Anybody out there still doing preventive hose/belt replacement?

[Chris142]

I had to replace the upper hose on my 02 Jeep @ 38K due to a big bubble in the hose when under pressure. This bubble was the size of a baseball!

I'd rather fix it at home on my time than on the road somewhere.

 

[Jim Spahr]

As a long time GM car owner, I will recommend changing the belt and hoses every 4 or 5 years. I have also noticed that the hoses and belts seem to last longer. I think the serpentine belt design with the belt tensioner help increase belt life. But they are also being subjected to higher undrhood heat, so it is cheap insurance to change them. Two important notes- please drain and flush the cooling system if it came with the Dexcool long life coolant. replace Dexcool with the new Prestone either/or coolant. DexCool can cause sludge formation in your cooling system. If you are determined to keep DexCool, be sure to change it frequently. Another suggestion is to keep your take off serp belt in the trunk in a plastic bag for road side emergencies.

 

[labman]

It takes me more that 10 minutes to change oil because I waste a bunch of time poking around wherever I can, belts, hoses, CV boots, etc. If something doesn't look good, I replace it at a convenient time and place. The only thing I would replace on a schedule would be a timing belt if I carelessly bought something with one on an interference engine. Good logic on replacing the water pump and idlers at the same time.

Been replacing the lower radiator hose too when the top one gets spongy. I am wondering if I could let them go longer?

Otherwise, I stick to the owners' manual.

 

[SWS]

I think that labman is on-the-money. Inspect everything and replace it at a convenient time and place. I do agree that the belts and hoses do last longer these days, but I'm sure that there is variation among vehicles due to the heat concentration under hood, dust conditions (Texas sand, for example), cold-soak temps, etc.

Note that I have had 2 hoses rupture that were in "perfect" condition visually, so I do think that there is merit to preventative-maintence of rubber parts such as belts and hoses!

Be especially careful of hoses that attach directly to the head - this is a high-temp stress area!

 

[elliorr]

Well...there's a plan and there is reality. I plan to change my belts @ 70k. If I see it is cracked before then, I'll change it then. I plan to change my hoses @ 7 years. If I have to replace a water pump before then, I change them @ that time.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I do this. I have never waited for a belt or hose to fail.

 

[Bill Plock]

I recently changed the serpentine belt on my 03 Duramax Diesel. The belt was chirping whenever the A/C clutch cycled on. I installed a Goodyear Gatorback and the Chirp is gone. The old belt with 47Kmiles "looked" good with no visible cracks but it did appear glazed.

Gator Back Installed

I came of age working on cars in the 60's so I'm pre-disposed to changing belts and hoses. However, I have become more comfortable letting hoses go for 100K if they look OK. After 100K I still change them… Spark plugs are also a concern .. I have trouble NOT changing them after 50k miles .. even if the engine is running good … old habits dies hard …

Also, GM even says the new belts should last longer.. See the following TSB info …

"Engine - Serpentine Drive Belt Wear Information

Bulletin No.: 04-06-01-013, Date: April 29, 2004

Subject: Information on Serpentine Belt Wear
Models: 2004 and Prior Passenger Cars and Trucks 2003-2004 and Prior HUMMER H2

All current GM vehicles designed and manufactured in North America were assembled with serpentine belts that are made with an EPDM material and should last the life of the vehicle. It is extremely rare to observe any cracks in EPDM belts and it is not expected that they will require maintenance before 10 years or 240,000 km (150,000 mi) of use.

Older style belts, which were manufactured with a chloroprene compound, may exhibit cracks depending on age. However, the onset of cracking typically signals that the belt is only about halfway through its usable life."

 

[Winston]

Belt and hose materials are better than they used to be.

Timing belt change intervals are BS. EVERYONE says change every 60k miles. Regardless of number of cams etc. I change my SOHC V6 mitsu every 90k. Since I have to remove the radiator to do the timing belt I do the rad hoses as well as all the accessory belts. I like to change things before they fail. Although I admit it is difficult determining a reasonable interval. BTW there is no way to inspect a radiator hose. They fail from the inside.

 

[surfstar]

replaced the upper rad hose when it had a small leak. bought the bottom hose at the same time, but never replaced it until my t-belt job was done and the rad was flushed and filled. on a road trip the next week, guess which hose fails? the UPPER one, only a year or two old, pinched through at the hose clamp. borrow some tools from the truck stop and cut off a little hose and its off we go. still on the car right now.

my belts last as long as my timing belt - 80k and 90k so far, then just get 'em all changed.

