87 dodge miniram van 3.0 L V6 - cooling problems

Hi there,

1987 dodge mini ram van 3.0l v6 (also known as town and country or voyager I
guess) 197k on the mileage.
I only use the van to haul a very heavy hammond organ around town (musical
instrument always in the van) when I need to play mainly - but sometimes I
need to make long trips with it, so I want to keep her going as long as I
can.

3 problem areas I'd like to resolve as I love this little hauler and want to
make it last. I try and do my own work on it when possible. Competent home
mechanic (I know the cars I own) but by no means a pro.

1. After replacing the thermostat (with a NAPA oem thermostat) I need to
find out if this 87 is cooling normally or not. It will rise nearing 80%
towards hot at times before backing off a bit and then repeating the
process.I am trying to diagnose the possible culprit here on why it's
getting hotter than normal when driving).
Seems a bit odd to me and is concerning, I need to keep this thing cool.
The thermostat is installed correctly as the service manual I have states.
Radiator had a flush almost a year ago, but maybe it isn't performing up to
par anymore and the new thermostat is telling me so (???).
example: when driving around town (normal city trafffic, the temps rise
about 50-60% and back off (repeat process as your driving). Driving on the
freeway, I'll see that temp guage rise to near 70-80% hot - stay steady
(back of a bit when going downhills). Backs off when I turn the heat on
(but it's summer now and I'd like to fix this problem rather than circumvent
via cranking the heat on).
This worries me so I wanted to check.
I'm not leaking coolant, no leaks in radiator, hoses seem fine.

2. Noticing a smell of fuel (fuel odor) when at idle that came on recently.
Wondering where I should start looking for the possible culprit. The fuel
filter hasn't been replaced yet, ya think it's related?
What else should be checked there.
Is it possible these new bosch dual splitfire plugs could be the culprit?
I'm thinking of replacing them (my 85 s-10 had these and they sucked big
time, replaced them with regular old autolite plugs and the performance
difference and mpg was drastically better. Maybe I should do the same and
pull these bosch out and put in the old regular style plugs?

3. I am noticing after replacing the oil sending unit that my oil pressure
is normal when cold, but after it warms up it is always just a hair above
the "low" mark on the oil guage. Is this normal for this year?
When I'm accelerating, it will rise a little higher to about 30-35% oil
pressure on the guage, then back down to just above low when idle again.
Oil level seems fine, no real oil burning issues going on.
I did replace with 10w30...maybe I should be using 10w-40 at this point?
Maybe all this is normal for this year\model, just wanted to check.

I just did a tune up (10w-30 castrol GTX high mileage) oil change and
filter, new sparks (bosch splitfires which I may replace now), new pcv
valve, air filter, new O2 sensor, new shocks and struts a year ago as well.

The minvan drives great, but this temp issue is worrying me and I want
better cooling. What things can I check out to make sure it's cooling as
best it can? Is my temp normal (see above)? I don't think so, but I may be
wrong. Did I get the wrong thermostat possibly (just trusted the NAPA tech
who looked up the oem equivalent). Is the radiator going? (no leaks, fan
comes on when necessary).

thanks so much for any help

On Tue, 25 May 2004 11:08:04 -0400, meman wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> 1987 dodge mini ram van 3.0l v6 (also known as town and country or

> 1. After replacing the thermostat (with a NAPA oem thermostat) I need to
> find out if this 87 is cooling normally or not. It will rise nearing
> 80% towards hot at times before backing off a bit and then repeating the
> process.

The cycling is normal, but I don't think it should reach 80% scale.
Should probably hover between 40 and 55 or so. Our '92 3.3L stays dead
center all the time.

> when driving around
> town (normal city trafffic, the temps rise about 50-60% and back off
> (repeat process as your driving). Driving on the freeway, I'll see that
> temp guage rise to near 70-80% hot - stay steady (back of a bit when
> going downhills).

Ideally, they speed shouldn't affect it that much. Even though you're
working the engine harder, you are getting more air across the radiator
vanes. Make sure there's no major blockage. Might even want to remove
it and give it a good spraythrough (external, through the vanes) to make
sure it's clear, or hold it to some light source.

> Backs off when I turn the heat on (but it's summer
> now and I'd like to fix this problem rather than circumvent via cranking
> the heat on).

