Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: c502cid
Can you really tell timing belt condition by visual inspection? I just did two of them, both unknown histories and they looked great. I wasn't taking chances though.
I've done a lot of timing belt changes and like you, every one of them has looked just fine even after nearly 100,000 miles. It's not usually the belt itself that fails but the tensioner and idler pulley bearings (and the water pump).
Exactly. When I did the timing belt on my 300ZX at 100,000 miles,the belt looked brand new as if it just came out of the package. It's usually the something else besides the belt that fails,pulley,tensioner,etc. I replaced everything while I was in there. All of the rubber,water pump,tensioners,pulleys,hoses,seals,thermostat,etc.