2003 Montana 3.4 Gasket/???

[llerrad]

Have just picked up a 2003 Montana sport 3.4L people keep telling me about the intake gasket and to change it even if it's OK. This thing has now over 100K or 65,000 miles. Any reason to be concered? is this issue getting too much hipe? Thoughts please.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by llerrad

Have just picked up a 2003 Montana sport 3.4L people keep telling me about the intake gasket and to change it even if it's OK. This thing has now over 100K or 65,000 miles. Any reason to be concered? is this issue getting too much hipe? Thoughts please.

It may or may not be an issue with your particular model year. The revised gasket to correct the issue came out in July 2002. I can't recall if I've seen any '03 models come through the shop with that problem . The best thing to do is to keep an eye on your coolant level and watch for a sudden drop. Also check your oil and pay attention to any "brown mayonnaise type" buildup under the oil filler cap.From my experiences, I've seen the problem crop up just after 60,000 miles. My own van, (a '97)developed the problem at 62,000 miles. I've seen these van go to 140,000 miles before the problem appeared. I don't think the issue is getting "too much hype" as it is a very common problem on these vans with the 3.4 engine. There are whole threads in other forums dedicated to the DIYer on replacing these gaskets. One such thread can be found here:http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=321467 . That thread is 22 pages long containing 324 posts. Like I said earlier, the best thing to do now is keep a vigilant eye on your cooling system.