Naturally, but at least this shows we still have water flow through the
A/C system and that it can still dissipate the heat, even if not through
the preferred method.

> This worries me so I wanted to check. I'm not leaking coolant, no leaks
> in radiator, hoses seem fine.

What about the cap itself?

Might also pull the thermostat completely out altogether. Lots of people
do it, and if your engine is running that hot, it won't hurt. Then, boil
the thermostat in a saucepan of water (be damned sure to wash the
saucepan out thoroughly afterward to remove traces of methanol from the
coolant) to check it for full opening. Maybe get a 180 degree thermo
instead of the 195 degree stocker; although, I don't see how it will
keep the engine cooler... just opens sooner, that's all.

> 2. Noticing a smell of fuel (fuel odor) when at idle that came on
> recently. Wondering where I should start looking for the possible
> culprit. The fuel filter hasn't been replaced yet, ya think it's
> related?

Unlikely, but possible. I imagine that if the engine isn't getting the
fuel it needs, it will run lean, and therefore hot, hint hint.

However, if you have fuel injection (which I think the 87 did), then as
long as you have sufficient pressure on the rail, the computer will
control mixture electronically using the injector pulse width, so even if
it is partially clogged, the computer will compensate. Of course, if
it's clogged to the point the computer can't compensate, I suppose it
would run lean for a while before it's to the point of starving the
engine for fuel, but at this point I would also expect it to be hesitant
under wide throttle, when so much air is getting in that it just leans
the engine dead.

If I were you, I would just find where the smell is coming from first and
find a leak. Have to act fast, as quickly as gasoline evaporates...

> Is it possible these new bosch dual splitfire plugs could be the
> culprit? I'm thinking of replacing them (my 85 s-10 had these
> and they sucked big time, replaced them with regular old autolite
> plugs and the performance difference and mpg was drastically better.
> Maybe I should do the same and pull these bosch out and put in the old
> regular style plugs?

If the splits sucked in the chevy, they'll suck in the dodge, and the
ford, and the mitsubishi... The whole point of a /true/ multi-point plug
is redundancy. Aircraft use 4-terminal plugs. They have a large inner
conductor, and unlike the auto plugs where the ground pin comes over the
center pin, in aircraft plugs they come beside it. And, they have a
smaller gap. Anyway, the point of the multiple arc points is redundancy.
Maybe they last longer too, with four times the metal to wear away.

On a car, they're not that hard to get to and should be at least removed
and checked periodically anyway, so you might find something wrong with
the engine based on the deposits on the plug. Regardless, for automotive
use, multi-point plugs are just a way for their makers to make money.

You say Autolites made your chevy run better. Oddly enough, they're the
plug I have seen recommended more often than any other, and I've never
heard/read anyone complain about them. They're cheap, too. Gap them
right, install them right, and throw the splits away so you don't use
them again. In Chryslers, it seems that all of the ignition components
from coil to plug are more than good enough for our uses, so there's no
point going fancy on any of it.

> 3. I am noticing after replacing the oil sending unit that my oil
> pressure is normal when cold, but after it warms up it is always just a
> hair above the "low" mark on the oil guage. Is this normal for this
> year? When I'm accelerating, it will rise a little higher to about
> 30-35% oil pressure on the guage, then back down to just above low when
> idle again. Oil level seems fine, no real oil burning issues going on. I
> did replace with 10w30...maybe I should be using 10w-40 at this point?
> Maybe all this is normal for this year\model, just wanted to check.

I just rebuilt... scratch that, 16,000+ miles ago I rebuilt my 3.0L. I
have run 20w50 in it ever since I got it because the engine is old and
worn. However, I didn't replace the pistons or hone out the cylinders
(save to put a new hash pattern in the cyl walls), and I still use 20w50
in it. Runs fine. Oddly enough, I have the same readings on my pressure
guage.

When I *first* started driving it again, the pressure would occasionally
go to about 55%, but most times it's just like yours. I've had no
problems related to oil since I got it, except the smoking. The smoking
was caused by the prev. owner using oil the quality of which resembled
that of sewage. In short, it gummed up the rings and I had blowby. Just
use a quality oil. My dad swears by Castrol GTX, and it's never given
either of us any problems. Of course, prev. owner swears that's all he
ever put in it, but I don't believe it. I don't know how long he had the
car either, so it might have started with the first owner (I'm the third).

