1986 Dodge Caravan - Rare?

[dotyj]

Hi all:

Last week I had to replace my 1981 Ford Club Wagon and had to do it for under $5,100.00.

This is what I came up with:
https://picasaweb.google.com/115250494143584321688/May282012
I hope you don't need a Google account to see these.

This is a very nice 1986 Dodge Caravan LE with the 2.6L Mitsubishi engine.

Yes it has problems. After all it is 26 years old. Other than a seized air conditioner compressor the problems it does have are miner and cheap to fix.

One thing though. The door uses twin motors with pulleys and straps to open and close it. Two pneumatic lifters raise the door when the straps are loose. The straps aren't shown in the photo.

This just seems like a very bad solution and in fact it has failed to work properly 100% of the time that I've tried to use it this week.

A buddy of mine is going to replace those twin motors, pulleys, and straps with a linear actuator that we've got laying around. It's got plenty of torque to do the job. We'll mount it up high near the ceiling.

That all being said. Has anyone here ever seen any Caravan at all with a gull wing door on it? I've seen photos of PT Cruisers and a few other wheelchair conversions that have them, but never a Caravan. The guy I bought the Caravan says it had already been modified when he bought it in 1995.

[Burgerman]

Never! Very strange.

Not sure quite how wise an 86 car is if you are disabled and relying in it though...

[dotyj]

You won't get an argument from me on the age.

With my mortgage being as high as it is, and the fact that due to the economy I've not had a cost of living raise in four years I can't afford expensive van payments.

A few years ago I found a decent newer van for $10,000 but I couldn't get if financed because it was ten years old.

$5,100 and change is what I got for my Ford after I rolled it. That van was an '81 and ran very well and was a good van. I'd looked at a couple of vans for sale in my area for under $5000 but only found this Dodge and a 1990 Ford E series van. The owner of the Ford wasn't willing to drive it over to look at even though I'd expressed interest in purchasing it. The owner of the Caravan actually drove it up from Portland, OR. twice. I had no logistical way to travel to look at other vans. That really put a limit on what I could shop for.

I don't drive every day. I work three blocks from home and have worked for the same employer since 1997. I bought my house in 2005 and have since driven to work maybe a dozen times.

So if there's a problem with the van that causes down time I can cope. Like I'm doing now with the door issue which will likely not be resolved until June.

I did have a mechanic go through it and the engine and transmission are fine. He'll be doing a tune up within the next couple of weeks.

The engine has 91,000 miles on it and the transmission was rebuilt at 85,000 miles. There's no timing belt on the 2.6l engine and the chain seems good.

The problems that need to be fixed are:
Replace wiring from the body through the doors, electric mirrors and door locks aren't working and I did find a broken wire on the driver's side.
Replace oil pressure sender, the oil pressure gauge isn't working.
Turn signals work, but dash indicators don't. Perhaps bad bulbs but I suspect it's worse than that.

Not bad for bad for 26 years.

Never! Very strange.

Not sure quite how wise an 86 car is if you are disabled and relying in it though...

[440roadrunner]

I have mixed feelings

I still have an 86 Ford Ranger with the little 2.9V6 It still runs good, although just the other day the ignition module died. 85 bucks

I bought a 98 Ranger which only had 75K on it. I didn't drive it very far when the cam position sensor failed A KNOWN PROBLEM. This device is "what used to be" the distributor in the older engines, and they do not get properly lubed, the bearings fail. I caught it "chirping" so it didn't break anything.

The thing about these old minivans is that, at least in the US, there are SCADS of 'em. They were stamped out like Reese's Peanut Butter cups. And because they are FWD, this means that if the engine dies, or the transmission, it is NOT that big a job to yank the thing out of there.

Frankly, I see your biggest PITA problem as what you mentioned -- accessories wiring. You can really nickel and dime yourself if you have to pay a mechanic to run down a balky door lock or mirror problem

AC You planning of repairing the AC? I would make DOUBLE sure this has been properly converted to a newer refrigerant. These things are all over the map, IE some backyard joints just blow out the old refrigerant and oil and drop in the new. I'm no expert on every system, but some are different and have their own conversion problems, IE different seals and gaskets, etc

If I was taking this thing on, I'd buy TWO factory shop manuals -- an original or reprint paper copy, and one on CD

[Burgerman]

I bought a 98 Ranger which only had 75K on it.

