Little issue; fear of unreliability after repairs

[72C10]

I wouldn't be concerned as long as you gave the vehicle a good testing before the trip.

I replaced a fuel pump over a month ago in one of my pickups and I haven't had a problem with it yet.

For me owning older vehicles, the key is to pay attention to any symptoms before they leave you stranded and fix them.

 

[Audiman]

Get it out for a long drive when you don’t need to be anywhere. That way if you do have issues with the car your not going to be late for work etc.

If the car performs well then it will build your confidence in it.

 

[michaelluscher]

Do a couple of WOT runs, if it starts cold/hot and can do a WOT pull or two, it's fine
Don't let it get to you
We all have similar feelings after an oil change

 

[wtd]

If it was an aftermarket fuel pump I might be worried as a lot of those are not very reliable.

A few years ago we replaced the fuel pump in a 97 GMC truck with a Delphi unit and it only lasted about a year and a half and 11,000 miles before it went out. It had a lifetime warranty so we replaced it with another one but I'm not confident that it will last.

I thought Delphi was supposed to be good and who I thought at one time built AC-Delco pumps. We could not find a Delco pump to install and is why we originally went with the Delphi.

 

[andrew_j]

If you set out in day time and decent cell reception and vehicle traffic just go.

Middle of hot desert or wintery desolate road with spotty cell service I would consider is this reliable/good idea.

Driving 300 miles for me gets my into NJ from coastal NH. I would not worry a single bit with a cell phone and credit card.

 

[mrjlube]

Thanks for the comments everyone! I took the car out on a 100 mile drive today and it drove and rode beautifully! I'm going to try and enjoy the car now and work on not obsessing over such little things so much

 

[panthermike]

Thanks for the comments everyone! I took the car out on a 100 mile drive today and it drove and rode beautifully! I'm going to try and enjoy the car now and work on not obsessing over such little things so much

Sounds like a good plan! I love these panther cars. My '08 CVPI has just under 170,000 miles and I drove it 1500 mi cross country last month and didn't think twice about it. It was so comfortable, reasonable mileage and just goes!

 

[andrew_j]

Modern vehicles since 1996 and OBD-II and most Japanese and most domestic would not hesitate to venture cross country. European and EV I would be more wary.

 

[Number_35]

In 2014 I dug into our '97 Mazda MPV to fix a coolant leak (turned out to be loose IM bolts, not a HG or cracked head, yay!), bad pinging (blocked PCV valve), and a bunch of oil leaks (original flattened and brittle o-rings for the distributor, distributor blanking plate, PCV mounting plate, PCV blanking plate, and the front camshaft seals).

I stupidly forgot to tighten the driver's-side cam gear bolt, and the gear walked partway off the cam before shearing the Woodruff key.

The end of the camshaft did not protrude far enough for me to be able to remove the remnants of the Woodruff key, and with great trepidation I had to remove the ricker arms and HLAs on that head to allow the cam to be moved forward far enough to get the Woodruff key out.

I was very careful reinstalling the camshaft, using a thick assembly lube, and torquing down the rockers in small increments.

Anyway, I was initially afraid to drive the van, but it ran perfectly afterwards and gave us another 4+ years if service before the tinworm did it in.

All that to say, after a few weeks I quit worrying about my repairs and accepted that I'd gotten it right.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

20 year old car I would be concerned on taking it on a 300 mile road trip

I think about my 22 year old F150 but I've had 2 coworkers with new trucks lose an engine with less than 10k miles. One Ford and one Chevy. Nothing is for sure.

 

[JHZR2]

Things fail with age and time. Fuel pumps are probably one of the more common tbh, because it really is a show stopper and not something that is easily remediated in a parking lot. Batteries, belts, radiators, etc. can with a little work.

I had a car that had a failed fuel pump
Once. Stranded us. Not even that many miles. I did sort of worry from that point on, but it never materialized into another issue. Assuming you got a quality part you’re good for a long time.

 

[Tahoe4Life]

I wouldn't be concerned as long as you gave the vehicle a good testing before the trip.

I replaced a fuel pump over a month ago in one of my pickups and I haven't had a problem with it yet.

For me owning older vehicles, the key is to pay attention to any symptoms before they leave you stranded and fix them.

I put 300K miles on my 2005 4.6 Crown Vic. Only things done to it [besides regular maintenance] was a Water Pump and A/C Accumulator. Wish I kept it!! At one time my whole family owned Panthers. No major issues with any of them.

There will never be a low maintenance vehicle like the Panther Platform ever again!

No need to be concerned with it for long trips.

 

[D60]

A couple years ago NOW....my high mileage '07 F150 gave a little "GACK!!" from the starter when I went to start in the Home Depot parking lot.

I paused just a second and went again. Worked perfectly. Well, better get a starter ordered.....found a Motorcraft through Warehouse Deals of all places. Starter arrived and looks beautiful, but the noise hasn't reoccured once.

It's now been a couple years like I said. Point being just having the part on the shelf makes problems stay away. Obviously.

 

[The Critic]

I will say that my FIL’s infamous Camry (posted about on this site) isn’t to be used for long drives after its major engine surgery. Just too many unknowns.

 

[dogememe]

Depending on where he lives, a cellphone may be useless.
Probably 70% of my driving is outside of cellphone range.

Either you have T-Mobile or you drive in some real strange places

Anyway, even with newer cars things can break. I wouldn't say a fuel pump going out means a car will be unreliable.

You should see some of the other members of the Chevy Volt owners group on FB. They're mostly wonderful people but so many of them worry about running the battery range to 0 or driving when it's hot or cold outside. Like, it's a car, just drive it! I couldn't have that level of stress in my life worrying about stuff like that. I drove my Volt from SF to LA and back in one day when it was over 100F outside most of the time the AC was on full blast and except for when the trucks were slowing us down I was pushing it, frequently getting the "speed limited to (hypothetical three digit number)MPH" on the dash... The 84HP "generator" was screaming up the grapevine where I had my foot on the floor the entire time... I did leave the car on at stops/when getting gas so the electric AC compressor could stay running to cool the battery (and keep interior nice and cold).

I see/know plenty of people who traded it for a newer vehicle because they didn't trust their old one anymore. Yet the new one then has more issues and makes more trips to the dealer while the old one was rock solid.

It's also possible a meteor could strike your vehicle on the way to wherever you are going. As long as your vehicle is well maintained and doesn't have any known issues (major leaks, etc) I would feel confident taking a vehicle of any age, anywhere.