Make me feel better about this...

We have a 2000 Montana with 89,000 miles on it.

At about 84,000 miles, I replaced the intake manifold gasket. Blackstone Labs said that there was no significant iron in the oil, so they felt I had not damaged the bearings yet. At the same time, I replaced the serpentine belt, hoses, o-rings, plugs, wires, transmission fluid/filter, air filter, and fuel filter. I've owned the van since it was new, and changed the oil according to the oil change indicator every time. Since the gasket change, I've change the oil three times to clear out any remaining coolant and have the oil tested to get the all-clear on the gasket change. Oh, and I just change the front brakes and rotors.

We are leaving for vacation in a week, and I feel just a little funny about filling the van with wife and kids and heading out on a cross-country trek. I'm not sure I've ever vacationed in a car with that many miles. I don't know why...I've owned them with that many miles. I guess the timing just never worked out to go on a driving vacation with a higher-mileage vehicle before.

The left side of my brain tells me everything will be ok and that this is probably the most reliable vehicle in the house. The right side of my brain says to go out and rent a van for the week before I ruin our vacation and put my family at risk.

This is one of those times I wish my Dad was still alive. He'd say something like, "That's not that high of mileage and, after all, you just changed everything that would probably go wrong!" and I would fuhgetaboutit.

So, can somebody out there just say, "Don't worry...you'll be fine."

My 2000 Montana has between 70 & 80m miles and we are leaving this weekend on a 1300 mile round trip. You have a fresher engine than I do so I would not worry about it. Who is to say a rental van wouldn't break down?
Drive safe and have fun,
Big Dave

I just returned from a vacation with my wife and two kids in my 2001 Montana with 60,000 miles on it. We climbed very,very long, steep, hilly roads through a National Park in 100 degree heat and all I could think about was all the reported issues I've read about here on Automotive Forum about this car. It performed beautifully and the only trouble I had was all in my head. You are far better off using a vehicle that you know, regardless of the miles. All cars have mechanical problems and one is always possible on a trip, but it sounds unlikely with all the care you've just put into the vehicle. Enjoy the trip!

Well, my '99 Montana has a almost 146,000 miles on it, doesn't burn a drop of oil and it runs great. The in-laws bought it new so I know what all has been done to it. It has been well maintained (oil changed about every 3,000 miles) and the only engine repairs have been the intake gasket (twice under warranty under my in-laws ownership). The latest repair was the newest model gasket and that was at about 96,000 miles. I watch the antifreeze levels for sudden drops but good so far, so I would recommend the same to you. If it's not losing antifreeze, you should be good to go. We took it w/ my in-laws from St. Louis to Tampa Florida a number of times in the past, last trip was at around 100,000 miles. They took a trip last summer out west, were going to trade in the Montana so we bought it from them at trade-in value and they bought a Grand Caravan (Stow and Go Seating was a big draw plus GC was cheaper). Good price for us, after a year the only thing I've replaced is the serp belt and tensioner and typical maintentace stuff (oil, tranny fluid, filters, tire rotations, etc..). We will see how long she goes. The transmission was rebuilt at around 60,000 miles (hard shifts and a funny whine but didn't strand them, just started getting worse over time) but it seems fine since the rebuild. This is a bigger concern that I have about my van down the road, but I'll enjoy the ride for now.

I have a 2000 with 111,000 on it, and the only thing that I have done to it is a water pump at 100,000 (which is about normal). I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a long trip, even in this heat wave that we are going through.

Mine must be a little abnormal, I'm still on the original waterpump, alternator, AC compressor, and fuel pump. I wonder how long these things last. Same for my 2000 Cherokee Sport w/ 119,000 miles on it.

Thanks, all. That's the kind of stuff I wanted to hear. The bad thing about a discussion board like this one is that folks generally post when they have a problem. After a while, you can get a little paranoid!

Our transmission seems strong, everything on the van works and looks great. With all the maintenance I recently did, I should be just fine.

