Failed a Block Test at 400,000 Miles!

[@taylorjoshd]

Rainman Ray and Eric O. from South Main Auto LLC have the BEST Auto Mech channels on the Tube. Honest, entertaining, and great instructors the both of them. I've learned tons from both these dudes. Keep up the fantastic work, Bud. And thanks for what you do

[@ourtexasfamilyvideos62]

Don't forget about Ivan from Pine Hollow.

[@EarlSinclair97]

David Pike at Motor City Mechanic for honorable mention.

[@jerrymccullough688]

Vice Grip Garage too!

[@shadetreemech290]

Yeah, I do those two as well.

[@labradachig1976]

I'll add the Car Care Nut to the list.

[@CharlesCurran-m9p]

403k miles? Boy, Chrysler should replace that engine themselves and use the van for advertising.

[@21Piloteer]

The Chrysler 3.3/3.8 V6's were actually pretty good engines, just not very powerful.

[@brandonstclair6530]

We had some Dodge vans at work with the 3.3 v6. All had over 200K on them and had basically no repairs, just oil changes.

[@pennybeacham6461]

Based on that engine doing over 400k miles the only option would be to get a used engine with under 100k or just over,'then should be good for atleast another 250+k.But repairing the vehicle is not an option as chances are at 400k the rings possibly on way out,valves worn to death,'along with cam.

[@williamegler8771]

Why? It isn't the first or the last Caravan to reach or surpass that mileage.

[@stuglenn1112]

At 400k my guess is that wrecked engine was the 7th or 8th engine that's gone in that van, it's a Chrysler after all. The owner must have some kind of weird emotional attachment to it.

[@rcpasc1948]

This you ain't going to believe. In my little workshop i noticed a bunch of dirt dauber nests in anything that can be described as a hole. I cracked one open and found a grub eating dead mosquitoes. I opened another and another.. same thing, dead mosquitoes. I learned that I should cover anything I didn't want filled with nests and that the mosquitoes that ran me from my shop were being killed by the daubers. I gathered useless objects that had holes and blocks of wood that I drilled 3/8" holes. Bunches of them. I've had an amazing reduction of mosquitoes in my shop but also around my home. So far the daubers and I have an understanding. I will provide their babies with habitat and they will kill mosquitoes and not sting me. For the last decade or so the treaty has stood with no violations.

[@eltonyancey6426]

Interesting.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

That's why a lot of people make a point of NOT killing or evicting non-venomous spiders.

[@StrongDreamsWaitHere]

A block of wood with various sizes of holes, placed a respectful distance from your front or back door, can attract lots of beneficial insects with bad reputations.

[@brand-x7049]

@@MonkeyJedi99 Amen to this. I have some form of small web-making spiders that I cede the area of the kitchen sink window to, and leave the light over the kitchen sink on 24/7 - at night, the only light source in the house is that light, so any flying irritants are drawn to it, and then dealt with. 😈

[@fsu3784]

what’d ya know, letting the environment be may just take care of itself. Instead of cancer causing and important species killing sprays. 🤔

[@surferdude4487]

My Dad's 1984 grand caravan had 570k kilometres on it before he sold it as a parts car. but that's only 356k miles in freedom units. His 1978 GMC Gaucho (3/4 ton van) had 470k miles on the 350 and it could still smoke the tires on demand. Some engines are just that good.

[@Mr10Alpine]

Good ol' cast iron 3.3 and 3.8 V6. Heads on these can be replaced, and can still run forever (with today's car prices as high as they are). As for the transmissions, at 3:24 that 3.8 carries the same 62TE that would used in the next year Pentastar, and yes, it was used in the Promaster van until 2021. The 3.3 uses the 41TE, and that traces its roots to 1989, until its demise in 2020, with the Journey, making it the last 4 speed automatic transmission to enter the 2020s.

[@vote1barkerblairbarker227]

From Australia and adore your show...great to watch your growth and your business..the American dream...I try and work on my daily drive5 and have learnt so much from you and SouthMainAuto love his work too ..thank you

[@tonywestvirginia]

Both are great techs.

