'98 Grand Caravan 3.3L head gasket failing at 33,000 miles

Thanks. Interesting.

 

bring it on over i even have a hoist in my garage! i always look at the simple
things first! remember it was a 10 dollar oring that blew up a billion dollar
space shuttle

 

Actually, it was colder than design temperatures, not the O-ring, but I
take your point.

 

i'm glad you brought that up, to clarify correct me if i'm wrong wasn't it the
failure of the oring because the oring was not designed for a temp below 32 degrees
if i use this phrase i want to be correct

 

If you mechanical expertise is as good as your knowledge of the cost of
space shuttle parts, maybe they want to take their car somewhere else.
The shipping costs for the o-ring would be $10 or more. This was hardly
your average o-ring.


Matt

 

And call NASA and get the real price for this part. Hint: it is much
more than $10.


Matt

 

Just saw this on Discovery channel, engineers said the "O" rings could
become brittle at 54F or below, the morning of blast off it was in the 20's

 

It was as much a political breakdown as a physical one. I didn't see
the Discovery channel item, but the Morton Thiokol engineers, who, as
the technical experts at a primary contractor, had authority to scrub
the launch, decided to scrub the launch because of the known problem
with the o-ring and the existing launch site temperatures. NASA called
Morton Thiokol's management and told them that if they didn't want to
lose all future business with NASA, they had better get their engineers
under control and allow the launch to proceed. The managers over-rode
the engineers, and they launched. The rest is history.

The managers were later promoted and the engineers were fired.

Reality is a bitch.

Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")

 

Go to http://www.chrysler.com

click on Contact Us, it's the far bottom right

click on I need Customer Assistance

There's a link "send us an email"

There's a reason for this, though. If the regional Chrysler people decide
to
honor it as a warranty claim instead of giving you an allowance, then the
repair has to be done under the Chrysler warranty schedule, which is not
that profitable. In fact, for your job the dealership may just break even
on it.

So in this instance they save money by making you go to another dealer.

Ted

 

Thanks. Sent Thursday, 1/15/2004 at 0800. Pending response from D-C.

Just in case D-C come to their senses, does an "allowance" require work
be done at a dealer? (I assume that warranty work does.)

Thx.

- Bob

 

....and no good, prescient analysis goes unheeded and unpunished.

 

hehehehehe

 

Regardless of what the vehicle is "worth" the price of repair is STILL the same
$1600.

Folks asked me why didn't i just get a newer Voyager instead of paying $1050 for
a rebuilt long block 2.2. I asked them if a new Voyager would drive any better
than my '84, if a newer one wouldn't need CV joints or anything else ever
replaced, and if I could actually save money and have a guaranteed trouble-free
(forever) vehicle by purchasing a newer Voyager. No one answered to the
affirmative.

That is why I repair my '84 Voyager. I feel I am still $$ ahead as compared to
buying a newer vehicle that is actually tougher to diagnose and repair.

OTOH, folks are free to spend their money in any way that they wish AND justify
their spending accordingly.

By the way Dan Stern, as you stated to me before, the gear reduction 2.2 starter
IS much better than the original direct drive unit that I was having so much
trouble with. This morning it was close to -30C here and I forgot to plug the
Voyager in. It took a couple of cranks but the Voyager did start. That gear
reduction starter sure works better than the direct drive one. Tonight I will
plug the beast in

 

Its also been argued that it was using a $10 O-ring in an application
where an O-ring should never be used, too.

 

I don't know where you get your work done, but my head gasket job cost
just over $1000 CDN$ including parts, labour AND taxes - and YES, the
heads were sent out, cleaned, and planed - with 1 year warranty on P &
L.

 

Guess you didn't have replaced the failing water pump, serpentine belt
and tensioner and assorted other work that shouldn't have been required
at 33,000 miles...

 

Just to conclude this thread, a week to the day after contacting D-C, they form letter
replied by email

"Your concerns, particularly in view of the expense and inconvenience involved in this
issue, are understandable. However, your request for consideration in this matter
must be declined... Although a more favorable reply could not be provided, sharing
your concerns with us is appreciated."

Well, thanks for sharing, D-C! Instead of pitching in 50:50 and saving the chain of
repeat purchases, this saves you the expense of further buyer incentives, because
there won't be another D-C purchase here. Go spend it on acquiring another customer.
There must be more out there, right?

 

Same basic response I got from Honda when my 1984 Accord engine
self-destructed. Although they chose to rub a little salt in the wound
by suggesting I hadn't maintained the car properly. Haven't bought a
Honda since, not even a lawn mower, and never will again. I'm amazed
that manufacturers won't at least throw someone a token when something
obviously fails before its time.


Matt

 

Don't give up that easily. Contact by phone to a warm body is still
superior to an
e-mail (although in the 21st century it really shouldn't be) At least from
the sound of it
it looks like a warm body actually looked it it, which is a step. It is
just that this warm
body might be a minimum wage college student that is working off a chart of
standard
responses.

Also, I presume that your going to have the thing repaired and keep it,
rather than
just selling it outright. If so, wait for another 80,000 miles and see what
happens
_then_ make a decision.

What after all is the difference between a vehicle with 120,000 miles on it
that blows a
head gasket and you drop $1600 in repairing it then drive it for another
10,000 miles,
and a vehicle that blows a head gasket at 30,000 miles and you drop $1600
into repairing
it then drive it another 100,000 miles?

Let me put this another way. My wife and I own a 95 T&C that we bought when
it had
about 70K on it. The trans had just been replaced by the prior owner. The
van now has
100K on it. If tomorrow the head gasket blew (it's a 3.8L, same block as
yours) I would
be in the same position as you - in short, I bought the van, drove it 30K,
and the head
gasket blew. If that happened I would fully expect to drop money into a new
head gasket
then be able to drive it at least another 80,000 miles. Now, granted the
head gasket has
not blown, but the engine does have 100K on it, so the chances of it blowing
are much higher
than an engine with a few hundred miles on it. Almost certainly the engine
will give out before
it reaches 180K miles. (although many people have got more than that on
theirs, of course)

In summary it's a matter of perspective. Your looking at it from the
standpoint of having to
do major engine work near the beginning of the vehicle's lifespan, whereas
most people are
used to looking at it from the perspective of doing major engine work near
the end of the
vehicles' lifespan. What does it really matter if you both hold on to your
vehicles the same
amount of time?

Ted

 

Caveat emptor, D-C buyers.

First warm body on the phone reviewed the email file and hung up
before replying.

Second warm body reviewed the file and flatly stated "your claim
has been turned down by the corporation, and I decline to escalate
your call as requested". <PLONK>

So, what we have here is a Future Customer Value of zero or
negative.

D-C earned it.