Should I drive it the 3000 miles?

Jeveretts wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I'd also check tires, belts and hoses. Long trips seem to build up heat and find any weak spots, although if you are in FL they are probably OK. I'd definitely pick the 240 over your Beetle, and I've driven long trips in older cars without incident.

I am also planning on changing the timing belt, I don't know when it was last changed, but it dawned on me that the pinging and sluggishness could be from a jumped tooth, I will change the belt, set the timing, replace the knock sensor if needed, and I am starting to feel better..

Take the Volvo, chances are it'll make it just fine. I took mine on a few

2,000 mile trips when it had well over 230K on it and never had a problem. Just be caught up on maintenance before you leave, make sure the timing belt has been replaced within the specified intervals.

After the experience I've had with air cooled VW's I can tell you there's no way I'd take one on a trip like that, yeah they're simple and anybody with a few wrenches can work on one, but reliability is not one of their strong points. Safety and as you say the comfort of the ride on a long trip would definitly nix that one.

You shouldn't be able to adjust the ignition timing on a '92, but you do need to make sure the timing belt is correct, off by one tooth will definitly make it run poorly.

I agree that a car that will make 300 miles is ready for 3000. The last car I had that couldn't make long trips was a Nissan with a coolant leak I couldn't get to with the engine in the car, so it could only be driven until the coolant got too low - about 200 miles.

It might not be wise to stir up the evil spirits too soon before the trip. Changing the timing belt, belts and hoses are all Good Things but I avoid touching anything except fluids for at least a week before a long trip. My theory is that it has gone this long on what it has, so the odds of it surviving another few thousand miles are decent. New parts worry me a bit.

Mike

Not so much new parts but the old parts you disturb putting those new parts on- best example is the tanks and fittings on the radiator if you change a hose.

I second your statement about the 300 mile day trip.

I'd think of getting a full sized spare. It is great peace of mind for long distance driving- if I get a flat tire anywhere, I can still complete my trip on schedule. I bought an old wheel and used one of my old tires. Tire shops will refuse to mount an obviously unsafe tire, but mine was still in good condition with some tread depth left.

Exactly. Thanks for putting it more clearly than I did.

Mike

"After the experience I've had with air cooled VW's I can tell you there's no way I'd take one on a trip like that"

There's a lot of people who wouldn't even take a new water-cooled VW on a long trip (lots of owner horror stories on the VW forums... tho far less then a few years ago), let alone a 30-40 year old air-cooled one... I'd prefer my 93' 960 to my 99.5 VW Golf on a long trip - the Volvo isn't as fuel efficient, or as safe - but the Volvo cruises easier, is more comfortable and is a larger car... and it's much quieter... These are all the key items you want on a long distance trip... loud uncomfortable cars, that are cramped SUCK on long distance trips (Toronto to Ottawa in a 1991 Golf with no A/C in the middle of summer proved this for me a few times).

I wouldn't worry about either one of my cars breaking down though, or your

Check the tire condition and air pressure (including the spare, and check to make sure that the spare tire changing tools are there). Make sure that the tires are the correct size -- 240 wagons often have the incorrect size tires installed on them.

Check brake pad thickness and the level and condition of all fluids (e.g. oil, brake fluid, coolant, windshield washer). Replace or top up as needed.

Compare previous maintenance history with the checklist in the owner's manual and see if anything needs to be done (due to being too long since it was done, or no records). Try to do any needed catch up maintenance some time before the trip, so that anything else disturbed during that maintenance (or any errors made during that maintenance) will be noticed before the trip.

Yeah definitly check the spare, I had a flat tire once, then put the spare on only to realize it too was flat! At least it didn't have a nail in it so I was able to walk it to a nearby gas station.