[@AmandaHugenkiss2915]

These engines are bulletproof our 3.3 has 302K and uses no oil, never been opened except valve cover gaskets. Looked brand new when i did them.

[@DanielClark-sb5ub]

I have a 97 Mazda b4000 and it overheated for the longest time, even after replacing the water pump, thermostat and radiator. One day it started leaking coolant bad, turned out the heater control valve was leaking and finally fractured where the butterfly valve inside it was. It took a good while before the heater valve failed, now it runs cool all the time.

[@mrq1]

My family had a 95 Plymouth Grand Voyager (2nd gen body style) with the 3.3 V6, the little brother of this one. It had a 250k before we junked it 13 years later and we wore everything out on it. The front and rear captain's chairs had been replaced, the sliding door took Herculean effort to open, it was on it's 2nd transmission rebuild, and the 3rd dead A/C compressor. We were using bailing wire to open the hood and the suspension rolled around like a new Cadillac Fleetwood. We finally threw in the towel when the timing cover cracked (probably bad motor mounts). Engine still ran though. Thing was a tank and good on gas and surprisingly peppy. Not much weight in those early unibodies.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Scanner Danner Is a Gentleman and his Brother that Teach diagnostic Procedures on automotive repair they have a website as well as a youtube channel and teach at colleges 11:40 @Rainman Ray's Repairs

[@davidzajano1983]

Great discussion about repair options for this particular vehicle. Owner drives this vehicle more than 31.000 miles a year (manufactured in Nov 2010, but ID'd by scan tool as still being a 2010 model year? ) and appears to know something about proper maintenance. Tires look good, many items under the hood have been replaced. If the transmission is shifting smoothly it may be worth fixing.I'd want to look under the vehicle and inspect suspension, motor mounts, exhaust, brakes and brake lines, bushings, etc. before making a final determination. Also the quick glimpse of the interior did not hint at the wear I would expect to see at 400,000.

[@alanm.4298]

Tje rest of that van appeared in pretty good shape, although we really didn't get a look underneath or around inside. The new parts under the hood suggest someone has tried to maintain it. In fact, they must have done something right to make it all the way to 403,000 miles!

[@roycauthern6463]

Scanner Danner is a channel on KZbin

[@cumminsdsl]

He is great at diagnostics and good teacher.

[@user-yk4oq4wz4d]

he was an instructor of mine at rosedale tech in pittsburgh pa back in 2013.

[@MichaelSteeves]

Safe to say it isn't Derek from VGG -- he isn't interested in anything new enough to have a computer!

[@surferdude4487]

And a Banner Scanner detects gamma rays.

[@tenneyd74]

Yeah, Derek from vgg isn't big on digical doo dabs

[@MobileAutomotiveServices]

I had a '99 Caravan with a 3.3. Loved to hate that thing. Don't know why, because I finally managed to scrap it after just over 700K miles. Blew the rear main seal. I could have saved it for another 100K or so, but I suppose I felt it was time to just let it rest in peace. It served me better than I ever treated it.

[@ekop1778]

MY DODGE NEON 97 JUNKED AT 166K BACK IN 2018 NOTHING BUT ISSUES

[@MobileAutomotiveServices]

@@ekop1778 166K is pretty damned good for a '97 Neon, lol. Most of those didn't make it to face Y2K.

[@Google_Is_Evil]

Don't forget the root cause in the cost estimate. That broken fan (not running on aircon is clearly something broken) is likely the cause for the engine overheating at stop lights, probably resulting in head(gasket) failure over time. Just fixing the engine will cause the car to fail again rapidly in the exact same way.

[@MrSamPhoenix]

Is it the push-rod V6?

[@stevenbelsky1652]

Yes the Chrysler 3.8l V6 is a pushrod engine ​@MrSamPhoenix

[@v12alpine]

probably a dual speed fan and the slow speed isn't working... because it finally kicked in once it was on the verge of over heating.

[@aaronbritt2025]

@@v12alpine Supposed to kick on high immediately with a/c activation.

