serpentine belt life

Ron Seiden wrote:
> Just had my 2004 Caravan (3.3L V6) in for a 60K mile checkup. The serpentine
> belt was one of those "check; replace if necessary" items. It passed, but
> now I'm wondering what kind of life I might expect from it. (In other words,
> do I go back to sleep or do I worry about it all the time now?...) I'm
> fairly easy on my van (original front brakes only need replacing now, for
> example), so how often after 60K should I get the serpentine belt checked?
>

I replaced the belts on my '98 Stratus 2.5L V6 at 117,000 miles, at the
same time I did the timing belt. They still looked fine but like you I
didn't want to worry about it. The 2.5L V6 is a Mitsubishi engine, where
as the 3.3L is (or was) a Chrysler engine, so YMMV. I put a lot of
highway miles on my Stratus. I didn't do the brakes until 100,000 miles,
same time as I did the tune up.

I'd give them a visual check every time you check the oil level. You
could do a more thorough check about once a month. Or replace them now
and not worry about it. They are not that expensive.

--
Gyz

If a man is speaking in the middle of a forest and there is no woman
around to hear him, is he still wrong?
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