2004 Xterra, t-belt broken at 101k miles

Most manufactures say to replace the cambelt / timing belt every 100,000km ... of course, like anything else, some won't last that long and other could last much longer.

From

' ... If you have trouble finding out when exactly the belt should be changed; you could consult either a local mechanic or contact a dealership for the exact number. A good general rule of thumb is that a timing belt should be changed every 60,000 to 75,000 miles, although some belts are designed to last up to 100,000 miles before requiring a change. Regardless though, it is best not to let a belt go more than 80,000 miles or so, even if the recommended change point is a lot higher.

That 80,000 miles is just over 128,000km.

no, they don't. They all have different recommendations. That's why we look them up. Every car, every time.

GW

You asked, I gave you an answer ... if you don't like that answer it's not my problem. :-\

I didn't ask anything. I told a short true story of an engine that didn't make it to the manufacturers recommended service mileage for the timing belt.

GW

As I said, most manufacturers say to replace the belt at 100,000km ... including Nissan (which is the main manufacturer I've dealt with for decades and various car models).

Nothing has been said about the service history of the vehicle. Since the vehicle was 8 years old when it was purchased, it is entirely possible that the original timing belt had already been replaced by someone who may have done less than a good job with questionable parts. It is not unusual for repair customers to be told "we always recommend changing the timing belt at 60,000 miles".

Yep, 60,000 miles or 100,000km is the usual timeframe (which is the same distance, just rounded to a nice easy number, rather than say 62 137.1192 miles).

They do so because even though the belt may last longer (and may even last a lot longer) than 100,000km / 60,000 miles, it becomes a MUCH more expensive repair if the belt breaks, so it's always better to do it earlier rather than too late.

Of course, the belt is one of the things they should be checking at the car's regular service for signs of premature wear, especially as it gets close to that 60,000 mile / 100,000km distance.

The published books like Gates, and Autodata say "when the manufacturer doesn't specify we recommend 60K miles. But most vehicles listed do have manufacturer recommended intervals and they are mostly of 90K mi or

60K mi.. The 105K listed for the Nissan VG33E engines surprised me, that's why I looked it up TWICE.

I also looked and found a dealer web site that has this at:

but I notice the 105K mi svc also says 84 months. I've never seen the time interval listed in the books, so that's certainly a good secondary indicator to use.

GW

From an article in the "MotorTimes" car section of yesterday's local newspaper about replacing cambelts ...

... Cambelts keep the internal components of your engine turning in a synchronised order, but need to be replaced every 100,000 kms or five years, whichever comes first. If a cambelt breaks, it can practically destroy the car's engine and cost you an arm and a leg to fix.

A typical repair as a result of a cambelt failure can be between NZ$3000 and NZ$4000 - which is why it is recmommended that you get the cambelt checked regularly.

Replacing it every fve years if you're only doing a minimal mileage is of course overkill, but it should still be checked at the regular servicing.