I would consider 75k ready for scrapping! Unless it looked like new. Its not the engines internals, but everything else that begins to age or fail. I used to build race engines for a living. Engines that are built well do not wear while running.

Seriously, in most of europe there are not many cars with 100k miles on them. Scrap yards are full of cars from 50 to 100k. And some less. 12K per year used to be considered avarage, less now because of fuel costs.

My van has done 9k (not 90k) in 5 years! And I will consider swapping for new in a couple of years mostly because I dont want to ever do any repairs or breaking down. I dont need that when away from home somewhere cold and cant get the ramp or door or whatever to work...

[LROBBINS]

Our vans aren't pretty, but our 97 Vantage Grand Voyager conversion has 150,000 miles and the Kangoo has 230,000 km. Both recently needed engine work.

On the Kangoo, the alternator froze, threw the serpentine belt into the timing belt, the stopped cam bent all 16 valves and rockers - pretty expensive, but not necessarily caused by age. Seven of the four ignition coils have been replaced - yes that doesn't make sense until you realize that the replacements failed. But those were in the first couple years' use when Renault was selling bad coils. The AC has also sprung a leak twice.

On the Chrysler (3.3L V6), it was sitting idle for many weeks waiting for a (non MOPAR design) leaf spring to be fabricated to replace one that broke. The mechanic took it out for a test drive, had the oil light come on and the engine seized as he took his foot off the gas. Oil screens were plugged with condensate/oil emulsion. Turning the crank and putting in new bearings got it going again - cost, including the new spring, about the same as just the valve rockers for the Kangoo. Over the years I've had to replace serpentine belt idler pulley, power steering pump, brake master cylinder, and added a heat shield for the fuel pump after two failures - all of these problems with < 70k miles and nothing else between then and 150k.

I'd like to replace one of these pretty soon, but have had no time to do any shopping -- Rachi's had health problems for months that are keeping us very occupied. My wife's talking about replacing one car with a scooter for herself and just being a 1 car family, but with no public WC transport here, I think I want to have a newer car and a backup to come get Rachi if we have a breakdown. The Kangoo broke down, late one evening, while the Chrysler was awaiting that spring. Luckily, it was one of the rare times Rachi was not aboard - I just don't know how we'd have dealt with that. I've even spoken with the head of Siena Emergency Services and even he couldn't think of what we might do, except perhaps from 9 to 5 when we might be able to get a volunteer with a wheelchair van to come get us. 118 Emergency Services can only dispatch for a medical emergency (though they dispatch the same volunteer groups that don't answer their regular phone numbers outside working hours).

Ciao,
Lenny

[440roadrunner]

..................I would consider 75k ready for scrapping! ...

I think it depends on where you are in the US, as well. My 67 Dart, the 86 Ranger, and the 98 Ranger, as well as the 95 Olds Cutlass I bought from my Mom collectively have almost NO rust problems. For many years, this was typical of this area. Only recently has the Eastern WA state/ Idaho state started using significant chemicals on wintery roads. The Spokane area is the worst, as they have gone to liquid chemicals and avoid plowing at every turn. These chemicals are literally eating the pavement and bridges from the inside out.

The 98 Ranger Drives, steers, handles and stops like it was on rails. It is one of the best handling vehicles of this type I've owned. Even the old 86 Ranger runs pretty well. IT has about 125K on the clock.

Much of the Eastern U.S. is an entirely different story. Between the chemicals of the "rust belt" and chemicals on the roads, cars simply don't last. I can remember when my old 70 RR was only about 2 years old, one day at the Navy base I got up early, and here was a 70 Satellite down the parking lot, with the morning sun behind it. You could see the SUN SHINING THROUGH THE SIDES of the rear quarter panels!!!

It had come from the E coast and only 2 years old, was falling apart.

[Burgerman]

Quite. I have a terrible dislike to the mountains of unneeded rocksalt they throw all over our roads here. They start in october, and cant bear to let the rain wash it way for the next 6 months. It probably freezes (just...) about 1 or 2 hours, about 5 days in total. And it would be bone dry (so no ice) anyway if they didnt chuck this water atracting crap down in the first place.

It ruins cars, shoes, wheelchairs, and everything else. Its also dangerous. Otherwise clean, dry roads are now slippery, wet, filthy and you cant see properly and theres WAY less grip all winter long.

