Originally posted by HickoryC:
After 8 years and 4 months, with 162,000 original owner miles, still have original timing belt. At about 148,000, while changing valve-cover gasket, it still looked brand new and someone on this site a pic of one at about 120,000 and it looked ready to split. Don't know why that is. Also, around that time, the "experts" were saying 130,000 is Ford recomendation.
Guess it gets expensive if it goes before routine maint.



I think a lot of it has to do with weather conditions. Driving around in cold weather is sure to stress parts going from extreme colds to piping hot. Then you add in the Salt on the roads and you can easily have what it takes for an early belt death. Then some people also practically live in a desert with zero humidity and that dries out rubber parts fast.

I'm at 96K and the belt looks good. I can't say a pully might not ever die and take out the belt, but that is why I have AAA.