Timing belt

X2

It'll never look bad. It's the nylon strands inside the rubber that fatique and can break un-expectedly.

Besides all this....Your water pump will probably need changed before the timing belt anyway. So - when your water pump fails or leaks, this is the best oppurtunity to change the water pump, timing belt & thermostat.

 

^^ agree with above. At 90K my timing belt looked pristine, but my water pump was leaking quite a bit.

 

in some cases, it will. they start to frey at the edges and it gets progressively worse to the point where it looks like tangled up hair..

here's a pic of belt that's just starting to frey.



now, that's not to say that a belt that looks brand new won't break.

 

I respectfully disagree.

When they showed me mine it clearly had those "dried out/rotting" cracks in between the teeth.

 

The point here is.....

DO NOT judge a timing belt by how it looks. The all-important structure of the belt is hidden underneath the rubber. This nylon structure can be stressed without you even seeing it.

Honestly? If you have a belt that's dry rotted and/or freying on the edges, then you've been avoiding your vehicle maintenance and have pushed the belts lifespan WAY TOO FAR.

 

x2 on 60k. That is what toyota recommends.