When should the serpentine belt be replaced?

 

Hopefully the day before it breaks.

Realistically, if you have a 2015 then tomorrow would seem like a good idea.

There have been a bunch of recent posts here about modern serpentine belts and how the old standard of looking for cracks in the ribs may no longer be diagnostic because the material used to make the belts has changed. Basically, they don't really crack but instead wear down somewhat like tires, so the ribs get shorter and the valleys between the ribs get wider and more U-shaped. Eventually that causes slipping.

Also, if you're replacing the serpentine that's a great time to check all the pulley bearings and the tensioner.

 

Thanks. I'll see what's involved with that job.

 

I don't know about your GK, but on a second-generation Fit it's easy:
1) Remove passenger tire.
2) Remove fender liner.
3) Use a ratchet or breaker bar (or maybe pry bar) to relax tension and remove belt.
4) Do whatever testing you want to do with the pulleys and tensioner; replace parts as necessary.
5) Swap in the new belt and reverse steps 1 and 2.

You might be able to change the belt via the hood access, but I don't like bending and stooping and leaning on the fender if I don't have to.

 

Looking online, Bando seems to be the best brand of serpentine belt, although I've never heard of it. It costs $11 on Amazon, vs $44 for OEM.

best serpentine belts - Google Search

 

My GE Drive Belt and Tensioner Replacement

 

Funny enough mine just needed replacement, and it was cracked. 2015 EX

 

Mine got replaced in 2020 at 93k miles. It's a 2010. 60k - 100k miles is a good interval. As mentioned above, cracks aren't as reliable a way of telling if it's going bad anymore, so squealing or wear on the ribs is what you'll want to look at.

 

I received belts for both cars, $20 each, so I'll wait for warm, dry weather.

 

Sounds like a good plan.

I'd throw the old ones in the boot just in case the new ones snap. That way you can at least limp it home/to the mechanic.

 

We have a week of rain forecast, so it will be a while before I get to them. My garage is full of "stuff."

 

Gates has manufactured a number of OE Honda accessory and timing belts, though Rock Auto lists their GK serpentine belt as an "economy" model. Bando is by far the cheapest option.

 

Economy serpentine belt, economy tires, economy parachute, economy fire extinguisher. Save! Save! Save! 😂

 

You forgot economy life preserver.

Most of the "problems" that people present on car forums are the result aftermarket modifications or aftermarket parts. In the former, you have the guy who thinks he knows better than the automotive engineers in Japan, and in the latter you have the guy who can't afford to own a car to begin with.

 

Every time I’ve had mine inspected the shop said it wasn’t needed, so I guess I won the belt lottery

 

It's hard to tell from a visual inspection when that belt is going to fail. From what I've heard, it's not like inspecting fan belts.

 

In engineering, everything is a tradeoff. Product engineering in particular has heavy emphasis on cost-cutting. Every penny the manufacturer can cut out without the buyer noticing is a penny of profit. That has put us in the current "disposable economy" where people think its normal for the value of their property (material wealth) to evaporate in a matter of years. I digress. Most times, penny-pinching goes off without a hitch. Other times it results in $700 sun visors that won't stay up, peeling white paint, VTC rattle, or the mother lode: Takata airbags.

 

How about a cement life preserver?

That Time ISO 9001 Certificate Mills Tried to Literally Certify Cement Life Jackets - Oxebridge Quality Resources

 

You are assuming that you know what Honda considers acceptable limits for their production standards. Maybe Honda makes every final decision based on cost. Maybe not. (Unless, of course, you have evidence to support your assumptions.) Generalizations about "product engineering" sound good, but that could be a broad brush that you are painting with.

 

Indeed. A video has already been posted somewhere on Fitfreaks. At least one YouTuber has argued that new belts don't crack and wear like the old ones. Therefore, you might need to do a different type of inspection on a new belt.