[@hokie9910]

This is actually a good point. In the case of blown head gaskets, it very unlikely it failed on its own without something else going on.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

All you can do is Inform your customer and let them choose what they want to so good video as always Raymond 18:03 @Rainman Ray's Repairs

[@rfjohns4452]

In my various jobs including career in finance I've never encountered so many problems that this man faces.everyday.His long history in this field shows his mastery in this occupation. Could you imagine going to EV how long it would take to find a person that has the same ability ?

[@44hawk28]

3.8 L or 3.3 L engines were some of the best engines they ever put into the minivans. Not a ton of power, but I drove back from South Carolina to Detroit and I averaged $128 mph driving through virginia, and still averaged over 20 miles per gallon. It was a federal package 98 Caravan. And you could tell those because they had a custom paint color on them that only the Caravans built for the federal law enforcement service were that color and I had the one that wasn't. The company who built the front and rear bumper faces for Chrysler out of St Louis actually had them build them one of those Vehicles it was one of the best vehicles I ever owned. Even when I had the transmission rebuilt at 211,000 miles, it had Heavy Duty Parts. I was getting 31 1/2 Mi to gallon regularly on the expressway with that particular vehicle.

[@Alboalt]

I had a 2001 and a 2008 Caravan, and the only thing good about them was the 3.3 liter engine. Old-fashioned pushrod engine that couldn't get out of its own way, power-wise, but it ran.

[@tonywestvirginia]

@@Alboalt The 3.3 could get you where you were going and you could depend on it.

[@THEFlea1991]

128 mph, Lordy I’m surprised the frame didn’t rattle to pieces 😂

[@theflukey4114]

To me, it’d be worth repairing. Cheaper than a new car. But we don’t know if the car has been reliable or not for the customer, so that’d differ quickly. I’m in the same area, front subframe on the 07 fusion has rust holes and needs replaced. $1500CAD. Worth it to me because I’ve had zero issues with the car and everything else is perfect.

[@robertsheriff6118]

This is unrelated to this video. Two nice tools were delivered today that you might like. One is an Astro 78914 lower control arm prybar. I notice you use regular pry bars to pry arms down. Not always the easiest or safest solution. This tool is heavy-duty! I got mine on Amazon. It can put more force on an arm than your prybar. The other is expensive. but worth it. It is a Schley 18100 ball joint press. I saw it on another channel. Dave's Auto Center channel. It makes replacing ball joints a 15-minute chore! This tool is a honker! It's big and heavy (36 pounds). I did state it was expensive. $868 expensive. I don't know about you, but I am getting too old to struggle with a classic-style ball joint press. I run into ball joint jobs often enough that it was a good investment. I sometimes have to use adjustable ball joints, and this make it easy to be accurate. Just a "Heads up" on a couple of cool tools.

[@michaelbenoit248]

We had one of these things with the 3.8 & it did have a coolant consumption issue. Perfect use for some of that BlueDevil head gasket sealer.

[@rickheckbert2423]

Up here in New England it would be easy to condemn that minivan. With that age/mileage the body and or frame (I realize its unibody) would be a rusted mess and it would be easy to condemn. Here you've got a vehicle in fairly decent shape (other than the hood paint) that could easily go another 10 years/400k with just an engine transplant. So for a few grand you've got a fully functioning vehicle versus a new car payment. I'm glad I'm not making that decision!

[@sc5015]

Living in the Northeast, it never ceases to amaze me the miles of the cars rolling in your shop. That thing would have done by 100k here in the salt belt.

[@JamesAgans]

Last week I watched Wes on Watch Wes Work tape a blue rubber nitrile clove over the radiator fill neck, then start the engine. The glove blew up like a balloon. Blown Head Gasket. Pretty simple/cool diag, IMHO.

[@StrongDreamsWaitHere]

If it wasn't for the cost of shipping the engine down to Florida, I'll bet there's a Grand Caravan at Wilberts up near Eric O. with a rusted out body and frame but only 150K on the motor.

