1988 318 engine

LucF said
Hello Group,

I'm hoping to get some guidance here, as I'm not sure where to start or who to ask. My spouse owns a 1988 Dodge 350 camper van with the trusty 318 engine, which has 160,000 km on it. We've had it since 2020.

So far, the engine runs well, doesn’t consume oil, and has been reliable on every trip. However, my spouse feels uneasy about taking a 36-year-old vehicle on long road trips. She avoids areas with steep climbs, worried the van might not make it to the top or might not stop at a stop sign at the bottom.

My question is: For this 318 engine, is there any specific overhaul or maintenance I should consider to ensure it stays reliable for many years to come? Are there particular aspects of the engine that need special attention? What’s most likely to fail on an engine of this age?

if it's not making noise and no smoke, i would check compression to see how things are doing and i would 100% change the timing chain with that many miles. It all comes down to how well it was taken care of. Then normal maintenance **** like plugs/oil and all that..

That 318 might also have a factory roller cam in it, the 85-i think 93 were old school 318s but with the roller cam bosses in the block like a magnum known as a "Roller LA" or La roller.. whatever.. if you ever have the dist out you can see if it has the roller lifter stuffs in the valley. My 85 had a roller block but flat tappet cam