EPDM belts, installed by original equipment manufacturers on new vehicles since the late 1990s, typically do not show obvious signs of wear, as with Neoprene belts. Cracks and chunk-outs rarely occur, so it is necessary to evaluate belt wear differently. Like tires, EPDM belts wear out gradually, steadily losing rubber material. Gates has developed this Belt Wear Gauge to help you assess wear on these newer EPDM belts. It is simple to use, and will allow you to quickly gauge wear on a multi-ribbed serpentine belt–either on the engine or off.
The Belt Wear Gauge results indicate an approximation of the material loss from the belt, which should be taken into consideration with other factors—such as mileage, operating conditions, and the condition of other components of the accessory drive. You should use your judgment when making repair recommendations or decisions.
This is the first tiem I know that timing belt have a guage to judge, usually the mechanic will try to get you change them early like 80k miles or less because it is pretty expensive to change these belt, but contrary to that if you do not change them you might damage your engine when the belt actually snap while you drive.
Posted under Freeloader, Household Freebies
This post was written by Syl on October 1, 2009