> I just did a tune up (10w-30 castrol GTX high mileage) oil change and
> filter, new sparks (bosch splitfires which I may replace now), new pcv
> valve, air filter, new O2 sensor, new shocks and struts a year ago as
> well.

Swap the bosch for Autolite; 10w30 may be too thin for your engine if
it's never been rebuilt, or, if like me, you didn't replace any big
parts). I never did fully grasp the viscosity thing, so I don't know if
you will want 10w40 or 20w50. Like I said, 20w50's in mine, and works
fine.

> The minvan drives great, but this temp issue is worrying me and I want
> better cooling. What things can I check out to make sure it's cooling
> as best it can? Is my temp normal (see above)? I don't think so, but I
> may be wrong. Did I get the wrong thermostat possibly (just trusted the
> NAPA tech who looked up the oem equivalent). Is the radiator going? (no
> leaks, fan comes on when necessary).

When it comes to parts, screw NAPA. They're screwing you in price,
perhaps in quality too. They use "Victor" gaskets in their rebuilt kits,
and I'm a little miffed that I had to tear the top half of my engine back
down to the heads after getting it all together and driving for 6,000
miles to replace a blown intake manifold gasket. I went to Discount and
got some FelPro gaskets, no worries since. I've had them almost twice as
long as I had the victors in.


Advance/Discount, Autozone; they're okay. Pep Boys, well, I look at them
as a bunch of Ricer Attractors, and as such, wouldn't buy anything from
them that isn't for a POS Honda Civic or similar.

My last thermo came from Discount, and hasn't given me a lick of
problems. Same for my radiator draincock (NAPA directed me to their
shelf without even doing a lookup, and the one on their shelf wasn't at
all like mine. Discount looked the part up and got it shipped in from
their warehouse same day). I get everything I can from Discount. Only
reason I didn't get the rebuild kits from them was that I wasn't the one
paying for them, but my dad was. He swears by NAPA based on their
reputation from 20 years ago. They have changed.

> thanks so much for any help

Hope it was some.

Good luck.

CJ

On Tue, 25 May 2004 11:08:04 -0400, meman wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> 1987 dodge mini ram van 3.0l v6 (also known as town and country or

> 1. After replacing the thermostat (with a NAPA oem thermostat) I need to
> find out if this 87 is cooling normally or not. It will rise nearing
> 80% towards hot at times before backing off a bit and then repeating the
> process.

The cycling is normal, but I don't think it should reach 80% scale.
Should probably hover between 40 and 55 or so. Our '92 3.3L stays dead
center all the time.

> when driving around
> town (normal city trafffic, the temps rise about 50-60% and back off
> (repeat process as your driving). Driving on the freeway, I'll see that
> temp guage rise to near 70-80% hot - stay steady (back of a bit when
> going downhills).

Ideally, they speed shouldn't affect it that much. Even though you're
working the engine harder, you are getting more air across the radiator
vanes. Make sure there's no major blockage. Might even want to remove
it and give it a good spraythrough (external, through the vanes) to make
sure it's clear, or hold it to some light source.

> Backs off when I turn the heat on (but it's summer
> now and I'd like to fix this problem rather than circumvent via cranking
> the heat on).

Naturally, but at least this shows we still have water flow through the
A/C system and that it can still dissipate the heat, even if not through
the preferred method.

> This worries me so I wanted to check. I'm not leaking coolant, no leaks
> in radiator, hoses seem fine.

What about the cap itself?

Might also pull the thermostat completely out altogether. Lots of people
do it, and if your engine is running that hot, it won't hurt. Then, boil
the thermostat in a saucepan of water (be damned sure to wash the
saucepan out thoroughly afterward to remove traces of methanol from the
coolant) to check it for full opening. Maybe get a 180 degree thermo
instead of the 195 degree stocker; although, I don't see how it will
keep the engine cooler... just opens sooner, that's all.

> 2. Noticing a smell of fuel (fuel odor) when at idle that came on
> recently. Wondering where I should start looking for the possible
> culprit. The fuel filter hasn't been replaced yet, ya think it's
> related?

