October 15, 2004: Took van to dealer we purchased from to have timing belt replaced at scheduled interval (105,000 miles). Crankshaft reportedly broke when mechanic attempted to remove harmonic balancer. The only major engine work on this vehicle involving accessory belt tension adjustment was performed by this dealer (belts were replaced when power steering pulley and main pulley and associated bearings were replaced at 24,000 miles. under warranty; In hindsight, perhaps an early indication that belt tension setting were too tight?)
Dealer initially not offering any help toward repair/replacement of engine.
A little research on Internet indicated the crankshaft breaking problem is an issue with 93-95 Quest/Villagers.
Other problems: Replaced cylinder head temperature sensor (threaded plug) @ 13,500 miles due to coolant leak.
Replaced Main A/C hose @ 50,000 miles. leaking freon.
At about 95,000 miles the A/C stopped working (blowing cool air) after an hour or so of operation. Worked fine if turn A/C off for a while and restarted. Suspect a switch has gone bad, allowing unit to freeze over. Stopping operation must have allowed it to thaw out.
Replaced rear brake light bulbs several times (more than what I think should be normal).
Other than the above problems the Quest van (up until October 15, 2004) had been a relatively good vehicle.
I found it comfortable to drive long distances with a full load of kids and luggage. Would have even been better if the engine developed more horsepower/torque.
The light bulb issue is common, from what I recall there's a contact problem. One design issue brought up with the engine, if you tighten a belt (forget which) too much it increases chances of crankshaft failure (snapping off).
Not sure about the whole A/C problem but the rear air system failure is common, usually a burnt-out soldier joint easily fixable if you know how to get to it.
For any problems, this newsgroup on Yahoo is particularly full of Quest/Villager knowledge:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/villagerquest/
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