1990 Plymouth Grand Voyager SE 3.3 V6

Summary:

A top quality product

Faults:

Replaced the Radiator after 8 years.

Replaced the belt tensioner after 8 years and 13 years.

Replaced the transmission after 12 years.

Replaced the exhaust system twice in 14 years.

Replaced the starter after 12 years.

Replaced the wipers for the first time after 13 years.

Speedometer quit after 13 years.

General Comments:

This has got to be the best vehicle that I have owned. Chrysler made an excellent product. It has done tonnes of moving, traveling, and hauling material.

I still use my van to this day and make fun on my friends that have "Imports" that fell apart on the road while my "Domestic North American" car has outlasted all of theirs. I hope I still have it for years to come.

Buy North American product.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th February, 2004

1990 Plymouth Grand Voyager SE 3.3L V6

Summary:

The good, the bad and the ugly

Faults:

First problem was a spark plug coming loose in the head, requiring a helicoil insert.

Had the CV boots done twice in the time we owned it.

Had the right CV joint replaced.

Water pump and radiator.

The biggest thing Transmission at 138,000. My mechanic warned me about Mopar's transmissions and told me they have a habit of conking out about 70,000 miles. Looking at the tranny when it was being repaired we discovered it had been done at approx. 70,000 the first time and so 138,000 replacement was expected.

Vehicle was stolen once. Column was "Chicago punched" requiring a complete replacement of the steering wheel and components.

Car was in two accidents, both time hit by other drivers in the front. First time required $1900 in repairs which the person who hit us (an employee of a well known Ins Co.) covered personally. Second time was t-boned by a gal who ran a red light and the car was totaled out.

General Comments:

Other than the mechanical issues above, the vehicle was a pretty good daily driver, great on camping trip and other long drives and got pretty decent mileage, about 22 around town and upwards of 30 mpg on the highway.

Not having a front console made it the best legroom I've ever had in any vehicle.

Were it not so bad in the drivetrain, I'd be driving one still, but I just can't see a transmission lasting only 70,000 miles!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th January, 2004

28th Jun 2011, 00:57

Yes, the 4-speed transaxles usually wear out on a 70k-100k-mile schedule. If you are shopping for a Caravan, try to find a 90-91 model with a 3-speed non-electronic AT. They are rare, but last forever, as long as you adjust the bands properly at least once during your ownership. If you find a 3-speed with the factory remanufactured tag (means it was replaced under warranty), that's an especially prized find. In my experience those are nearly bulletproof.

1990 Plymouth Grand Voyager SE 3.3L V6

Summary:

Good deal for a great van

Faults:

The front end seems to be a point of contention with this van. I have had to replace bushings and CV shafts and I need to do more front end work. I suppose it is not too bad since nothing else has ever been done to it.

The only other things about the vehicle is the paint, which I also understand was a normal problem with the vans and the metal they tried to paint on.

General Comments:

I got this van from my father who bought a brand new truck and no longer needed the van. It has 148,000 on it when we got it and it now has 151,000. It has been a great van except for a couple of things:

1. The front end problems.

2. The paint problems.

And this one bugs me the most:

The Serpentine belt coming off when cleaning the motor.

I have had all new pulleys and tensioners put on this van and when I clean the motor (if the vehicle is running), the belt falls off. I then have to get it towed to the mechanic's garage to get the belt put back on. It has happened three times and I do not seem to be able to get the motor as clean as I would like because of that fact. I also have a Dynasty with the SAME motor and the belt has never fallen off.

Other than that, I love the van. We have every imaginable option in this thing and the mileage is great! Even at over 150,000 miles the mileage is well over 25mpg. It rides great and the radio is tops too. I would not mind taking this on long trips and have done so frequently. It works great. As far as the paint stuff goes, I got got some white paint and 'rattle-canned' the trouble spots. Mainly the hood and roof are the worst, but I have rattle-canned the hood and it is fine.

If you can find these vehicles in good condition, get one. Chrysler did some stuff right when they made the minivan.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th August, 2003

2nd Apr 2004, 04:43

The belt problem is probably a bad tensioner. Take it to a different garage!!

2nd Jan 2005, 16:45

The belt problem is common for the 3.3L. It most likely is a bad fixed idler pulley. I found that you will have better luck with a new serpentine belt if you also replace the tensioner and the fixed idler pulley at the same time. When you have the belt off, be sure to check the water pump for bearing wear. And, be sure that you are in the correct groves on the lower alternator pulley. If you are off one grove, it will run for 100 miles or so, then destroy itself.

27th Jun 2011, 22:31

First, don't wash the engine while it is running. That's just silly. And disconnect the battery, wrap the alternator and the coil pack super well, etc.

Chrysler production is cost-effective because they pass parts with rather loose tolerance. So the accessory bracketry is usually not perfectly straight, throwing the belt anytime there's moisture. At the back of the engine, the bracket is close to the exhaust manifold and further deforms from the heat. A cheapest fix is to spray a little bit of belt conditioner. It will soak into the surface of pulleys as well, preventing excessive condensation and icing. I've seen 3.3s grow a bit of flash icing in the morning from the condensation at night, and the belt slips right off. 3L Mitsu blocks don't have this problem as much, because they had more cast aluminum bracketry, and it is straighter.

As previously mentioned, on 3.3L also the water pump pulley can deform from age and heat, contributing to the belt wobble. Make sure those pesky splash shields are in place and firmly attached, or even the puddles will give you grief.