Unlikely, but possible. I imagine that if the engine isn't getting the
fuel it needs, it will run lean, and therefore hot, hint hint.

However, if you have fuel injection (which I think the 87 did), then as
long as you have sufficient pressure on the rail, the computer will
control mixture electronically using the injector pulse width, so even if
it is partially clogged, the computer will compensate. Of course, if
it's clogged to the point the computer can't compensate, I suppose it
would run lean for a while before it's to the point of starving the
engine for fuel, but at this point I would also expect it to be hesitant
under wide throttle, when so much air is getting in that it just leans
the engine dead.

If I were you, I would just find where the smell is coming from first and
find a leak. Have to act fast, as quickly as gasoline evaporates...

> Is it possible these new bosch dual splitfire plugs could be the
> culprit? I'm thinking of replacing them (my 85 s-10 had these
> and they sucked big time, replaced them with regular old autolite
> plugs and the performance difference and mpg was drastically better.
> Maybe I should do the same and pull these bosch out and put in the old
> regular style plugs?

If the splits sucked in the chevy, they'll suck in the dodge, and the
ford, and the mitsubishi... The whole point of a /true/ multi-point plug
is redundancy. Aircraft use 4-terminal plugs. They have a large inner
conductor, and unlike the auto plugs where the ground pin comes over the
center pin, in aircraft plugs they come beside it. And, they have a
smaller gap. Anyway, the point of the multiple arc points is redundancy.
Maybe they last longer too, with four times the metal to wear away.

On a car, they're not that hard to get to and should be at least removed
and checked periodically anyway, so you might find something wrong with
the engine based on the deposits on the plug. Regardless, for automotive
use, multi-point plugs are just a way for their makers to make money.

You say Autolites made your chevy run better. Oddly enough, they're the
plug I have seen recommended more often than any other, and I've never
heard/read anyone complain about them. They're cheap, too. Gap them
right, install them right, and throw the splits away so you don't use
them again. In Chryslers, it seems that all of the ignition components
from coil to plug are more than good enough for our uses, so there's no
point going fancy on any of it.

> 3. I am noticing after replacing the oil sending unit that my oil
> pressure is normal when cold, but after it warms up it is always just a
> hair above the "low" mark on the oil guage. Is this normal for this
> year? When I'm accelerating, it will rise a little higher to about
> 30-35% oil pressure on the guage, then back down to just above low when
> idle again. Oil level seems fine, no real oil burning issues going on. I
> did replace with 10w30...maybe I should be using 10w-40 at this point?
> Maybe all this is normal for this year\model, just wanted to check.

I just rebuilt... scratch that, 16,000+ miles ago I rebuilt my 3.0L. I
have run 20w50 in it ever since I got it because the engine is old and
worn. However, I didn't replace the pistons or hone out the cylinders
(save to put a new hash pattern in the cyl walls), and I still use 20w50
in it. Runs fine. Oddly enough, I have the same readings on my pressure
guage.

When I *first* started driving it again, the pressure would occasionally
go to about 55%, but most times it's just like yours. I've had no
problems related to oil since I got it, except the smoking. The smoking
was caused by the prev. owner using oil the quality of which resembled
that of sewage. In short, it gummed up the rings and I had blowby. Just
use a quality oil. My dad swears by Castrol GTX, and it's never given
either of us any problems. Of course, prev. owner swears that's all he
ever put in it, but I don't believe it. I don't know how long he had the
car either, so it might have started with the first owner (I'm the third).

> I just did a tune up (10w-30 castrol GTX high mileage) oil change and
> filter, new sparks (bosch splitfires which I may replace now), new pcv
> valve, air filter, new O2 sensor, new shocks and struts a year ago as
> well.

Swap the bosch for Autolite; 10w30 may be too thin for your engine if
it's never been rebuilt, or, if like me, you didn't replace any big
parts). I never did fully grasp the viscosity thing, so I don't know if
you will want 10w40 or 20w50. Like I said, 20w50's in mine, and works
fine.

> The minvan drives great, but this temp issue is worrying me and I want
> better cooling. What things can I check out to make sure it's cooling
> as best it can? Is my temp normal (see above)? I don't think so, but I
> may be wrong. Did I get the wrong thermostat possibly (just trusted the
> NAPA tech who looked up the oem equivalent). Is the radiator going? (no
> leaks, fan comes on when necessary).

