It's been about four years, so I want to R&R all the engine belts & hoses as part of this Fall's P.M.
Never had a failure, so my back-up supply has remained in a sealed, dry, black plastic bag under the dinette, and I assume unaffected by moisture/ozone...No visible deterioration observed (cracking,brittleness, etc.)

I recall a friend of mine in the auto parts business being required by his wholesale jobber to replace any belt & hose inventory after three years on the shelf.

Conclusions/Options:

1. Just a parts jobber who wanted to churn inventory.

2. It's fine to use my old existing stock.

3. Install new stock & keep old stock for backup.

Is this an issue, or just much-ado-about-nothing?

Thanks,

Lee
'78-24'-P32-454/TH400
www.barthtravels.blogspot.com

Google helped me find this, a Canadian govt webpage which references US Military Standards for such things. It looks like the belts and hoses should have a shelf life of 3-10 years.

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:ZBqAyQdM9XoJ:www1....n&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

quote:

Originally posted by Lee:
my back-up supply has remained in a sealed, dry, black plastic bag under the dinette, and I assume unaffected by moisture/ozone

If you know a hunter or fisherman or just a well-equipped kitchen, have them vacuum bag your spares. Probably overkill, but just one easy step more.

Actually, a Foodsaver will pay for itself if you have adequate freezer capacity by allowing you to buy in large quantities at lower prices when available.