What is the average lifespan of an engine in a 99 dodge grand caravan, sport?

Asked by Triscell Jun 10, 2013 at 05:16 PM about the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My timing chain went out and 7 out of
10 mechanics said to get a new
ebgine put in because it has a little
over three hundred thousand miles on
it. I dont want to fix the timing chain if
it only has another twenty thousand
miles to go. 500 dollars, 4 years. Ive
got my monies worth.

8 Answers

2,035

that would probably all depend on how it has been driven and if (other than the timing chain) the engine is mechanically sound. I've seen dodge caravans go over 400,000 before but their owners kept them VERY WELL maintained. without looking at it it's hard to say. if 7 out of 10 mechanics are telling you to get another engine dropped in it. I'd probably go ahead and do it because then you know everything is new where as if you just fix the timing chain and something else goes down the line... Those trips to the garage can at up pretty quick. Just be sure to take into account, the condition the rest of the vehicle is in and how the transmission was working before doing anything. Keep in mind that the vehicle is 14 years old and ask yourself "is it economically viable to fix it or get a new/newer vehicle?".

11 people found this helpful.
60

300k is awesome! Unfortunately that's like riding a 90yr old horse. I'd put it out to pasture before it leaves you stranded.

5 people found this helpful.
180

If you are an expert don't need to read this, but I'm sure somebody could benefit from those lines below. Just trying to help. I used to work in the cars market when I was young and for many years I was a sales manager in a car maker dealership. That some how gave me some experience when it comes to buy or sell. So I always buy and sell my vehicles privately and get good deals. Every car I've had so far has turned out great. If you buy a used vehicle, you have to know what to look for. If you buy it new, it's harder because they pretty much give you what they have so you are a little bit under their control. Unfortunately, for some reason that I haven't figured out yet, and I don't want to think bad (that it's on purpose...conspiracy theory), but some cars just come like that from the factory, defective. They won't tell you, but you will always have problems with them while some other vehicles of the same brand and model, will come out perfectly fine. And you'll love them. The history of the vehicle won't always tell you the reason, because it's also up to the owner, the maintenance and driving habits that will affect the life of the car. It's a good rule of thumb to say 300,000 is the mark to retire them, but you can make them last longer, with a good care. Just like our bodies. Knowing about mechanics would help, as one defective part can cause other damages if not fixed soon. A minor little tiny thing can create a big huge and very costly problem. So that combination of maintenance and driving habits is what will determine how long it will last. Now, to determine whether you can keep it or not depends on what you need the vehicle for. The more you use it, the more load it carries, and the worst off the road, or bad roads you drive on will speed up the wear and tear of the parts and therefor its useful life. You can change some parts, but there are other parts that you don't see, and can't really change, that's why it starts breaking constantly here and there all the time. The weather is another factor, the terrain. Both damage the chassis and lower parts really badly. The snow rusts everything that touches in time.From the accounting point of view, when it comes to a used car, a good deal is when the car is around 200,000 K because if it's over 300,000 then very soon it will start breaking down or falling apart. So it's a bigger risk. No need to mention that 0 k or 100,000 is still great.

18 people found this helpful.
230

My Town and Country 2002 van I have just crossed the 475000 mile mark and it runs like a champ so I don't know if that's a wreck or what but it still running fine

23 people found this helpful.
180

1998 Grand Caravan 3.8 ltr engine - 730,000 km and still running very well. Replaced parts and kept regular maintenance. Great vehicle.

18 people found this helpful.
30

I have 1995 voyager 3.0, i bought it with 123000 kms. Because i like this van i service it myself. the issue on the transmission is because few people change the oil and filter every 80,000 - 100,000 kms. this van's transmission started to fail, so i replaced the filter and oil, the torque converter keeps some oil even if you remove the lower plate so i replace the same volume of oil as removed and around a week continue removing some more mixed oil ( let's say a litter) and adding new one; after a couple of month i stopped doing that, and since i have had little issues (almost nothing) with the transmission. I used the exact oil as recommended by the manufacturer. I have to add that it is a mitsubishi engine 3.0, this is a great engine. actual odometer reading is 266,000 kms and still a good economy, in the highway i got 40 to 45 kms per gallon. The timing bell was replace around 225,000 kms. what is this van price in today's market less than 200 bucks. thank you

3 people found this helpful.
70

Lots of useful info here. Thank you! What exactly do y'all mean about "driving habbits "like driving my van fast, breaking hard, etc?" I drive a 2016 converted dodge caravan (wheelchair user converted with fold out ramp). I bought it used from a dealer with 10k miles on it. I get synthetic blend oil changes and try and do other little maintenance things to make it last as long as possible. Any other recommendations would be most helpful. Thank you!

7 people found this helpful.
190

Someone is trying to sell me a 2012 dodge caravan with a 177 thousand milage, for $ 4000 everything since news does it worth the price??

19 people found this helpful.

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