Timing belt change

zonie wrote:
> I need some help convincing a freind of mine to change the belt on his 94
> 3000GT. The car is going to be 14 years old but only ha 19,700 original
> one owner miles. The car has never spent the night outside and never
> driven in the rain . The car is as new looking as it can be and I think it
> would be a shame to have the belt break and possibly ruin the engine . I am
> not a Mitsubishi fan and know little about them. I am hoping that some
> prodding from other paople who own them and are familiar with them will
> convince him to do the change. Scott

Yes, absolutely change that belt. Rubber does stiffen and dry out and
weaken. While the manufacturer might recommend 60k for changing it,
that doesn't really mean much if it will hit 60k in the year 2052. The
manufacturer typically figures 5-10k per year minimum.

If his is the TT version (the VR4) I also urge him to change all coolant
hoses for the same reason. It's a good idea with the non-turbos, but
especially in the hotter underhood temps of a turbo engine an old hose
is more prone to weaken and burst and do damage to your engine. On my
RX-7 turbo I firmly believe in changing all coolant hoses every 5 years
or 60k miles.

This car is clearly treasured, and as such it's a very wise idea to
replace the rubber belts and hoses every 10 years regardless of mileage
because rubber doesn't last forever. He may also find minor oil seal
leaks someday as well, for similar reasons.

Dave
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