When it comes to parts, screw NAPA. They're screwing you in price,
perhaps in quality too. They use "Victor" gaskets in their rebuilt kits,
and I'm a little miffed that I had to tear the top half of my engine back
down to the heads after getting it all together and driving for 6,000
miles to replace a blown intake manifold gasket. I went to Discount and
got some FelPro gaskets, no worries since. I've had them almost twice as
long as I had the victors in.


Advance/Discount, Autozone; they're okay. Pep Boys, well, I look at them
as a bunch of Ricer Attractors, and as such, wouldn't buy anything from
them that isn't for a POS Honda Civic or similar.

My last thermo came from Discount, and hasn't given me a lick of
problems. Same for my radiator draincock (NAPA directed me to their
shelf without even doing a lookup, and the one on their shelf wasn't at
all like mine. Discount looked the part up and got it shipped in from
their warehouse same day). I get everything I can from Discount. Only
reason I didn't get the rebuild kits from them was that I wasn't the one
paying for them, but my dad was. He swears by NAPA based on their
reputation from 20 years ago. They have changed.

> thanks so much for any help

Hope it was some.

Good luck.

CJ

Here are my suggestions:

1. Thermostat was a good start and really does not matter where you
purchase the item. If you really need to feel it works then test the
activation point slowly boil a pot of water on the stove and hang a cooking
thermometer on the side. Your real problem as described appears to be your
radiator fan is not activating at the appropriate time. Check to see if it
is working by warming up the engine and letting idle until it reaches normal
or slightly higher temp. If the radiator fan does not activate above your
normal reading or at all then check that the electrical connections are
clean etc. You can also apply 12v directly to the fan motor leads (while
car is off) to verify the fan motor is working. If connection and fan are
ok then your likely problem is the electronic temperature sensor/switch for
your radiator cooling fan or the relay that supports it. Relay is part of a
three/four relay group mounted to the inside of driver front fender (next to
battery) It should click everytime the fan turns on/off. If the relay is
fine then replace electronic temperature sensor/switch for your radiator
cooling fan. It is behind your grill and is usually mounted to the center
brace. It measures both the incoming air and the radiant temp of the
radiator and turns the fan on (using the relay) as needed. The
sensor/switch fails over time or can break loose from its mount (plastic tab
used) and is simple to change. Relay is std part you can get anywhere.
Sensor is a dealer only part, remove the old one and take it to the dealer
so they can order the part.

2. Fuel smell could be a simple leak so using your nose is the best way.
Normal source is the charcoal evaporator canister which normally "stores"
fumes until restart. First check the rubber vacuum tubes to and from the
canister for cracks (expected for an '87 vehicle) that will release fuel
fumes. If fine then try replacing the canister.

3. Had a similar problem on 3.0l caravan. You say you changed the oil
pressure sensor, so I suspect you were experiencing oil pressure concerns
prior. Mileage is high so it could simply be bearing wear but that is
usually seen as a lower fixed pressure for a given oil and temp. Your dealer
or mechanic can rule out the sender or internal engine problems by mounting
an oil pressure gauge (liquid) in place of the sensor to verify true oil
pressure on various loads. I suspect your real problem is a bad oil pressure
gauge which is a two gauge unit along with engine temp (left side of
instrument cluster). Gauge set may be tough to find, but try ebay which
often has full instrument clusters on auction.

Good luck. I have 250,000 miles on my 89 grand caravan le. They will serve
you well with a bit of care.