[dotyj]

I'm undecided on the AC. Every van I've ever owned, not counting the one my girlfriend and I had, That's three Ford E-150s and this Caravan had AC. Every one of them were non-functional. I've owned vans since 1979 and I've never had the AC repaired. Usually due to the high cost of doing so. I'd like to have the AC compressor replaced and the system gone through and fixed but I think it would cost too much.

The accessory wiring in the doors is an issue. I had similar issues with my first van and all it had running to the doors was wiring for power windows. I owned that van for 17 years and had to replace that wiring twice.

If I get a friend of mine to help remove the plastic panels I can easily repair the wiring myself. I've done it before and I'm good at it. But I'm not so good at the physical labor required to remove door panels and plastic kick panels. Seems I need help with most things like this I take on.

I worry about the electronic ignition of course, but the engine itself is carbureted and has a standard rotor assembly for spark. Also it has no belt for the timing. It's got a chain which will be less problematic. I will have the chain inspected.

Seriously though. Once the door issue is solved I'll be a happy camper. Especially since I have another appointment to have my blood tested on Monday the 4th of June and if I have to take the bus again I turn a 90 minute task into a four hour task and I don't want to take another four hours off of work.

I have mixed feelings
Frankly, I see your biggest PITA problem as what you mentioned -- accessories wiring. You can really nickel and dime yourself if you have to pay a mechanic to run down a balky door lock or mirror problem

AC You planning of repairing the AC? I would make DOUBLE sure this has been properly converted to a newer refrigerant. These things are all over the map, IE some backyard joints just blow out the old refrigerant and oil and drop in the new. I'm no expert on every system, but some are different and have their own conversion problems, IE different seals and gaskets, etc

If I was taking this thing on, I'd buy TWO factory shop manuals -- an original or reprint paper copy, and one on CD

[dotyj]

Your point is very valid. In my case it's very impractical.

I want to live without the high cost of using a full size van again. Though that's what I've been driving from 1979 until just this month. Gas in the Pacific Northwest right now is running as high as $4.40 a gallon and a van that gets 10mpg and holds 38 gallons of fuel isn't something I can afford to drive right now.

Mini-van conversions can cost over $44,000.00 each. I don't earn enough working where I work to afford what could easily be $600 a month car payments for 10 years at a stretch. I also can't justify doing so based on the miles I drive. I drive as few as 50 miles a month. As many as 200 miles a month. That averages out to 125 miles a month or 1,500 miles a year. In ten years time I'd have paid out up to $72,000.00 to drive 15,000 miles. Not a good value. It would be different if I were driving 12,000 miles or more a year. When I commuted I was driving at least 15,000 miles a year. That makes that $600 a month car payment seem more worthwhile.

So, I tend to hold on to cars as long as I can.

I had my first van for 17 years, and three engines. I put at least 250,000 miles on that van. It was rear ended and totaled in a parking lot in 1996.

The van I replaced it with I didn't have very long. By 2005 it had blown it's third engine. I'd owned it just 9 years. I couldn't afford to replace that engine (No warranty).

I had inlaws though who were willing to sell me the van that belonged to my girlfriend before she passed away in 2004 so that became my third van. I drove that until early this month when it lost power without warning coming down a logging road. No engine, no brakes, no power steering, and no it wouldn't even turn over. To prevent a freefall at the upcoming 90 degree left, I put it in the left ditch where it struck something hidden in the weeds and grass and rolled over. That van also had around 250,000 miles on it.

I've never gotten rid of a van due to it's age. I'm not wealthy enough to afford that. I've also never gotten rid of a powerchair due to it's age, or a TV, or a microwave, or anything I've ever owned that comes to mind. I either use it until it wears out or until it's no longer suitable for the task.

I share your concern with vehicle failures. I've had my share. Everything from my roll over accident to having an axle come off the rear end traveling down the freeway, to dropping a transmission, to electrical fires, to dead electronic ignition modules, to just plain old flat tires.

All are cause for concern. Being stranded is a fear I had real trouble overcoming. But eventually I had to overcome that fear and learn to live with the fact that it happens. Even a perfectly good wheelchair can leave you stranded and I take real good care of wheelchairs.

I bought a 98 Ranger which only had 75K on it.

