At the very least you should loosen the top cover a get a look at the belt---they wear with mileage--but they also age with time. A really old belt may be cracked all over and you'll get yourself stuck for sure--look at both the flat and toothed sides of the belt--feel it for flexibility--check the amount of slack by turning the motor by the lower pulley bolt a few degrees counterclockwise (opposite normal rotation) to get all the slack on the "long side" (left side of motor looking from the driver's seat)--if you can twist the belt more than 90 degrees it at least needs a retensioning. If you put the 2-3 hours (for a newby) into a new belt/tensioner kit for the mental confidence, you'll have those parts to use in the new motor later so's the $ will not go to waste. -- Dave