Freaking out before long journey…

[Glen MacPherson]

Hi, long time YouTube fan here only just decided to join the forum due to massive panic. I’m leaving Britain for Bulgaria in two weeks time, I had enough and decided to spend the last of my money on buying a house and land out there, £3500. I also bought a 2002 Transit 2.4TD RWD for £300 and planned to sell my Volvo V70 to pay for the journey and any parts, however, the clutch and DMF exploded in my Volvo during the week it was on eBay and I ended up selling for £300. I used that money for a full service, brake discs, pads, lines and cylinders, lights, water pump and brake vacuum pump, thermostat and a few other little bits. Those were the things I could tell needed doing, however, I have only driven it 10 miles since I got it because I’ve been waiting payday to payday so I’ve got no insurance until next week and my ferry leaves the week after that. Now I’m terrified I’m about to embark on a 1600 mile trip across Europe in an unknown old van full of my worldly possessions. I was confident that it seems to be running spot on, no weird noises or smoke etc. But now I’m freaking out big time. I’m just wondering if anyone knows what kind of things would go wrong on a journey like that? Thanks.

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[Erin]

There is always apprehension before a long journey. Always, “What if…?”
The good news is that highway driving is usually easier on a vehicle than city.

How many miles or kilometers are on this van?

So anyways, looking through some complaints on this vehicle, they seem to be spread over different systems, but nothing really centralized.
Some vehicles have VERY common failure or problem points but the Transit doesn’t seem to have any common problems. That is just from my very little research.

What you should do then is test it in as many conditions as possible.
Do you see any evidence of fluid leaks after it has sat overnight or at least a few hours?
How does it start and run when cold? Shift alright? How about city driving, highway driving? Try to spend a good 20 minutes in the city and highway.
How does it start and run when shut off for a few minutes? After a couple hours? In the morning?
Does the temp gauge hold steady once warm? Does the heat work well? No heat is often a sign of engine problems, specifically cooling system.

When they did the full service, did they check the condition of the fluids, vacuum hoses, suspension, etc?

So if it seems to be doing Ok after all those tests, it is probably road worthy. Anything CAN happen but like any other car, no way to really know if or when that will happen if there is no evidence of problems.

Do you know what the weather is suppose to be like during your trip? I don’t know the weather out there but if it will be cold or really hot, plan accordingly in case there is a break down.

About the 20 minutes of city and 20 of highway driving –
If there is a problem like bad handling, overheating, weird noises, etc… most likely they will surface after even that much driving.
If I were to gamble, I would say that if it passes those tests, you will probably be alright for your trip.

[Jason White]

Well, you are right. Anything can go wrong, any time. I’ve seen the results of engines that were well maintained, in good shape, not abused, just randomly throw a rod through the oil pan with almost no warning. It’s rare though. Meanwhile, I’m about to take my 2002 Chevy Silverado with 290K on it from Atlanta, GA to Dallas, TX at the end of the month. I have another trip from Atlanta to Washington DC coming up. Am I worried? Not really. I’m about to do a through checkout on it first. I figure like this; I drive a lot anyways, and city traffic and multiple trips takes more out of it than a long cruise at least when it comes to breaking. With wear, unless it already has a part on it’s last legs, it’s not going to cause a problem. The only thing about long trips is any part with friction or cooling problems, being at a greater load for a long time, is going to get really, really hot and may fail.

[Cameron]

Buying an unknown old transit van for 300 pounds and expecting it to be reliable transport for a long journey across numerous countries into Eastern Europe with a full load is not sensible. Then apparently not having the money to fix it when the unexpected happens in some country enroute where you will probably not be able to speak the local language is even worse.

Whichever way you look at it you have made poor decisions. If I were you I would be working hard in the UK and getting your finances in better order first and then come up with a much better travel and moving plan.

[Glen MacPherson]

Thanks for the responses everyone-
Summer_Night, I did the service, I changed the oil and flushed the coolant and there are no leaks, there was an oil leak from the vacuum pump which was why I changed it and it is connected to the water pump so I changed that while I was there. I gave all the suspension parts a good yank around and found no problems, there were no noticeable problems while driving it either apart from poor braking, which on inspection looked to be stuck calipers and one disc was worn wafer thin on the inside with no wear on the outside. So I rebuilt the calipers including pistons, replaced the discs and because they are that stupid captive disc design I replaced the wheel bearings while I was there and the brake hoses. There was also a very slight leak in one rear cylinder so I replaced both of those too. It has about 250,000 miles on it. It starts and runs, gets up to temperature and blows heat fine too. I’ll definitely take your advice and give it a good run first.
Jasonw1178- Thanksat, that’s pretty much what I thought, I’ve driven things in much worse condition than this for thousands of miles just not all at once. When I’m not freaking out I’m convinced that because I’ve treated her to shiny new things she’ll be nice to me and not throw a rod, when I am freaking out I think of all the vengeful bastard cars I’ve had that just like to upset me, like the Volvo. I guess I’ll take it as it comes.

Cam0888- Thanks for the response, I’ve thought about it and you’re right, I’ve decided I’m going to stay in England and work hard for another 20 years so by the time I’m 60 I could have maybe enough for a £5000 house and a £2000 van. Great thinking, it’s always nice when someone with a new Chevy SS and a Carerra S tell people buying and selling cars around the £300 mark to work harder, you’re an inspiration, I just wish I’d thought of that sooner. Thanks.

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