arbetrader

Hey everyone, I'm new here, I don't know a ton about mechanics but I thought I'd just pull the timing cover to see what kind of condition my t-belt is in. I'm not sure if I should change it yet, I don't know when it was changed last and I have 333k on my truck. I know it was changed once at 100k, but since then, I have no idea. It looks to me like it's okay still, I can't find any cracks whatsoever on it, but I thought I'd post these pics, as some of you are experts in mechanics, and may perhaps see something I missed. Any idea how much time I may have left? It's got a little bit of pull to it, but should be tight enough I think.

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/r...ingbelt001.jpg

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/r...ingbelt002.jpg

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/r...ingbelt003.jpg

Any input is much appreciated!

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Its tough to tell from the pics your posted. However, from what I can see, it looks ok.

That said, if you have ANY doubt, just change it. There must be a reason you took off the timing cover? People don't just do that for fun! You can get all the parts you need for a few hundred at the dealer, and it makes for good peace of mind.

98srx6

How long have you owned the vehicle?

97ltd4x4

In the first picture I think I can see dust build up on the pulley,That dust is from your t-belt wearing.So I would say it's been in there a while,No sighns of craking is a good thing,especially on the backside where they tend to show up first...

Now here is the thing,v6-v8 T-belts are strong as hell,Unlike 4 bangers..They almost never wear out by themselves....

Whats more important is the condition of the waterpump,#1 cause of t-belt failure..next are the tensioner and idler pulley bearings...followed by a leaky oil seal,cams-crank that leak enough oil to coat and weaken the belt...

You are way better off just changing the waterpump only than changing the T-belt only...

So how does the waterpump look?

Sometimes you can spot a failing waterpump...the pulley will start to darken from the t-belt material...If you see this the bearing in the waterpump is going bad,Making it harder for the T-belt to turn.Hence the T-belt material on the pulley.

arbetrader

Thanks guys, I just got the vehicle on a trade for another I was selling, and wanted to check the condition; the cover came off with 5 bolts (left the 6th one on), and took about 3 mins. I'm not planning on keeping it a long time, but I need it for a longer trip into the bush. I feel comfortable that it won't snap on me out there now, I'm sure it has quite a few more miles left on it. Will likely get something in place of it though in a few weeks. I just didn't want to have to do it if I don't need to at this point. Thanks so much for the advice!