"meman" > wrote in message
newsjJsc.114229$xw3.6709586@attbi_s04...
> Hi there,
>
> 1987 dodge mini ram van 3.0l v6 (also known as town and country or voyager
I
> guess) 197k on the mileage.
> I only use the van to haul a very heavy hammond organ around town (musical
> instrument always in the van) when I need to play mainly - but sometimes I
> need to make long trips with it, so I want to keep her going as long as I
> can.
>
> 3 problem areas I'd like to resolve as I love this little hauler and want
to
> make it last. I try and do my own work on it when possible. Competent
home
> mechanic (I know the cars I own) but by no means a pro.
>
> 1. After replacing the thermostat (with a NAPA oem thermostat) I need to
> find out if this 87 is cooling normally or not. It will rise nearing 80%
> towards hot at times before backing off a bit and then repeating the
> process.I am trying to diagnose the possible culprit here on why it's
> getting hotter than normal when driving).
> Seems a bit odd to me and is concerning, I need to keep this thing cool.
> The thermostat is installed correctly as the service manual I have states.
> Radiator had a flush almost a year ago, but maybe it isn't performing up
to
> par anymore and the new thermostat is telling me so (???).
> example: when driving around town (normal city trafffic, the temps rise
> about 50-60% and back off (repeat process as your driving). Driving on
the
> freeway, I'll see that temp guage rise to near 70-80% hot - stay steady
> (back of a bit when going downhills). Backs off when I turn the heat on
> (but it's summer now and I'd like to fix this problem rather than
circumvent
> via cranking the heat on).
> This worries me so I wanted to check.
> I'm not leaking coolant, no leaks in radiator, hoses seem fine.
>
> 2. Noticing a smell of fuel (fuel odor) when at idle that came on
recently.
> Wondering where I should start looking for the possible culprit. The fuel
> filter hasn't been replaced yet, ya think it's related?
> What else should be checked there.
> Is it possible these new bosch dual splitfire plugs could be the culprit?
> I'm thinking of replacing them (my 85 s-10 had these and they sucked big
> time, replaced them with regular old autolite plugs and the performance
> difference and mpg was drastically better. Maybe I should do the same and
> pull these bosch out and put in the old regular style plugs?
>
> 3. I am noticing after replacing the oil sending unit that my oil pressure
> is normal when cold, but after it warms up it is always just a hair above
> the "low" mark on the oil guage. Is this normal for this year?
> When I'm accelerating, it will rise a little higher to about 30-35% oil
> pressure on the guage, then back down to just above low when idle again.
> Oil level seems fine, no real oil burning issues going on.
> I did replace with 10w30...maybe I should be using 10w-40 at this point?
> Maybe all this is normal for this year\model, just wanted to check.
>
> I just did a tune up (10w-30 castrol GTX high mileage) oil change and
> filter, new sparks (bosch splitfires which I may replace now), new pcv
> valve, air filter, new O2 sensor, new shocks and struts a year ago as
well.
>
> The minvan drives great, but this temp issue is worrying me and I want
> better cooling. What things can I check out to make sure it's cooling as
> best it can? Is my temp normal (see above)? I don't think so, but I may
be
> wrong. Did I get the wrong thermostat possibly (just trusted the NAPA
tech
> who looked up the oem equivalent). Is the radiator going? (no leaks, fan
> comes on when necessary).
>
> thanks so much for any help
>
>
>

Here are my suggestions:

1. Thermostat was a good start and really does not matter where you
purchase the item. If you really need to feel it works then test the
activation point slowly boil a pot of water on the stove and hang a cooking
thermometer on the side. Your real problem as described appears to be your
radiator fan is not activating at the appropriate time. Check to see if it
is working by warming up the engine and letting idle until it reaches normal
or slightly higher temp. If the radiator fan does not activate above your
normal reading or at all then check that the electrical connections are
clean etc. You can also apply 12v directly to the fan motor leads (while
car is off) to verify the fan motor is working. If connection and fan are
ok then your likely problem is the electronic temperature sensor/switch for
your radiator cooling fan or the relay that supports it. Relay is part of a
three/four relay group mounted to the inside of driver front fender (next to
battery) It should click everytime the fan turns on/off. If the relay is
fine then replace electronic temperature sensor/switch for your radiator
cooling fan. It is behind your grill and is usually mounted to the center
brace. It measures both the incoming air and the radiant temp of the
radiator and turns the fan on (using the relay) as needed. The
sensor/switch fails over time or can break loose from its mount (plastic tab
used) and is simple to change. Relay is std part you can get anywhere.
Sensor is a dealer only part, remove the old one and take it to the dealer
so they can order the part.

2. Fuel smell could be a simple leak so using your nose is the best way.
Normal source is the charcoal evaporator canister which normally "stores"
fumes until restart. First check the rubber vacuum tubes to and from the
canister for cracks (expected for an '87 vehicle) that will release fuel
fumes. If fine then try replacing the canister.