That's kinda funny as we have a 2000 Montaana, 90K miles, and we leave from Northwest Iowa on a trip to Northwest Washington state in 2 weeks.
And I did my intakes about 1000 miles ago.:rofl:

It is 1700 miles one way, and I was a little leary about taking it that far with 2 kids and the wife as well. I just replaced the water pump last week, and was glad it happened now instead of somewhere else on our trip.
We have never gone that far as a family on a road trip either, but I am not too worried about it, and will take a small stash of tools along just in case, along with a spare belt and some coolant. I just replaced all of the belt idler pullies as a couple of them were getting a little noisy.

We would normally fly, but rates are too high right now. It will cost about half that figuring meals and lodging both ways!

So yes, I know the feeling, but have been watching the van pretty close and all seems fine.

I let you know how it goes and maybe you can do the same.

And by the way, your Dad would be right. That is not that many miles. I hope ours goes to 200k before it falls apart!

Sitting in the lobby of a Fairfield Inn in Indianapolis, and I thought I would post an update. So far, so good.

We've only gone about 400 miles so far, but the Montana has been great. Even in this 90+ degree weather. We've been running the air conditioning constantly, even when sitting in parking lots.

We're about 1/4 done. I'm feeling a lot more confident!

Thanks.

I'm home, and the Montana ran great. Triple-digit heat indexes, air conditioning on high, 70 MPH speed limits, and we turned over 90,000 miles on the trip.

According to the trip computer, we averaged around 24-25 MPG, but folks on this board say that is usually a little high. We were probably more in the range of 23-24. That's a little lower than normal, but that's probably due to the higher speed limits and high heat, not to mention we were pretty loaded with cargo.

I'm home, and the Montana ran great. Triple-digit heat indexes, air conditioning on high, 70 MPH speed limits, and we turned over 90,000 miles on the trip.

According to the trip computer, we averaged around 24-25 MPG, but folks on this board say that is usually a little high. We were probably more in the range of 23-24. That's a little lower than normal, but that's probably due to the higher speed limits and high heat, not to mention we were pretty loaded with cargo.

Glad to hear it was a good trip and went without a hitch.
We leave Tuesday, and it should be a good test going through the Black Hills, Idaho, etc on our way to the state of Washington.

I'll post back a little later

Made it back yesterday, van ran great the entire 4000 miles............
Unfortunately while on Orcas Island in the San Juan area the right front wheel bearing/hub decided it was done, so carefully back down Mt. Constitution, on the ferry and back to the mainland.:banghead:

I have never had a bearing go bad that fast before, but we were able to have it fixed by a local mechanic the same day, who was very helpful.
I just hate to have others fix something I can do, but am glad it was not more of a problem.

Averaged around 23 mpg, which I was happy with, with all of the mountain driving we had and 75+ mph speeds. Glad to see the intake held up after my recent repair.

I just hate to have others fix something I can do


To my wife's chagrin, this is my life's philosophy.

Usually this involves about a week, four trips to the store for parts, and some kind of first aid.

Glad you had a good time!

Made it back yesterday, van ran great the entire 4000 miles............
Unfortunately while on Orcas Island in the San Juan area the right front wheel bearing/hub decided it was done, so carefully back down Mt. Constitution, on the ferry and back to the mainland.:banghead:

I have never had a bearing go bad that fast before, but we were able to have it fixed by a local mechanic the same day, who was very helpful.
I just hate to have others fix something I can do, but am glad it was not more of a problem.

Averaged around 23 mpg, which I was happy with, with all of the mountain driving we had and 75+ mph speeds. Glad to see the intake held up after my recent repair.

I know what you mean. I watched helplessly as the guy effortlessly replaced my left front about a month ago. (130,00Kms). It let go all at once. The noise was bad, but the bearing wasn't as worn as it sounded. It didn't overheat, separate, or disintegrate.

Did you happen to keep the old hub bearing? I did.

Closer examination showed that it was still well lubricated. Probably would have made it a few hundred or even a few thousand more miles, but the noise would drive you nuts!

When parts start 'talking' like that you know it's time to replace, or else!
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