[@aaronbritt2025]

@8:30... Well, we know what happened. Fan stopped working, car overheated and someone replaced all the wrong parts chasing the overheat situation. Doesn't matter though because when it overheated, the driver kept driving until a head warped and blew a head gasket.

[@mikehunt908]

Seems like a fair assumption 👍

[@joshgould70]

I’ve got the same van, same year but a Town and Country with 350,000 miles and still going strong.

[@hithereperson8137]

So you got 53k miles left lol

[@jeffreydove821]

Better check the fans.

[@mikeh6876]

Well, I might agree with you after a few other checks. If the suspension, frame and wheels are in good shape - if the interior is in relatively good shape - it has experienced 400K of wear and tear - the electrical system is O/K, I would consider a rebuilt engine. I noticed that the paint had the normal Dodge high mileage peel and fade but that does not affect the drivability of the van. Good luck with this one. If it were me, I would replace the engine. Cheaper than a new auto.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Looks like somebody put Stop Leak In that Radiator with all that Glitter Raymond 10:36 @Rainman Ray's Repairs

[@marymulrooney1334]

A friend of mine has had 3 mini vans over the years (Ford, Dodge and not sure of the 3rd one) each one was retired due to transmission problems.

[@TLS6723]

45 years of being a mechanic. Most of those years I worked on Ford, Chrysler, Mitsubishi and Mazda. To see any of those go 400,000 is almost a miracle. I wonder how many trans have been replaced before 400,000?

[@Yoji808]

very helpful explanation of what happened at 13:32... I didnt know that, and now I do, so thanks :)

[@patrickchavez3848]

Yup, this channel gave me the confidence to replace my valve cover gaskets and talked me through it when I looked up the video with my type of engine!

[@LabCat]

Never had a problem with any of the engines on my Caravans that I drove for work, and I put over 100K on each one. 3.3L, 4.0L and 3.6L Pentastar (although the Pentastar was easily the worst of the bunch). The transmissions though... holy Bastet, those things were awful.

[@deepsquat600]

I'm going to represent you too as a whole here. Ray I find it amazing that you produce so many videos each day.. having a business and a family wow... And I strongly suspect your wife when she has time to help you edit videos.. so to her I say thank you as well

[@steveb6103]

What shape is the rest of the van in is the bigger question? 400,000 is a good run.

[@kjainana]

The engine lasts a long time but bring that baby to canada and it will rust away before your next birthday.

[@krashkwads4688]

it must have been well maintained

[@Broofsticles]

With car prices the way they are, motor replacement is the cheaper option.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Yep. If the frame, suspension and transmission are fin, and the job needed is even a big resealing job it is worth it. If that was a 400,000 mile car up here in the salt belt, the answer would be in much more doubt.

[@hj-hp8kj]

Yeah absolutely. These days buying a used car costs near as much as a new car. Not to mention that another used car will still need work done. Normally I would just ride it till she dies, but prices these days makes reviving more cost effective.

[@richwg6633]

Just imagine if Biden and Trump didn't have the 100% tariff on Chinese cars. We could all be buying a decent vehicle at $20k. Of course given the optics and current political climate, the current auto manufacturers will gladly continue selling you their cars starting at $40k and up.

[@user-tb7rn1il3q]

I’d find a good used engine.

[@treimers95]

​@user-tb7rn1il3q The problem is FINDING that "good" engine. Most people that "have an engine" dont have nearly any idea whether it's truly good or not - and don't care as much as Ray does to try to find out FOR SURE. So they have some crap they want $1,000 for and you may well be buying exactly what you've got. And there aren't readily available rebuilt engines for anything 12+ years old that is a common consumer car because "the market" doesn't buy them - only for big trucks and other folks that really spend on a particular model to keep quantities of them running.

[@jeremyt7752]

Had that 3.8 in a Wrangler. What a dog.