My van has done 9k (not 90k) in 5 years! And I will consider swapping for new in a couple of years mostly because I dont want to ever do any repairs or breaking down. I dont need that when away from home somewhere cold and cant get the ramp or door or whatever to work...

[dotyj]

I know what you mean.

I've had to sit for hours waiting for help. On a few occasions I've managed to park then take a city bus either back home or to my destination depending on the circumstance.

I've not driven alone since before my accident on the 11th. Until I get my door issue worked out on my Caravan I won't be able to.

Though I don't drive much I really can appreciate how much I depend on my van to get around. Even visiting the lab for blood work is a bit of a pain and I have to go back on Monday.

I take a small bus which stops in the town where I live just one block from my house.

I ride down to Vancouver, WA to the Salmon Creek Park and Ride.

I then take my powerchair from there to the doctor's office which is a 15 minute trek.

Coming back I have to wait hours for another bus from the park and ride to the town where I live. There are four afternoon runs and if I miss one I have to wait up to three hours for the next one.

Our vans aren't pretty, but our 97 Vantage Grand Voyager conversion has 150,000 miles and the Kangoo has 230,000 km. Both recently needed engine work.

Lenny

[dotyj]

I know exactly what you mean.

I'd lived off and on in Spokane from 1979 to 1990. I love Spokane but just couldn't hack the winters. Heck I didn't even mind driving on solid ice once in a while. But my powerchairs didn't do well in that climate.

I live 20 miles north of Vancouver, WA now and love it. We only get occasional snow and rarely get ice. It's all good. It's very wet though in the winter months. You know from October 1st to July 5th.

Rust isn't a huge issue here. The van I totaled early this month was 31 years old and was just starting to develop rust around some of the chrome trim pieces. The paint itself was pretty shot.

But I've seen cars in San Diego, and the gulf coast of New Mexico and TX completely coming apart after just a few years use. I saw a Chevy pickup that had no front end left on the hood. The rest of the truck actually looked pretty good.

..................I would consider 75k ready for scrapping! ...

I think it depends on where you are in the US, as well. My 67 Dart, the 86 Ranger, and the 98 Ranger, as well as the 95 Olds Cutlass I bought from my Mom collectively have almost NO rust problems. For many years, this was typical of this area. Only recently has the Eastern WA state/ Idaho state started using significant chemicals on wintery roads. The Spokane area is the worst, as they have gone to liquid chemicals and avoid plowing at every turn. These chemicals are literally eating the pavement and bridges from the inside out.

The 98 Ranger Drives, steers, handles and stops like it was on rails. It is one of the best handling vehicles of this type I've owned. Even the old 86 Ranger runs pretty well. IT has about 125K on the clock.

Much of the Eastern U.S. is an entirely different story. Between the chemicals of the "rust belt" and chemicals on the roads, cars simply don't last. I can remember when my old 70 RR was only about 2 years old, one day at the Navy base I got up early, and here was a 70 Satellite down the parking lot, with the morning sun behind it. You could see the SUN SHINING THROUGH THE SIDES of the rear quarter panels!!!

It had come from the E coast and only 2 years old, was falling apart.

[ex-Gooserider]

They just towed our old minivan away... This was a Y2K Dodge Grand Caravan that we purchased used several years back, and had gotten to 186,000m. The only major failure was a transmission at around 120K - supposedly a known weakness with the Mopar minivans... We also had to get the upper front strut mount rebuilt on the side next to the battery.

It wasn't converted, as we bought it long before I got hurt. Never set it up for me to drive, but I could transfer into the passenger seat from my manual chair, which Mary-Anne could put in the back. (definite struggle on the transfer as it was about 8-10" uphill...)

The ONLY reason we got rid of it was that Mary-Anne had an accident with it, and the insurance company totalled it out. The car was still drivable, but the drivers side passenger door was jammed shut, which is technically an inspection violation. More problematic, it leaked gas when filling it up - though not when driving, and it did NOT throw a "check engine" light - which seems strange...

We did have some pretty significant rust, though not as bad as many cars, and not in any critical areas.

My guess is that we could have gotten another 50-100K out of it, if we hadn't had the accident. Our mechanic says they see a lot of the Mopar vans running around with 2-300K on them and no major issues... The biggest caution we kept hearing when we were originally shopping for a used conversion, was that they had a tendency for the floors to rot out, but otherwise no big age related problems beyond what you get in any car...

