what should i get checked? driving my '94 corolla from south FL to CA

[jhunjhunwala]

in about 10 days i will be driving my '94 corolla from south FL to CA... thats ~2800 miles i want to know what all i need to get checked before the drive

currently the car has 115K miles and i have taken good care of the car (i was the 2nd owner) its been well maintained :

oil change done (2k of 3k miles left before next oil change)
new tires (< 8 months old)
new brake pads with rotors machined (2 days back)
radiator flush (2 days back)
also a/c is ice cold

however when i got the brake pads done the mechanic said that my catalytic converter was leaking exhaust coz it was rotted and give me an estimate of 300$ for fixing it... the only problem that this causes is a slightly loud exhaust but i am keen on getting it fixed since CA has higher exmission standards than most states...

but what i wanted to know if this is NEEDED for the to drive go smoothly..

i would appreciate anyone who can provide input if you have made such a road trip on a used car and if i need to get anything else checked

thanks in advance!

[dcmaynard]

I would get that Cat. changed it could give you better MPG. but I would check your air filter, plugs, wires maybe check the transmision fluid, it might need to be changed. Check your owners manual to see when that needs to be done.

[jhunjhunwala]

dcmaynard, thank for the reply... will get those things checked

one of my friends drove his '92 civic from nyc to so. cal and said that his car was over heating... althought he made it there just fine

do you know if i should not exceed a certain number of miles per day...

currently i am planning on doing 800 - 900 miles per day ... approx 15 hours of driving ... is that a lot or should i be ok?

[dcmaynard]

well I would think that that would be ok. I have driven my old car that much but it was much newer with alot less miles on it. if your car does over heat Turn on the heater to high. that will help cool the engine down. I would think that your car would be fine since you just had your cooling system flushed right? Iwill tell you though I lived in Cali. for the first 20 years of my life and that smog check is no joke it sucked.

[jhunjhunwala]

yes got the radiator flushed on wednesday and brand new oem brake pads and the rotors were machined too...

since i am going to get the catalytic converter changed... can u tell me if there is a specific one for CA? i was researching the cost of it online just to get an idea and there were some that had description text specifically for CA..

should i tell the mechanic to get one for CA? if there is something like that

thanks again for your help

[dcmaynard]

yeah I would tell them that you need one for Cali. specs

[jhunjhunwala]

ok great.. will do that...

one last question... should i get one of those 80 / 120 point checks? or is that a waste of money? i think they cost $100 - $200 ... coz after googling "prepare for long road trip" a lot results came back with "check your shocks/cv boot/join" ... is that needed?

will definitely post back here once i reach CA... thanks again..

[dcmaynard]

That is your choice I dont when I go on long trips. but thats a risk that I take. I really cant answer that for you

[jamesmetairie]

when was the timing belt changed? it should be changed every 65,000 miles. if it breaks it won,t damage your engine ,but it will leave you stranded.if you change the tinming belt the water pump is right in front of the mechanic,s eyes. do it then also. also there may be a crank and cam shaft seal to change at that time. also when was the accessary belts(power steering and alternator) changed? squeeze the radiator hoses. if they feel brittle they should be changed.be careful with the change the tranny fluid idea. alot of discussion on the forum about actually doing damage to the tranny by changing it in some cases. . if it is changed right on original schedule ,ok. but if you wait till 100,000 miles the gummy shellac deposits are actually kinda holding it all together and when you change it you loss that adhesion.if you,re driving the base corolla 1.6 litre with the 3 speed automatic don,t push it too hard. if you have a 5 speed stick,1.6 litre or any "dx" corolla i believe it,ll be 1.8 litre with the 4 speed automatic and it,ll be a much better highway car for the trip.