[@georgeweisbrod1876]

4:45am. Second coffee break with RRR. Good way to take break from stable stall cleaning. Got enough HS not needing other site's BS. Refreshing informative and entertaining as normal. Only wish closer to Florida for dependable honest shop

[@KevinRay4083]

Good morning, Ray! Have an awesome day! Thanks for the videos! 👍🏻❤

[@kenabi]

we've got a 3.8, 2000. needs a few seals done, but its rock solid otherwise. a little rough for wear on the outside, but it runs and drives just fine. and all too easy to wind up cruising around at way faster than you thought you were going.

[@rodneyadamson8270]

We had a gentleman come in our shop with a Crown Vic that he drove 100 miles a day to work.. it had 423k on it ❤ and still going

[@charleshines5700]

One thing I can tell that ails it before you even popped the hood is that shift lever. It seems like one of those stupidly placed ones that would get bumped when you turn the steering wheel. I was always a huge fan of it on the floor or at least where you can reach for it without ever lifting your right hand. You know what other vans have that design? The Nissan Quest. I don't know if they still make them that way but I took a glimpse into one that I saw parked and that was the first thing I noticed. I was kind of shocked that anyone would design a vehicle that way.

[@bigscout1584]

I think it's worth saving. And I say that because those van platforms are very valuable. It can be a people mover or truck. Chrysler hit this configuration out of the park

[@21Piloteer]

Valuable? Not really.

[@seeya205]

It may cost more to fix than it would be to buy another one.

[@StrongDreamsWaitHere]

@@seeya205Another what? 15 year old minivan that has its own list of unknown problems? I think it would be reasonable to look the whole van over - transmission, suspension, steering everything. Get a complete place to restore, including a rebuild engine. Then, ask yourself what could you get for that same amount of money that would be comparable in terms of both people moving ability and not having to worry about any more problems for the next couple of years.

[@seeya205]

@@StrongDreamsWaitHere In running condition, you are lucky to get $5000. That work can easily run that and you still have over 400,000 miles on everything else. You can get a lower mileage van for the cost of all the repairs needed with this one.

[@generessler6282]

I totally agree about the Chrysler van format with the foldaway seats: haul 7+ people one minute and a stack of 4x8 plywood the next. I just don't get the stigma some people attach to minivans. For many, they make much more sense than pickup trucks, but aren't cool enough, I guess. As to this unit, though, I doubt fixing it is the best option.

[@smalltownMainer]

jeep i had had the same engine, coolant didnt bubble but it did had a tiny weep out the front corner of the head gasket. and it didnt have much over 100k miles.

[@kennethking2301]

ScannerDanner is a channel on KZbin. The channel owner is Paul Danner. I am surprised you haven't heard of him.

[@davidquinn6161]

Scanner Danner's channel very.very rarely posts videos. I subscribe to it. I can't remember the last time he posted anything other than "shorts"

[@patd4346]

@@davidquinn6161 Scanner Danner regularly posts 3 to 5 videos per month on his non-premium channel.

[@GeorgeKennedy-u4r]

He's a real sharp auto electronics guy for sure.

[@jamesreynolds5091]

ScannerDanner teaches auto diagnostics at a technical school in the Pittsburgh area. One of his former students gave him the name ScannerDanner because of his expertise with auto diagnostic scan tools.

[@Justice-Seeker]

Combustion gasses in the combustion chamber?! 02:13 Better call Ray! 🤣🤣

[@clbcl5]

And water in the coolant.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

I caught that too...I'm pretty sure he meant combustion gasses in the cooling system, lol.

[@HaythamBuKhadra]

Oil in the oil pan 😂

[@clbcl5]

Air in the air conditioning?

[@johnwright7782]

Love vice grip garage too.

[@noreverse1152]

The van looks in decent shape, probably worth fixing, even if just by putting in a used motor with half that mileage

[@StevenDaugherty-uo5cs]

As its only 14 years old and the rest of it looks to be in pretty good shape from what little I can see I'd say its worth putting a low/lower milage used engine in it. A new or remanufactured engine maybe not unless you get one cheap. Still 400,000 miles in 14 years that's a lot of driving, have to say the bottom end has to be pretty worn out, I definitely wouldn't just do a top end.

