good, so
therefore it must be good for you.

But you are looking at the wrong side of the belt in your inspection!  That
superficial cracking on the back side of the belt is only in the protective
covering over the cord system.  It does not affect the central tension
cords, and these cords are seldom the failure point.  Look at the tooth side
of the belt for cracks at the roots of the teeth, if you can easily tear a
tooth off with a pair of pliers, its time for a belt change.  I do this
inspection every few years, whether it needs it or not.  A new belt will
fail just as quickly as an old one when subjected to a catastrophic
condition such as a piece of distributor gear jamming a cam.  Better, maybe
change your distributor gear.

I had an '87 5KTQ that went 250K before my son recently did a head gasket
job and changed the belt for no good reason.

Don't fix it if it ain't about to break!

Bernie, feeling contrarian today.


> From: Phil Rose <pjrose at frontiernet.net>

> As to belt condition, I guess that tends to be somewhat variable as
> well as a subjective thing--mine wasn't frayed and had no deep cracks
> going fully across the belt--but it was glazed,  significantly
> stiffer  (more brittle) than new--and with many fine cracks. I
> suspect it could have gone another few thousand miles--but the
> alternative--we all agree (Bernie?)--wasn't worth the risk. A
> close-up photo of a typical section of that belt is shown here:
> http://www.frontiernet.net/~pjrose/t_belt_at_11yrs.jpg
>