D3 camshaft belt change?

[hession]

I have 14 yr old Merry Fisher 655, having done c. 1200 hours & still going well - coming up for service.

Handbook says to change Volvo D3's Camshaft drive belt every 1400 hours - this will cost several hundred pounds

Do I need to change it yet? Am I taking big risk if I don't do it (yet)?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Colin

[Don Reaves]

I used to own a 1987 Honda Civic. When they said you should replace the belt, they really meant it. Failure of the belt caused damage to the engine because the pistons and valves would hit each other. Very bad.

In your case, it's probably not that bad. But consider that a failure would at the very least leave you stranded, requiring a tow that could be expensive in itself. Assuming that you will replace it eventually, how much would you save by doing it later? Probably not much. On the other hand, having it replaced when it's convenient for you would probably be a good thing.

So I would recommend doing it at the most convenient time near the scheduled number of hours.

[hession]

Very many thanks for your advice.

Colin