Road trip w/ the Avalon! Any tips?

[96Avalon_Matt]

Hey avalon owners,
I'm gonna be taking my Avalon on a little road trip, and even though I've taken it in to my mechanic for a check-over, I want to be prepared for any problems that may arise.

Trip will be 1500 miles each way, and I'm planning on driving 10 hours a day (with a break in at 5 hours, at least). I have overheating in the back of my mind as a potential problem, what should I do/carry in case this happens?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

[toyomoho]

If the car has been running OK, what makes you think it will over heat now?

If the car does over heat, slow down. The less HP the engine needs to put out the less heat it will develop. Turn on the heater to max as this will act as a small radiator. Keep the temp gauge out of the red, overheating can blow a head gasket.

In case of boil over carry enough water to completely refill the engine and radiator. You don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Carry extra motor oil, a hot engine can burn oil fast. You want to be able to replace it.

The Camry coolant system is very good and has a lot of excess cooling capacity. Unless there is a problem, the engine will not normally overheat.

[CupCate18]

I took mine on a 1100 mile one way trip, constant driving. Car was fine the entire way, not even a budge over normal temp. When you stop, just check over your fluids.

[cexsiman]

id say itd be a good idea in addition to those precautions, to have an extra serpentine belt with you if yours are older and may crack. if your belt goes, goodbye water pump and hello overheating.

but +1 to the fact that if your car is running fine now, it should be just fine for the trip. i would suggest keeping it around 70, much better gas mileage than 80-85. and along those lines, get a fuel system cleaner since you will be burning through the gas anyway.

[96Avalon_Matt]

Thanks for the tips!

I'm picking the car up today from the mechanic, see what the damage is $_$
I believe they replaced the alternator belt and one other belt, and I had a tune-up done.

I don't forsee any problems. The car runs great, but I think memories of road trips with my dad are causing the worries; Going down the highway in a 15 yr old bonneville, white smoke billowing out from under the hood...

I'll err on the safe side of things and take some of the advice listed here, thanks again!

[96Avalon_Matt]

Originally Posted by cexsiman

__

oh and cexsiman, whats the best beach in Florida?

[swiftjustice]

This question is kinda funny on this board. This kind of question gets asked once a week on the Classic Mini board (where the advice is much different and lengthy), but I've never seen it asked on a "modern" car board where its mostly just a matter of common sense.

Check and make sure your spare tire is inflated to the correct pressure, make sure you have your jack and all the tire changing tools.

Get a small mechanic's soft tool bag, fill it with a cheap metric socket set, some pliers, a flashlight, some electrical tape, some duct tape, extra fuses, and a screw driver with changeable bits. A can of fix-a-flat is not a bad idea too, could get you to a spot where you can change a tire if you are in a bad location and can't change.

Check your coolant and top it off. Mix some water in the rest of the coolant jug and throw it in the trunk.

Jumper cables.

Flares. I know the push is now for the reflective triangles but you can see flares from a looong way off, triangles only work when someone's lights hit them and by then it may be too close.

Check all the fluids. Check the S belt for obvious cracks, etc. If your car has been doing "funny" things intermittently, like hard starting, something squealing abnormally then stopping, new fluid drips, etc. then have it checked before you go.


Inflate tires to near max pressure on sidewall for best cruising MPG.

[cexsiman]

ive been to almost every beach in the state, and id have to say clearwater beach has been the most relaxing. (sugar white and soft sand, calm waters) but i grew up on the east coast of florida in Palm Beach, and the beaches there are nice and all, just a little rougher sand, and some waves. no real place to go wrong though. west coast of florida is calm and beautiful, the east coast can be too. I'm stuck in the middle for now, and only 40 min from the east coast and 2 hrs from the west. (i'm in orlando finishing up my last class in college in a few weeks and moving back to palm beach). enjoy your trip and look out for traffic when you hit FL.

[aigochamaloh]

Originally Posted by cexsiman

id say itd be a good idea in addition to those precautions, to have an extra serpentine belt with you if yours are older and may crack. if your belt goes, goodbye water pump and hello overheating.

but +1 to the fact that if your car is running fine now, it should be just fine for the trip. i would suggest keeping it around 70, much better gas mileage than 80-85. and along those lines, get a fuel system cleaner since you will be burning through the gas anyway.

Water pump is driven by timing belt. If that breaks, then be prepared to reset your timing and replace the belt. If the belt breaks, it's usually time to replace the water pump.

[canddmeyer]

Originally Posted by swiftjustice

Check and make sure your spare tire is inflated to the correct pressure, make sure you have your jack and all the tire changing tools.

+1 on air in the spare.