Rule of thumb for a serpentine belt change
 

I just changed the serpentine belt on my 2004 Expedition. The truck has 75K miles on it and I thought it was time for a belt change. When comparing the new and the OE belt, the OE belt looked just as good as the new one except for some discoloration.

So, should I have waited until it showed some signs of wear or cracking? I hate performing maintenance unnecessarily.

Gates has a wear gauge for free on their web-site. Some belts don't crack but they do wear out.

i just wait for 'em to break and fall off myself ...........................:-X19

6 years and 75k, good time to change.

You want to do this at high noon along side the road during a heat wave? Or at midnight along the same road in the snow?

You did the right thing.:-X20

A voluntary belt change takes much less time and money than having to change one after a belt failure. (think tow) Add in the damage that a tangled belt can do to a radiator or fan and the price goes way up.

Great points guys, thanks. My wife of all people was heckling me for changing the belt when I did and spending $23.00 and it's her fricken vehicle! :confused:

But, if I didn't change it and it broke, all hell would break loose. :eek:

Does this car have a timing belt instead of timing chain? Since you are slowly approaching 100,000 miles I should tell you a general rule of thumb with auto technicans is to replace the timing belt at 100,000 miles even if it still looks good because after 100,000 miles its a ticking time bomb.

And considering how more and more engines are becoming interferance engines a broken timing belt could result in serious engine damage if you continue to try and start the car. Its just alot safer to replace the belt at 100,000 miles before it breaks than risking it breaking and possibly totaling your engine out.

It has the 4.6L V-8 which employs a timing chain.