The Accessory belt?

[N9QGS]

Im revising my post cause I think I educated myself a little. Okay there are Timing belts and chains, I guess they are internal to the engine, and the belt on the outside is the Serpentine belt that drives many additional components. I guess what I am specifically asking today since the Yaris has a Timing Chain that is not part of my 100K service, but I do question how do I properly go about servicing or inspecting the Serpentine belt, I guess is there a way to turn the belt so you can easily inspect the whole belt, how long do one suggest going with this belt and how easy is it to change, is it just loosing a bolt to let tension off, and slip the belt off and the new one on, and then reapply tention and tighten bolt?

I am at 80K now, I plan to keep my car at least 200K, if I feel comfortable with it, so I am willing to change this belt at 100K regardless of condition and if the job is easy enough to do in a half hour with minimal tools, any special tools required?

Ron

[PetersRedYaris]

100k is a safe interval, and I can't imagine it would cost more than $20. The belt does not have an automatic tensioner but rather the alternator pivots to take up the slack. You should look up the NST pully install DIY and just pay attention to the belt removal and replacement instructions...

Here it is-
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/sho...hlight=nst+diy

[N9QGS]

OKay I picked up the belt for $36 at Toyota dealership. there is two tools that I read are encourage to have, one is a belt tension gauge, how important is this? what can I use in place of this? and then I think there is a bar that you pry to apply pressure between the block and the generator. Can you just use like a crow bar? I would like to know if I should invest in these specific tools or can I get away with stuff I have laying around?

Also I took a picture of my existing belt and the new belt. I noticed a rusty color on the back side of installed belt that has 80K on it, and this sediment color is visible on the pulley where the back of the belt rides against. Is this all normal coloration? it appears to be the same color as some rust coloration occurring around bolts near where the belt runs and think it could be coming from those locations, and may warrant me doing an extra step to insure longevity of the new belt? any comments welcome.
the photo is not the best but hope it shows my question or concern.
photo is at http://web.me.com/n9qgs/N9QGS/Automotive.html

[YarisSedan]

Belt looks in good shape still. Age of the belt has more effect on it than actual milage. As age and heat from the engine bay causes the rubber to become hard brittle you will begine to see minor surface cracks. These will eventually get bigger and travel along the entire belt. Soon after you will usually start to hear squeeling in the morning when you first start the car. Shortly after that the belt breaks.

Since you have none of those signs i would say its safe to drive your car for another year possibly. If you want to do it early there is no harm done as well.

Most mechanics do not own a belt tension gauge. Best rule of thumb is after installing the belt take your thumb and forefinger and twist the belt at the center of its longest point. The belt should twist about half way. If you can twist it completely around its too loose. If it only twist a quarter turn its too tight and can burn up a bearing. In about a week or two check it again as new belts do stretch tightly. You may want to overtightend it slightly to compensate for this.

[N9QGS]

Thanks, I did some maintenance to my car and for whatever reason, I was running out of daylight and did not get to tackle the drive belt but I called my local shop and they said they could do it I already had the molding off that is recommended removing in repair manual already so I drove it over they installed the new belt in about 10 minutes they charged me $20 and I was on my way home to put the moulding back on. I felt it it feels pretty good. So the whole belt part of the maintenance cost me $59 with Toyota part.