 

[NJC]

Winston, I'll let you know how much BS those timing belt changes are. I have 80K miles on my Accord t-belt but the car is not worth enough to have it changed so I'm leaving it.

As per belts/hoses, same '84 Accord has original heater hoses and lower rad hose w/ 200K miles.

 

[CBR.worm]

On my last truck I changed the timing belt at 140K. I had to remove the radiator to get to it, and the serpentine belt. So I replaced all the radiator hoses, the water pump, timing belt and serpentine belt (for the first time)

 

[theguru]

I think it just makes sense to replace hoses either at a set maintenance interval or when required if this is earlier. Whilst it may be just inconvenience to blow a hose it could also mean expensive engine repairs doe to overheating. Some engine heads are not very forgiving of lost coolant.

Consider this. It may be a wife or GF driving the car when the hose blows. ("There was this gushing noise and the light came on the dash, but I had to get home, so I drove the extra 10 miles. It doesn't seem to run very well now. Can you have a look?")

BTW. My father complained the other day that the mechanic was ruining his radiator hoses by squeezing them. He felt that this shortened their life. They probably need changing anyway.

 

[Cutehumor]

92 mits mirage 130k miles
I replaced the upper and lower radiator hoses two years ago. the upper one was fine. the lower hose was spongy
I have three V-belt serpentine belts. I replaced the original a/c belt last month as it was severly cracked. the water pump belt and alternator belt are original.
timing belt has 79k miles on it, changed once back at 51k miles
fuel filter is original.
pcv valve changed once, old one looked fine.
I'm going to change the transmission fluid hose to radiator as it's seriously chaffed!

[ September 23, 2005, 03:21 PM: Message edited by: Cutehumor ]

 

[NJC]

quote:

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Originally posted by njc:
Winston, I'll let you know how much BS those timing belt changes are. I have 80K miles on my Accord t-belt but the car is not worth enough to have it changed so I'm leaving it.

As per belts/hoses, same '84 Accord has original heater hoses and lower rad hose w/ 200K miles.

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****, that didn't take long. The t-belt finally broke yesterday AM, only 5 days after I posted this!

It is an interference engine so if any valves are bent then it's essentially

 

[Matt_S]

quote:

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Originally posted by njc:
****, that didn't take long. The t-belt finally broke yesterday AM, only 5 days after I posted this!

It is an interference engine so if any valves are bent then it's essentially

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You forgot to knock on wood.

 

[Winston]

quote:

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The t-belt finally broke yesterday AM, only 5 days after I posted this!

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Oops. I am not going to talk about timing belts anymore.

However, I gotta ask. Often the belts break because a pulley bearing failed or the tensioner broke, etc. Usually the belt itself does not break on its own. I would love to hear what you find when you inspect the belt and associated components.

 

[NJC]

quote:

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Originally posted by Winston:

quote:

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The t-belt finally broke yesterday AM, only 5 days after I posted this!

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Oops. I am not going to talk about timing belts anymore.

However, I gotta ask. Often the belts break because a pulley bearing failed or the tensioner broke, etc. Usually the belt itself does not break on its own. I would love to hear what you find when you inspect the belt and associated components.

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I'll let you know. When I asked the dealer about the 12V Honda engines being damaged, he says yes/no - depending on engine speed.

For the cost of the $30 belt, I'm going to give it a try.

The old belt was probably 8yrs old too.

 

[Cutehumor]

quote:

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Originally posted by njc:

Originally posted by njc:
[qb] Winston, I'll let you know how much BS those timing belt changes are. I have 80K miles on my Accord t-belt but the car is not worth enough to have it changed so I'm leaving it.

As per belts/hoses, same '84 Accord has original heater hoses and lower rad hose w/ 200K miles.

---

****, that didn't take long. The t-belt finally broke yesterday AM, only 5 days after I posted this!


I have 79k/8 yrs on my t-belt. I PM you and winston about it. I had similar bad luck on the same day as you. on 9/26, I was rearended in a minor car accident!

 

[Greaser]

It's better to take a chance on belts and hoses and not replace them routinely.Being stranded or cooking your engine is a good way to meet new friends (tow truck drivers,mechanics,hotel clerks)

 

[Jim Spahr]

There are several ways to look at the value of a vehicle. One is the 'retail value' or book value. Another is the cost of replacing that vehicle with a new or used vehicle. As someone once said, don't crush them, restore them.