Timing Belt Shelf Life - Usused But Several Years Old

[Anthony 1,003]

Quick lunchtime ponder...

 

Are new and unused timing/cambelts (and similar) that have clearly been sat around on a shelf for years safe to use?

 

Clearly if it is sat in a box on a shelf it's not going to have been exposed to heat, UV and chemicals that degrade rubber and nor is it going to have been exposed to tensioning and bending like it would be if it was fitted to an engine.

 

However, equally other rubber based products often do have a recommended shelf life which I assume is because of age related degradation of rubber.

 

Normally with this sort of thing my attitude would be that for the sake of £10-15 and the potential damage caused if the belt were to fail then it's not worth using, but then again I'm wondering whether anyone is still actually manufacturing cambelts for older, rarer engines like 1.9 Mi16's any longer and thus whether anything is going to have been sat on a shelf for years...

[allye 530 3 Cars]

I don't really have a answer, but what what I can say is when I was looking for a cam belt kit from my V6 I was warned off a £100 genuine Peugeot kit as it had been sat for years, ended buying a gates kit for RRP £300, although paid trade at just shy of £200.

[jackherer 543]

I don't know the answer but I have had exactly the same thoughts myself. If you google old stock cambelts and scroll past the ebay links there are a lot of people asking the same question but no definitive answer.

[farmer 328 1 Cars]

Who's not to say some of these old kits maybe about for a while on motofactors shelves as well

[jackherer 543]

Nothing!

 

However I think if the choice is between a belt that /might/ have been stored for years and a belt that he has been told has definitely been stored for years I know which I would go for.

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

Gates used to take back old stock and renew it after it had been on the shelf for 5 years.

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

Anyone had a failed belt recently? last ten years or so... out of interest...

[allye 530 3 Cars]

I stripped the belt on a Ford Econovan in Australia, does that count? f***ed the head then built up a recon unit and fitted it with borrowed tools on a campsite!

[jackherer 543]

Anyone had a failed belt recently? last ten years or so... out of interest...

 

My Xsara VTS snapped a belt about two years ago which was well within the mileage and time limits for a new belt. It was running a Continental belt fitted by a reputable garage. The tensioners seemed fine, there was no obvious cause.

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

Mostly the reason I asked is you don't hear too much of failed belts these days, I also doubt there is much rubber content to them, like modern road tyres...

Never had a failed belt or chain in over 30 years of motoring, the 205 has 125,000mls on 5 belts... What I think about is does use/miles or age affect the belt more or less... for the sake of a new belt it makes sense, but no obvious cause doesn't mean there wasn't one... it would annoy me not knowing the cause...

[dcc 855]

So long as its sealed box and out of direct UV I wouldn't be worried.