timing belt age as a sole replacement indicator

[DeWitt Harrison]

On Wed, 23 Apr 2014 15:21:47 -0400
Mike Arman <Armanmik at earthlink.net> wrote:

> ....
>
> Old timing belts make me nervous, and old timing belts that haven't been
run make me even more so.
> Rubber can take a "set" as well as harden over time, and if you start
that up, the belt is quite
likely to break or at least loose some teeth. Timing belts are cheap,
engines are not - if in doubt,
change the belt!
>
> ...

About the 200 miles in ten years deal, the car was extensively restored
about ten years ago and, since then, has been treated like a collector car
in a heated garage with annual replacement of gasoline together a 15 mile
highway cruise to shake the cobwebs out. So the T Belt has been exercised a
little bit every year. (It will be changed this time!) The tires are also
at least ten years old as are many other rubber bits like weather seals and
all the drive train mounts which were replaced back then. But more
worrisome to me, at this point, are the fuel and fuel injector lines which
are still original.

DeWitt Harrison
1988 5000CS (5ktq)