Timing belt life

mk3forme said:

Hi all. Just wondering if anyone has had issues with new Toyota timing belts off the shelf? I had one fail on my 97 yesterday and it was replaced in 2020. Granted 6 years old but it only had 11k miles on it. I was shocked to see the condition of this belt considering the mileage on it, and considering the countless stories ive read about owners getting 150K plus miles out of theirs. The back side rubber was cracked on every square inch but the teeth looked just fine. Not that i would push my limits like that and I understand that it was also 6 years old. But the stories of high mileage encounters are also probably 10 years old or more.
Im wondering if the belts in circulation are not good cause they could possibly be 25+ years old, new inventory. And if they were possibly stored in a non favorable condition that the rubber could be broke down before i even install it. Anyone else have this same experience or have any thoughts on the matter? Might be looking for an Aisin replacement instead. Thanks

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AuSeeker said:

Where did you buy the belt?

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mslim said:

Thanks for the reminder. I need to inspect my belt before a road trip.

"Rubber" products like belts, tires, boots, are more susceptible to time, heat, chemical and UV exposure. In aviation maintenance this would be considered a Life Limited Part. On tires you have a decipherable date code to reference but other items aren't so easy to track.

Looking back over my maintenance records, I did one belt at 41K and the other one about 32K. The intervals were roughly 4-5 years. I imagine I saw small cracks developing and decided to be rather "safe than sorry". Last belt was a Dayco 5060883. I imagine any made in Japan part is equally good.

I borrowed the OTC serpentine belt tool from O'Reilly's and installed it myself. It's rather tight down there and the tool made it much easier. Understand the threading diagram and have it handy when you attempt the job. Good luck!!

My 16000# RV had 4 very expensive Goodyear tires on it, but the date code was over 6 years old. Rather than chance it on a cross country trip with family, I replaced them all.

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mk3forme said:

It was part of a kit. I believe i bought it off ebay but they were all genuine Toyota parts in correct packaging.

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mk3forme said:

It was part of a kit. I believe i bought it off ebay but they were all genuine Toyota parts in correct packaging.

Click to expand...

mk3forme said:

It was part of a kit. I believe i bought it off ebay but they were all genuine Toyota parts in correct packaging.

Click to expand...