Quote:
Originally Posted by speeder
Could a VW belt be that old and have 150k on it and look excellent?? Is that possible?
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Yes. I have seen those belts last past 150k miles. But...usually it is not the belt but water pump or pulley that gives up first. Water pump impeller loosens from the shaft (if plastic impeller),water temp goes up and it blows a gasket. Or WP O-ring starts leaking. Or tensioner pulley bearing goes, rips the belt and shred the valves.
150k miles indicates (if done correctly) that car is approximately at the end of it's second belt. Even if it doesn't have cracks you can see on the wavey-identations on the smooth side that it is past its prime. I would definitely replace it. If not for the belt, then for the pulley and water pump which might or might not be in good shape.
In case you haven't done it before, it is fairly easy to change belt/pump/pulley on these. I replaced it all on our Golf IV (more or less the same car) in the driveway in three hours.
Basically you remove passenger wheel, support the engine with jack, remove coolant and power steering fluid reservoir, remove engine mount, remove plastic cover, remove belt (make lines on it so you can pain them back on new belt and put it back the same way) and then reassemble all.Torque wrench is a must. There are tons of videos on Youtube to guide you.
P.S.
Manual or automatic? 01M automatics on these will shred themselves to pieces around 140k unless you change the oil and filter. They are supposedly filled with "lifetime fluid" which roughly correlates to "until end of warranty". Flushing the slushbox is cheap and quick job which will prolong the life of the car immensely. You can order the filter and gasket online for pennies.
P.P.S.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/1v5ogb/original_timing_belt_on_a_ls400_with_240k_they/