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

Living in the land of rust it's hard to see cars free from the terminal rot be discarded as being "to old". But I can also see the point. If cars don't rust away there will be a lot more used cars available at reasonable prices. I would think that a quick check of the chassis can help the decision. If it's bad underneath then there's less chance of a engine swap being a reasonable choice. But if it's fine below and not all that banged up otherwise then it might be a case of better the devil you know. I got rid of my last car because there were just too many things turning up at once, and it was way past 20 years of living in rust land. Each part sound simple, but adding them all together and knowing that the car was old enough that there would just be coming more and more problems made me get rid of it. Kind of a pitty. I liked that Toyota. It always ran and was comfortable and economic. Still hauled ass if you stepped on the gas which surprised people, not that I used that often. But it's better to have some power and not need it than the other way around. Damn I feel I should have fixed it...

[@paulmoir4452]

​@@blahorgaslisk776320 years in the rust belt is a good long life for a car. I can hardly understand this video because that van ought to be rusted in half, and the AC dead at least 5 years. The heater bypassed??? Different worlds. I guess we can send them engines and transmissions, they can send us body parts.

[@johnmarino4085]

Nicely done Ray !

[@alex1949]

These older 3.8/3.3s are good engines. I have a 06 GC 3.3l w/ 360K miles and still runs great. I'm hoping it'll make it to 500K like my S10. :)

[@jdub976]

Have to say for 400k I'm impressed. It still actually sounded ok. Makes me wonder if is similar to the GM 3.8 liter from a few years back. If you stayed on top of the gaskets those things would run forever.

[@waterloo123100]

This is basically Chryslers version of the 3.8 their pretty solid motors as well

[@williamhenderson9535]

Fix the Van and drive it another 100k! It's paid for!

[@MowerModdin]

You can reuse the blue fluid, you do not need to dispose of it after a block test. Just squeeze the bulb a few more times, green fluid will turn back into blue fluid again.

[@BobBasshead]

Considering what new parts that have been added already it might be the best option to install a junkyard engine in it I hate dirt dabbers, anything and everything in my carport that has a hole in it gets filled with dirt, even the grounding hole in extension cords!

[@MrRightNow]

I have the same engine in my car, which is the reason why I bought it, because those engines are tanks! 400K miles on this engine gives me a lot of hopes for the one I have, which is currently less than 200K on the odometer. No timing belt unlike the 4.0L version, no timing tensioner, no timing guides, no VVT crap, no overhead camshafts, no GDI, no turbo, no bells and whistles that make engines fail prematurely. Sure it's not the most gas efficient, but it more than makes up for that with reliability and longevity in the long term. The newer 3.6L Pentastar engines are over engineered junk comparing to these 3.8L ones.

[@EC_ATV_Outdoors]

Just from the thumb I was going to say that's not a pentastar, that's an oldie. You can also tell because the tail lights won't have the two circles in the design, and the front grill has those chunky plastic design lines. The previous gen caravans had three engine options.

[@tx41979]

My London tx1 taxi 2001 had 2.7 Nissan engine with 422k in uk so had to get rid of it due to new emissions regulations and was still running at 500+ k in another taxi

[@ItsCleto]

Those old 3.3's and 3.8's were unstoppable.

[@MrBillrookard]

Took a look, found a few engines with 120k miles in the $600 range in my area, and one with an amazing 43k miles for around that price as well... I'd call that reasonable assuming $1000 to install it and assuming everything else is working.

[@johndickerson9328]

At 400k on the odometer, and the body still looks good, I think 🤔 that the customer should get it fixed. It would be worth it to me. 😊 I would have the entire engine rebuilt, or purchase a rebuilt engine.

[@ekop1778]

PAINT PEELING -LIKE MY OLD 97 DODGE WASNT DONE RIGHT AT THE FACTORY THEY SAY CHEAP PAINT

[@broken1965]

Who needs heater core in Florida, well i woke to snow coverd roads one morning in Clearwater

[@73sdawson]

I seriously doubt that Derek from Vice Grip garage used the term "scanner danner". Not because he wouldn't say that, but because I'm not sure he has ever made a video with a vehicle new enough to have an OBD port. 😀 Ray and Eric have the best pure mechanic channels (Ray's my favorite), but Derek is great in a different way because he has balls of steel, showing up to get cars running after decades sitting in a field, armed with a Harbor Freight tool kit and a couple used tires and driving them hundreds of miles home.

