So winter is vastly approaching with temperatures already dipping in the night, so I thought I would get the van ready for winter/200,000 kms as some maintenance items need to be done.
First off make sure your heating works, at all speeds and in all zones, wouldn't want to find out that you don't have any heat on the first cold spell. Don't just go by whats in the coolant jar, remove the radiator cap (when cold) and see how much coolant is in the radiator, and top it off, as well as the coolant jar. Replace any hoses, or coolant lines that are rusted,swollen or punctured, especially the transfer pipe from the lower radiator hose to the water pump and the rear heater lines which are known to get crusty and spew out coolant at bad times. If they are in good condition apply Rust check coat and protect or fluid film (Jeepman's favorite) to keep those lines from rusting out and will last longer. And fix any other coolant leaks before it gets worse.
Secondly make sure your windshield fluid is topped up with fluid that is good for up to -20 and below degrees Celsius. Wouldn't want to have a cracked fluid jar or no fluid when you need it.
Also make sure your front and rear wiper blades work properly, and don't drag or miss when in use, if they do replace them as you will need good wiper blades for winter visibility.
Make sure your battery is up to par and will be able to withstand the cold weather, also check the acid in the battery to see if it needs to be topped up and if it does use only DISTILLED WATER. Wouldn't want to have a dead battery on the coldest day of the year, personally i'd replace a battery if its 5 years or older.
Make sure your brakes are up to par especially for the winter months where they will likely be needed, if you notice a drop in brake fluid it's likely either your front pads (most likely) or rear pads/shoes need to be replaced/ adjusted.Also make sure your parking brake work, wouldn't want to have your van roll down the hill on a winter day.
If you use winter tires, put them on early, don't wait until the first snowfall to put them on. If you use all season tires all year round (like I do) then I'd recommend a tire rotation just so you could have good and equal tread wear. If they have little to no thread life left then I'd recommend replacing them before you have a blowout during a snowstorm or something. I'm not doing one this winter because my rear tires have enough thread to last me until spring and the front tires have good meat yet.
Also make sure your spare tire drops, and is at the recommended PSI: Here's the fun I recently I got out of dropping my spare http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php/37321-Spare-Tire-won-t-drop-2004-Dodge-Caravan
Also make sure your tires are pumped to the recommended PSI which on these vans are 36 PSI but it won't hurt running it with 40 PSI (When I checked mine earlier it had 30 PSI)
Check your serpentine belt or other pullies to see if it needs replacing and if it needs replacing before winter starts, as I'm replacing mine before winter starts.
If needed replace spark plugs especially if it has been there for longer than 100,000 miles/160,000 KMS or you have any type of misfire (Getting mine done as well).
Check and replace air filter and more importantly cabin air filter if necessary.
Check all your exterior lighting to make sure it is working and no bulbs have blown, and make sure your headlights are properly adjusted as you'll need them with longer hours of darkness.
Check and make sure ABS, TRACTION, ESP lights are not on and they work, cause you may need them in those emergency situations.
Fix any major scratches/dents before road salt gets to them and starts rust.
If you have a remote starter make sure it works!!!
If you do yearly rust proofing then get it done, and wash your car/van periodically during winter months to get all the road salt off. In my case I don't do yearly rust proofing and do my own rustproofing, with me first off spraying rust check coat and protect on the doors. Here's what i'm doing to my rockers to prevent things from rusting up http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/sh...she-s-getting-rusty-on-the-rockers?highlight=.
Change your oil at the recommended intervals and if you change oil viscosity during the winter months then start that from now. Also check and do a drop and fill to your tranny fluid so it'll be fresh for a while and won't have to worry about much.
Make sure your interior is clean as it can get during the winter months as the salt can mess up quite a few things, and by slush mats, especially for the front to minimize damage to the carpeting.
That's all I can remember off the top of my head, if their is anything I missed, please free to add it. Hope this helps people get their van ready for the winter. Happy shoveling :headbange
First off make sure your heating works, at all speeds and in all zones, wouldn't want to find out that you don't have any heat on the first cold spell. Don't just go by whats in the coolant jar, remove the radiator cap (when cold) and see how much coolant is in the radiator, and top it off, as well as the coolant jar. Replace any hoses, or coolant lines that are rusted,swollen or punctured, especially the transfer pipe from the lower radiator hose to the water pump and the rear heater lines which are known to get crusty and spew out coolant at bad times. If they are in good condition apply Rust check coat and protect or fluid film (Jeepman's favorite) to keep those lines from rusting out and will last longer. And fix any other coolant leaks before it gets worse.
Secondly make sure your windshield fluid is topped up with fluid that is good for up to -20 and below degrees Celsius. Wouldn't want to have a cracked fluid jar or no fluid when you need it.
Also make sure your front and rear wiper blades work properly, and don't drag or miss when in use, if they do replace them as you will need good wiper blades for winter visibility.
Make sure your battery is up to par and will be able to withstand the cold weather, also check the acid in the battery to see if it needs to be topped up and if it does use only DISTILLED WATER. Wouldn't want to have a dead battery on the coldest day of the year, personally i'd replace a battery if its 5 years or older.
Make sure your brakes are up to par especially for the winter months where they will likely be needed, if you notice a drop in brake fluid it's likely either your front pads (most likely) or rear pads/shoes need to be replaced/ adjusted.Also make sure your parking brake work, wouldn't want to have your van roll down the hill on a winter day.
If you use winter tires, put them on early, don't wait until the first snowfall to put them on. If you use all season tires all year round (like I do) then I'd recommend a tire rotation just so you could have good and equal tread wear. If they have little to no thread life left then I'd recommend replacing them before you have a blowout during a snowstorm or something. I'm not doing one this winter because my rear tires have enough thread to last me until spring and the front tires have good meat yet.
Also make sure your spare tire drops, and is at the recommended PSI: Here's the fun I recently I got out of dropping my spare http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php/37321-Spare-Tire-won-t-drop-2004-Dodge-Caravan
Also make sure your tires are pumped to the recommended PSI which on these vans are 36 PSI but it won't hurt running it with 40 PSI (When I checked mine earlier it had 30 PSI)
Check your serpentine belt or other pullies to see if it needs replacing and if it needs replacing before winter starts, as I'm replacing mine before winter starts.
If needed replace spark plugs especially if it has been there for longer than 100,000 miles/160,000 KMS or you have any type of misfire (Getting mine done as well).
Check and replace air filter and more importantly cabin air filter if necessary.
Check all your exterior lighting to make sure it is working and no bulbs have blown, and make sure your headlights are properly adjusted as you'll need them with longer hours of darkness.
Check and make sure ABS, TRACTION, ESP lights are not on and they work, cause you may need them in those emergency situations.
Fix any major scratches/dents before road salt gets to them and starts rust.
If you have a remote starter make sure it works!!!
If you do yearly rust proofing then get it done, and wash your car/van periodically during winter months to get all the road salt off. In my case I don't do yearly rust proofing and do my own rustproofing, with me first off spraying rust check coat and protect on the doors. Here's what i'm doing to my rockers to prevent things from rusting up http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/sh...she-s-getting-rusty-on-the-rockers?highlight=.
Change your oil at the recommended intervals and if you change oil viscosity during the winter months then start that from now. Also check and do a drop and fill to your tranny fluid so it'll be fresh for a while and won't have to worry about much.
Make sure your interior is clean as it can get during the winter months as the salt can mess up quite a few things, and by slush mats, especially for the front to minimize damage to the carpeting.
That's all I can remember off the top of my head, if their is anything I missed, please free to add it. Hope this helps people get their van ready for the winter. Happy shoveling :headbange