3. Had a similar problem on 3.0l caravan. You say you changed the oil
pressure sensor, so I suspect you were experiencing oil pressure concerns
prior. Mileage is high so it could simply be bearing wear but that is
usually seen as a lower fixed pressure for a given oil and temp. Your dealer
or mechanic can rule out the sender or internal engine problems by mounting
an oil pressure gauge (liquid) in place of the sensor to verify true oil
pressure on various loads. I suspect your real problem is a bad oil pressure
gauge which is a two gauge unit along with engine temp (left side of
instrument cluster). Gauge set may be tough to find, but try ebay which
often has full instrument clusters on auction.

Good luck. I have 250,000 miles on my 89 grand caravan le. They will serve
you well with a bit of care.

"meman" > wrote in message
newsjJsc.114229$xw3.6709586@attbi_s04...
> Hi there,
>
> 1987 dodge mini ram van 3.0l v6 (also known as town and country or voyager
I
> guess) 197k on the mileage.
> I only use the van to haul a very heavy hammond organ around town (musical
> instrument always in the van) when I need to play mainly - but sometimes I
> need to make long trips with it, so I want to keep her going as long as I
> can.
>
> 3 problem areas I'd like to resolve as I love this little hauler and want
to
> make it last. I try and do my own work on it when possible. Competent
home
> mechanic (I know the cars I own) but by no means a pro.
>
> 1. After replacing the thermostat (with a NAPA oem thermostat) I need to
> find out if this 87 is cooling normally or not. It will rise nearing 80%
> towards hot at times before backing off a bit and then repeating the
> process.I am trying to diagnose the possible culprit here on why it's
> getting hotter than normal when driving).
> Seems a bit odd to me and is concerning, I need to keep this thing cool.
> The thermostat is installed correctly as the service manual I have states.
> Radiator had a flush almost a year ago, but maybe it isn't performing up
to
> par anymore and the new thermostat is telling me so (???).
> example: when driving around town (normal city trafffic, the temps rise
> about 50-60% and back off (repeat process as your driving). Driving on
the
> freeway, I'll see that temp guage rise to near 70-80% hot - stay steady
> (back of a bit when going downhills). Backs off when I turn the heat on
> (but it's summer now and I'd like to fix this problem rather than
circumvent
> via cranking the heat on).
> This worries me so I wanted to check.
> I'm not leaking coolant, no leaks in radiator, hoses seem fine.
>
> 2. Noticing a smell of fuel (fuel odor) when at idle that came on
recently.
> Wondering where I should start looking for the possible culprit. The fuel
> filter hasn't been replaced yet, ya think it's related?
> What else should be checked there.
> Is it possible these new bosch dual splitfire plugs could be the culprit?
> I'm thinking of replacing them (my 85 s-10 had these and they sucked big
> time, replaced them with regular old autolite plugs and the performance
> difference and mpg was drastically better. Maybe I should do the same and
> pull these bosch out and put in the old regular style plugs?
>
> 3. I am noticing after replacing the oil sending unit that my oil pressure
> is normal when cold, but after it warms up it is always just a hair above
> the "low" mark on the oil guage. Is this normal for this year?
> When I'm accelerating, it will rise a little higher to about 30-35% oil
> pressure on the guage, then back down to just above low when idle again.
> Oil level seems fine, no real oil burning issues going on.
> I did replace with 10w30...maybe I should be using 10w-40 at this point?
> Maybe all this is normal for this year\model, just wanted to check.
>
> I just did a tune up (10w-30 castrol GTX high mileage) oil change and
> filter, new sparks (bosch splitfires which I may replace now), new pcv
> valve, air filter, new O2 sensor, new shocks and struts a year ago as
well.
>
> The minvan drives great, but this temp issue is worrying me and I want
> better cooling. What things can I check out to make sure it's cooling as
> best it can? Is my temp normal (see above)? I don't think so, but I may
be
> wrong. Did I get the wrong thermostat possibly (just trusted the NAPA
tech
> who looked up the oem equivalent). Is the radiator going? (no leaks, fan
> comes on when necessary).
>
> thanks so much for any help
>
>
>