Here's a fun one.....serpentine belts?

Never mentioned in any manual...
Kinda critical, right?
So many opinions on the matter as far as timing & reasoning to change.....
Who do you trust?
Lol

How far do you take a serpentine belt?
Is one better than two?
(My 2013 taco had one which I 1st changed at 160k miles of 400k, & my gen3 tundra has 2 belts of which I changed 1 at 80k miles...I really need to do the back one soon)

I know, keep a spare on board at all times, but what is the real lifespan of this super critical rubber band???

 

Generally, 10yr/100k miles is typical maintenance schedule…. OR, anytime you replace an accessory drive component, you replace idlers and tensioners if they are nearing that age. This is assuming OEM-quality components. I wouldn’t expect economy aftermarket parts to last nearly that long.

Again, this is general/typical maintenance timeframe you’ll find across brands. Some will say “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Unlike a timing belt, serpentine/accessory drive can be easily inspected for damage and won’t destroy your engine if it does break.

 

So that's every 2 yrs for me based on my yearly mileage
Good to know

 

Does weather & extreme temps (cold or hot) change the timing to change out serpentine belts?

 

Possibly, but would have to be pretty extreme. If the belt is expose to oils/fluids because of leaks, that could potentially shorten its service life. Modern belts are very resilient.

you could inspect the belt for wear, cracks, glazing and damage. Idler bearings tend to chirp or make other bearing noises, belt squealing usually indicates a tensioner losing its tension.

You’ll usually get some indication that something is going wrong with the accessory drive and the consequence of a failed serpentine belt is not catastrophic like a timing belt.

 

About 10 years ago, I did a timing belt on a 2000-ish Ford Ranger 4-cyl with over 15yrs/150k on the original timing belt. I looked pretty rough, but was still doing its job.

Also, I don’t think Ford put a replacement interval on those. Absolutely do not recommend going that long.

 

I go with 3yrs or 50k on all my vehicles and keep the newest old one stowed away in the vehicle at all times. Never had a failure and probably never will

 

I'm in AZ where my belt sees some pretty gnarly temps. It failed at around 190k miles. I'm that guy that pushes my luck, still on factory hoses after 215k.

 

I changed mine at around 100K, along with the idler pulley and belt tensioner…all of it looked brand new

 

When I replaced our Sequoias belt, at ~80K, it still looked very good. I only replaced it as the tensioner went out around that time and I already bought the belt. I probably could have easily gotten 100K out of it.

 

Keep in mind it really sucks to be miles from anywhere at 1 A.M. with a broken $40 belt and no spare folks.

 

Sucks even more if the belt takes out your radiator. I’ve seen that on a neglected 3UR.