One thing that again may be a cultural difference, is that when we were in the UK several years back I observed that there were VERY few cars I saw with any significant dents or even paint damage. Here, I'd say that at least 10% of the cars show minor dents from collisions where the owner decided it wasn't worth fixing... I don't know if it's social, or if there are more laws requiring repairs, but it was a definite difference... Even watching the old "Junkyard Wars" shows that I've been doing while exercising, the "junkers" in the shows yard looked better than most of what you see in a US salvage yard...

Getting back to the original question, I've never seen / heard of a gull-wing caravan, but don't know why it wouldn't be possible...

ex-Gooserider

[dotyj]

I just got off the phone with my buddy in Vancouver, WA. He'll be here on Saturday afternoon to install the linear actuator and remove those motor pulley strap assemblies.

I think the gull-wing door is a clever idea and I really love the idea myself.

Here in SW Washington it seems like a cultural thing when it comes to what condition cars are in. Mostly it's an income issue from what I've seen. I'm a prime example. If I could afford it I'd drive a $44,000.00 minivan. I can't and I don't want car payments so I'm driving a $3,500.00 minivan.

In fact, since I bought my first van in 1979 I've never paid more than about $4,500 for a van. The Pacific Northwest isn't exactly a meca for cheap accessible vans, but you can find them if you look and since they start off being pretty darned expensive it is possible to find nice old vans that just need a little work to make them usable again.

I put a video of my van on youtube under my username and sent the link to my friend in Seattle. She says it reminds her of the space shuttle Galileo from "Star Trek". Perhaps I should have it re-painted beige.

I've certainly gotten some interesting comments about the van but no one seems to know where the work might have been done or by what company.

Getting back to the original question, I've never seen / heard of a gull-wing caravan, but don't know why it wouldn't be possible...
ex-Gooserider

[Burgerman]

Fair enough. I ran a mass of old cars, modified, nitrous injected, engine transplants etc for years. But after landing in a wheelchair I think as new and reliable as humanly possible is more important to me... I cant get home any other way.

Same with powerchairs. But here newer isnt more reliable! Frankly they all suck. Even if they dont let you down (and they do...) they last about a year before the crappy finish, exposed steel bearings, and motor/controller cables screw up due to the salt everything is coated in. So I build my own. Never had ANY failures on my home built chairs. Not even a puncture since they are tubeless and full of off road gunk, Drilling a hole in the tyre wont even deflate it! Stainles bearings, bolts, and silicone grease high quality electrical connectors, copper grease every bolt, which are ALL stainless, and decent finish on every single part, a dab of silicone around the relocated power module, and controller/ means reliability. Never failed to get home.

[dotyj]

I know what you mean. I've been using the same two chairs, a Quickie S-626, and a Blast 850 for the last twelve years. I have no desire to change them out. There's nothing on the market (That insurance would help pay for) that I want.

Same with powerchairs. But here newer isnt more reliable! Frankly they all suck. Even if they dont let you down (and they do...) they last about a year before the crappy finish, exposed steel bearings, and motor/controller cables screw up due to the salt everything is coated in. So I build my own. Never had ANY failures on my home built chairs. Not even a puncture since they are tubeless and full of off road gunk, Drilling a hole in the tyre wont even deflate it! Stainles bearings, bolts, and silicone grease high quality electrical connectors, copper grease every bolt, which are ALL stainless, and decent finish on every single part, a dab of silicone around the relocated power module, and controller/ means reliability. Never failed to get home.

[Burgerman]

If your blast uses the pilot plus system, you realise it can be reprogrammed to steer and stop steering far more accurately and positively like a computer mouse or a car? Prides programming is unbelievably delayed and weird. You need woodygb's lead from another thread, and the OEM programming software that is easy to get...

[dotyj]

As a matter of fact it does feel wallowy. That takes some getting used to.

Also, I have the hand held programmer for it. I just never got around to doing it since I figured it would take some experimentation to work it out (I don't have the manual).

The Blast (Which I love) needs batteries and armrest pads but is otherwise in good shape.

If your blast uses the pilot plus system, you realise it can be reprogrammed to steer and stop steering far more accurately and positively like a computer mouse or a car? Prides programming is unbelievably delayed and weird. You need woodygb's lead from another thread, and the OEM programming software that is easy to get...