[@jgeisler]

Though for those of us mechanically inclined enough, taking the heads off, getting them machined, and reinstalled can be cost effective. Did this probably 20 years ago for my son's car.

[@camojoe83]

So basically after head gaskets and head inspection it's good for another 150 at least, or till he burns it down with a plug in heater one winter. Whenever you have water migration is when they're really NFG anymore.

[@AO-oy3om]

Wow!! Our ‘ 07 caravan which has the 3.3. L. Has 412,300 miles.

[@josephvantreeck2989]

hey Ray, thx

[@jynxclover]

That's a lot of Chrysler miles! Of everyone I watch on KZbin, you have the best intro. Content is great too!

[@techguydilan]

Yes, there is/was a KZbin channel named Scanner Danner. I think he may have changed the name of it to Scan Tool Dan or something. He actually makes a lot of good videos on diagnosing with a scan tool.

[@r4ptorbunny593]

I got my special cool blue liquid (block test chemical) from Harbor Freight and it was less than $10 I think. Although, now that I think about it, I'm sure you need a bigger bottle than what I got--mine was maybe 18 fl oz. Great video as always, Ray!

[@jamesmeza5490]

Drove a 3.3 v6 from California to Minnesota no problem but 30 mins into the border of mn front tire popped and tore the wiring harness off and became too expensive to fix 😢

[@Anthony-qj7qe]

400k miles, wow that's pretty good for that engine! 👍

[@MMA4CMT]

Hey Ray, had a similar situation with a 98 Dodge Caravan was able to change the head gasket on the back bank got lucky. The head was good. Just had it surfaced and threw it back on. However, about 1000 miles down the road the oil pump went out on it. Was under the impression I had to drop the whole front end out from under the van could not do that in my driveway so gave up the ghost.

[@catherinemorgan2741]

Good day Ray and hi to Dave and new guy

[@stevelang3171]

i liked the way way Dave comically cowered when the funnel was boiling over.

[@r4ptorbunny593]

Currently having a similar problem with my 2015 200C (V6), it overheats in traffic, but it didn't fail a block test and it's not losing coolant. I wish I was close enough to bring it to you since I love that car and I don't have a mechanic around that I trust to touch it--the place I was going to turned me away and said it failed a block test--I did my own, multiple times, and it has passed every time. Took it to a stealership and they quoted me $15k for a full rebuild. 🙄

[@steveschwab922]

If normal driving keeps it cool, but it overheats in traffic you most likely have an airflow problem. Blocked radiator or failing fan?

[@davidhollfelder9940]

The Lisle funnel is a lifesaver.

[@Phatdaddy917]

Scannerdanner is a great teacher n has a great channel. Highly recommend it

[@campy9712]

Great video, thanks for sharing it Ray !

[@billdunlop8683]

Ahhhhh, the smell of a Chrysler product burning off coolant, Takes me back to my Chrysler Laser that used to overheat back in 1984,1985,1986 and 1987.

[@2eagle86]

I use to have a 97 town and country with 366k same transmission till it gave out. Rust and transmission issues

[@bobby9195]

Finally had to sell my 1994 Nissan pickup,it had 389000 mls on it. Still running strong.evrn the A/C still works. Did regular maintenance on it. Couple minor things like power, steering hose, brake lines. Fuel pump.nothing serious. Great little truck,5 speed manual, but over all Nissan built a pretty good little truck back then. Like the Ford 300 straight 6 🎉

[@kurtisstutzman7056]

Vice Grip Garage, Derek works on fuel-make-it-happeners(carbs) and things with electro-whirlers(distributors) and lightning hoses(plug wires)... Scanners don't work on those vehicles...!!! Thanks for sharing... Keep up your awesomeness..!

