Drive Belt (serpentine) Replacement schedule

[LCHardriver_02]

This may sound like a silly question, but how often should you expect to replace your drive belt. I have looked through the maintenance schedule and it just has you inspect it every 15K miles, starting at the 60K mile maintenance interval. It looks to only NEED to be replaced if it is cracked worn, or .... IDK, broken.

Please note that I am NOT referring to the timing belt, which is scheduled for replacement every 90K miles.

 

[2001LC]

Around 90K miles or 7 to 10 years, is what I've seen.

 

[Spike555]

As someone who drives for a living. Serpentine belts wil last forever or until something else breaks, like the tensioner, or a bearing seizes on a pulley.
When you start getting a belt squeal, like first start of the day, driving in the rain, etc then it's time to replace the tensioner and the belt.
I've gotten 500,000 miles on a belt before.

 

[2001LC]

Wow 500K is a ton, how many years did that take?

 

[Spike555]

Wow 500K is a ton, how many years did that take?

4.5 years if I remember right. We got new trucks every four years but it took almost another year to replace the fleet, so you drove your truck until you were assigned a new one, which you then drove for another 4+ years...

But serp belts do last forever. Cheap ones will stretch with age but they will start to squeal under load, so then it's time to replace it.
If pulleys are out of alignment, water pump seizes or anything that causes the belt to come off or be eaten it then needs to be replaced ASAP.
All of the signs and radio ads you see and hear to change it every 90k are trying to sell you a new belt.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.