[LROBBINS]

James,

If your HHP came from Pride it will not be OEM level and you won't be able to adjust the parameters that are most important for responsive (instead of "rubber band") steering. Take a look at Burgerman's programming pages to see what's involved. It makes a BIG difference. Ciao, Lenny

[Burgerman]

http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/powerch ... amming.htm

HERE!

[ex-Gooserider]

For whatever it's worth, I just signed up with the ADA Auto Club which claims to be a roadside assistance club specifically for folks w/ accessible vehicles and chairs.

Essentially they offer the same sorts of roadside services that any other club does, like flats and gas, tows, etc.. but they also promise to dispatch techs (or at least phone support) to service broken adaptive gear on vehicles (ramps, etc) and or broken chairs. They also promise that if your vehicle has to be towed, they will also get you and your chair home or to another safe location - NOT sticking you with the choice of being left on the side of the road or (illegally) riding in your broken down vehicle on the back of the tow-truck...

I think they only exist in the US and maybe Canada, so the UK and other places folks are out of luck on this one...

It is worth signing up with "United Spinal / NSCIA" (free, and good for other stuff as well) before joining, as they have a deal that gets you a few extra months of membership for free... You also save by getting multiple years, and a multi-year membership also gets you free "associate" memberships, which is a good deal if you have other drivers in the household. Cost is otherwise comparable to AAA and other such roadside clubs.

Haven't had a need to see if they do what they say, but it is at least some level of extra insurance...

ex-Gooserider


Haven't

[dotyj]

It looks like I have no real choices then to change the programming on my Blast.

On the up side it's my backup chair so it doesn't see much use anymore. Though it had served me well.

http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/powerchair-programming.htm

HERE!

[dotyj]

Though I have roadside assistance through my insurance company, this sounds like a much better deal.

I'll check in to it.

For whatever it's worth, I just signed up with the ADA Auto Club which claims to be a roadside assistance club specifically for folks w/ accessible vehicles and chairs.

Essentially they offer the same sorts of roadside services that any other club does, like flats and gas, tows, etc.. but they also promise to dispatch techs (or at least phone support) to service broken adaptive gear on vehicles (ramps, etc) and or broken chairs. They also promise that if your vehicle has to be towed, they will also get you and your chair home or to another safe location - NOT sticking you with the choice of being left on the side of the road or (illegally) riding in your broken down vehicle on the back of the tow-truck...

Haven't

[440roadrunner]

doty, I guess it's too late on your van deal, but does this do you any good?

Spokane Craigslist:

http://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/3009837779.html

[dotyj]

That is an amazing deal.

Too late for me though.

The miles are pretty high and the paint where the skirting is attached is coming off, but still, that's a great deal.

Saturday my buddy Clint and I removed the strap/pulley system and installed a linear actuator. The wiring is fine but the actuator was something we had just laying around. It was too slow. 2 minutes plus to open or close the door. I bought a faster linear actuator with 30 seconds of travel and we'll try again.

doty, I guess it's too late on your van deal, but does this do you any good?

Spokane Craigslist:

http://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/3009837779.html

[dotyj]

My last post was kind of short, sorry, I was running late for work.

My van's across the street at my neighbor's house getting a much needed tune up.

I have to run down to Portland, OR a week from today for a miner surgical procedure and need the van ready. The door issue isn't fixed yet and won't be by then. My buddy in Vancouver, WA won't be available in time. Normally this would be an issue, but I have to be driven back from my procedure so I'll have help.

At any rate the old plugs aren't fouled or been wet. The cap was okay, the rotor not, the belts were shot, one belt was nearly split in half.

We ran out of time tonight so we'll finish tomorrow. Still need to change the air filter (I had to order it, my local NAPA didn't have one in stock and it hasn't arrived yet from Sacramento), change the fuel filter, change the oil, change the oil filter, change the alternator belt, adjust the lifters (may not actual do so this time around though it should be done according tot he manual), bleed the brakes and or check the rear brakes (excessive brake pedal travel), and adjust the timing.

I'm going to wait until the door is working properly (It may take a few more weeks since my buddy in Vancouver, WA is pretty busy right now) then I'll take it to a shop and have the grease fittings greased and have the boots inspected/replaced.

There's a proper car repair shop a block away. I think I'll ask them about the cost to adjust the valves.

The van's old but looks great and I want to keep it that way.