[@josephbucknavage6739]

I've never seen him use a scanner and I don't even think he owns a set of metricals.

[@ZerokillerOppel1]

Bring the thunder!!!

[@GhostSniper67]

Don't forget the Spark-a-lators.....

[@kurtisstutzman7056]

@GhostSniper67 Of course...!

[@JohnWilliams-wr3pc]

Old Dodge engines run forever. 400K, way better then those Pentastar engines of today! I have a 2009 Dodge Caravan approaching 300K without any problems!

[@Turvotastic]

Compared to the pentastar these are so much easier to work on. If it's not a head gasket you might have an issue with the block I've seen it before

[@mattbrown5511]

Overall, the minivan seems to be in good condition. And as much as newer vehicles cost, I think it is worth fixing. But as you said, not my situation.

[@wisfull11]

hello Ray and miss Lauran. how is Justin working out? been watching you for awhile and am a subscriber. like all your videos and learn alot from them as a diyer that works on my own truck.

[@richardstone5241]

The owner should be thankful for the 400,000+ they got out of this and realize it is time for another vehicle. 400,000 miles is impressive to say the least!

[@ChessIsJustAGame]

Especially for a Chrysler product! The owner must have been doing a great job with PM.

[@stevemccooleq]

There is certainly an argument to be made that they got their money's worth on this one.

[@new2000car]

It was a miserable 400,000 miles. If you add up all the repairs and time in the shop, this ended up costing a lot more to get to 400,000 than a Toyota sienna. That’s why everyone here is so surprised at this mileage-it didn’t come easy in a Chrysler.

[@padmeneirbe7363]

That van drove to the moon and back

[@KAS_Motorsports]

Good point.

[@DanielJohnson-ps4xv]

I got rid of a van last year that had the same engine. 235k ran good didn’t burn oil. Transmission ended up failing after the cooler sprung a leak and lost transmission fluid. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to buy a car with that engine.

[@dampierstucco5778]

My grandma used to say that about things coming in 3s.

[@silentferret1049]

Well at 400k if you were to pull the head and have things checked, engine could be pulled and maybe look at replacing the bearings on the crank. Even if the engine was babied, you know they are worn enough to replace. Engine could be rebuilt but its a higher case than anything to be honest. I would put this engine into the rebuild/core pile atleast, but only if head gaskets won't fix the problem. Also it should get a flush if it could be fixed with head gaskets.

[@karld3789]

Oh nice, a Bill Blass edition in the background.

[@1FastKawboy]

If I was paying someone, I would go with the used engine. If I was working on my own, I would be pulling the heads if the oil was showing no coolent in the crankcase. A quick look at the dippstick and oil cap would be first on the list......

[@richardwhalen732]

Yep, 400+K miles is definitely a good run for this vehicle. My own experience with these vans (I had two, a '92 and a '95) was the weak transmissions. I'd get about 60-70 K out of them, then back to the tranny shop for a rebuild. As far as your customer is concerned: he/she may have to weigh the cost of a new vehicle in excess of $30K over the cost of a salvage motor + installation. I agree it's a roll of the dice, but if you can get a few more years out of what appears to be a pretty clean (body-wise) van, it might be worth it. I'm not enamored with the new products coming out of the industry, too many modules. That will place a hard limit on the life of newer cars as these unserviceable modules become scarce. They're getting to be more like cell phones, disposable after only a few years.

[@hexaforce]

scannerdanner has over 427k subscribers.. of course Ray knows about him.. he is just "pulling our leg" 😊

[@robertpimpo4698]

Those motors were actually pretty good my had the 3.3 litre and that was decent

[@fumanpoo4725]

That's a lot of miles for any car. Let it retire in peace. That said, I have gas escaping right now. There several quality auto KZbinrs...Ray is one! Rock on!

[@JeffinTD]

At that mileage I’d think the rings and bearings have to have pretty good wear on them, even though it apparently got regular maintenance (or it wouldn’t have made it this far). No way I’d repair the engine. The transmission, interior, brakes, tires and suspension would have to be like new before I’d do an engine, either.