my car is 99 camry, 75k miles. I found that there are some cracks in the drive belt. Should i change it right now? which kind of results will happen if it's broken during driving? how much to change it in usa?
You have 2 belts - the one you don't see -- the timining belt. It breaks your engine stops leaving you to have to pay for a tow. The other you see is the alternator/powersteering belt. It breaks and you are pretty much stranded until you can replace it (not to hard even along side the road). I have seen the latter break (on other models) and cause radiator damage or wiring damage. When I had the timining belt replaced on my older Camry I had both done at the same time.
That's the complete answer. What kind of cracks? Which belt? Small surface checking in the surface of the alternator drive belt is normal. If small chunks come out then you should replace it. Supposedly nothing catastrophic happens if you neglect maintenance. Usually drive belts are replaced with the timing belt because they have to come off anyway, and the timing belt is replaced according to mileage just to be safe. Depending on your climate and the way you drive, belts can last way past the mileage recommendation, but they will harden with age. If you're the kind of guy who only fixes things when they break, you'll just wait. If you're like me, you'll change everything early so you it's all done.
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