Dodge Caravan again!

AJ Williams · #1 01/06/10, 07:40 AM

Here we go again. I am just posting this as info for you all if you want. All the problems experienced on my 96 Caravan can be trace to a bent valve. Apparently the Mechanic/ex-friend new the shade tree fix and pretty much bilked me out of $1200.

Never again will I trust a freind to work on my vehicles unless they have a business license. It is a shame what greed will do.

Anyhow I will take the engine apart, get the head checked, the valve or valves fixed and replace it myself. I have learned a whole bunch more than I needed but the plus side is I can disassemble this and put it back together fairly easily. Just a matter of time and getting the money together.

Ain't learnin' fun!

Happy New Year!

AJ

ninny · #2 01/06/10, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJ Williams

Here we go again. I am just posting this as info for you all if you want. All the problems experienced on my 96 Caravan can be trace to a bent valve. Apparently the Mechanic/ex-friend new the shade tree fix and pretty much bilked me out of $1200.

Never again will I trust a freind to work on my vehicles unless they have a business license. It is a shame what greed will do.

Anyhow I will take the engine apart, get the head checked, the valve or valves fixed and replace it myself. I have learned a whole bunch more than I needed but the plus side is I can disassemble this and put it back together fairly easily. Just a matter of time and getting the money together.

Ain't learnin' fun!

Happy New Year!

AJ

Yeah, but it can be expensive too.

.

Allen W · #3 01/06/10, 09:14 AM

The learning is fun but the tuition for the free learning can get expensive.

HermitJohn · #4 01/06/10, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allen W

The learning is fun but the tuition for the free learning can get expensive.

Gotta think total cost per mile, both in time and money. Sometimes unless you are retired and looking for a hobby project, better to just call it a day and find a vehicle replacement.

blufford · #5 01/06/10, 07:35 PM

AJ, youv'e been posting about this van for quite a while. Are you sure you are ready to do a valve job on (what may be worth) a 500.00 van?

PhilJohnson · #6 01/06/10, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJ Williams

Never again will I trust a friend to work on my vehicles unless they have a business license. It is a shame what greed will do.

Plenty of places with a business license will rip you off too. That is why I work on my own stuff. There is only one person I trust to do things right besides myself and if I run into a really bad jam I'll go to him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJ Williams

Anyhow I will take the engine apart, get the head checked, the valve or valves fixed and replace it myself. I have learned a whole bunch more than I needed but the plus side is I can disassemble this and put it back together fairly easily. Just a matter of time and getting the money together.

I am curious how you ascertained that your engine has a bent valve without tearing down the motor first. Like HermitJohn said sometimes it is better just to get something different. No sense throwing good money after bad.

AJ Williams · #7 01/07/10, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilJohnson

I am curious how you ascertained that your engine has a bent valve without tearing down the motor first. Like HermitJohn said sometimes it is better just to get something different. No sense throwing good money after bad.

I had a trusted mechanic tell me. We checked the exhaust pipe and it was trying to suck back in.....Besides tearing it apart ain't gonna hurt.....It's just my free time. If it's serviceable I will fix it, if not can you say Scrap...actually since the transmission has only 12,000 miles on it and the van has brans new tires I might part it out.

moocow · #8 01/07/10, 07:01 AM

Go to harborfreight and buy a leakdown tester and follow the directions. It will tell you if you have valve not sealing or blown head gasket. The tester will let you know which cylinder it is. I would do this to be sure myself and not be the oppinion of someone who is trying to get your money.

Beeman · #9 01/07/10, 07:32 AM

Please don't tell us he used the dollar bill on the exhaust pipe. I haven't seen that in years. I really don't remember what is wrong with your van but if nobody does a compression test a cyl. balance test and then a leak down test don't spend a penny.

PhilJohnson · #10 01/07/10, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJ Williams

I had a trusted mechanic tell me. We checked the exhaust pipe and it was trying to suck back in.....Besides tearing it apart ain't gonna hurt.....It's just my free time. If it's serviceable I will fix it, if not can you say Scrap...actually since the transmission has only 12,000 miles on it and the van has brans new tires I might part it out.

I suppose, tearing it apart is free. When something internal bites the dust on one of my old clunker's engines lazyitis kicks in and I get rid of it.

OntarioMan · #11 01/07/10, 10:05 AM

Yup, around here, any common vehicle, maybe 1998 and older, ain't worth much... and its often cheaper and easier to replace them than it is to fix them, especially for anything "major".

Quote:

Originally Posted by HermitJohn

Gotta think total cost per mile, both in time and
money. Sometimes unless you are retired and looking for a hobby project, better to just call it a day and find a vehicle replacement.

AJ Williams · #12 01/08/10, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beeman

Please don't tell us he used the dollar bill on the exhaust pipe. I haven't seen that in years. I really don't remember what is wrong with your van but if nobody does a compression test a cyl. balance test and then a leak down test don't spend a penny.

Actually the Mechanic isn't charging me. Compression is messed up. He is one of the best Mechanics in the area. He mentioned recycling it but siad it wouldn't hurt to take it apart if I had the time. The van is in road worthy cindition other than the engine. It would cost me more ( I don't have) to get a new one other than to fix this engine.

OntarioMan · #13 01/08/10, 03:18 PM

Well... you could always throw on a used head(s) and avoid having yours repaired. I'm by no means a Chrysler minivan expert, but I believe the engines in those vans are actually quite good. Kijiji + $50 would probably get you a set of used heads from a van you can hear running. Add another $100 or so for gaskets and a set of new head bolts. Not familiar with those engines, but if the timing belt will be off during the repair and it has not been replaced recently, may want to replace that too. No idea what it cost to get a set of heads redone now... but I'm guessing its far more than $50.

Compression tests are a decent indication of not only failures, but the overall condition of the engine. For example, if your engine has lots of miles, and compression is relatively low across the board, its not worth fixing the head only to be left with a very tired engine. "compression is messed up"... do you have all the numbers from a wet and dry compression test?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJ Williams

Actually the Mechanic isn't charging me. Compression is messed up. He is one of the best Mechanics in the area. He mentioned recycling it but siad it wouldn't hurt to take it apart if I had the time. The van is in road worthy cindition other than the engine. It would cost me more ( I don't have) to get a new one other than to fix this engine.

Rocky Fields · #14 01/10/10, 11:12 AM

AJ,

Buy another Caravan with a fried tranny for $200 that has a good engine. Swap parts and make a good vehicle with tons of spares left over ;-)

RF

Rocky Fields · #15 01/10/10, 11:15 AM

PS: When you get enuff Caravan bodies laying around, mount em in the ground front down in a circle and call it "Caravanhenge"

AJ Williams · #16 01/12/10, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky Fields

PS: When you get enuff Caravan bodies laying around, mount em in the ground front down in a circle and call it "Caravanhenge"

I like your thinking!