GM's triplets Venture, Silhouette, and Montana

kkollwitz · February 2005

My mount broke, too. I filed the rough broken plastic flanges 'til they were smooth, then drilled two new holes on the plastic that was left. I then refastened the strap by running one of those plastic thingies made for binding together bundles of wire thru the new holes and the strap end. I did this a few years ago and it's been fine.

dirkwork · February 2005

N7Don sent me pictures of his fix and its pretty strong looking and creative, he used steel strapping in a U shape to replace the plastic mount and used the original bolt and strap attachment pin. I plan on copying this design to fit what scraps I have in the garage, may take some pictures if I ever get around to it.

DD

ryan89 · February 2005

i have a 99 montana (ext) auto leveling compressor will not shut off,height sensor is not working. Is there any way to let air out manually? Also wipers shut off in upright position,this happened several times while under warranty and dealer said motor or relay needed reset is there some way to fix without having to take back to dealer?

dirkwork · February 2005

Without looking at shop manual (its past midnight so I'm lazy) I'd say you need purchase the height adjustment control, or have it replaced. If you are handy, its located under the rear axle and not very difficult to get to, but you will have to put ramps or stands under the van. You might look at it and see if the little arm that connects to the axle is messed up and possibly you could manually move it and release the air and stop the compressor. I know from personal experience I didn't see a fuse for the darn thing, its lumped into some other circuit, but you can yank fuses until it stops and then check to see what else was effected.

The wipers I'm not an expert on either, but there if you remove the cover from the engine compartment you might see something amiss.

n7don · February 2005

Look for a 20 or 25amp fuse labeled ELC in the panel on the right side of the instrument panel. That should shut off the the compressor. If you have the inflator option I'd first check to make sure the switch hasn't been pushed. The manual suggests either this switch or a relay behind the panel where the switch is mounted will cause the compressor to run all the time.

kkollwitz · February 2005

I had this problem a couple of years ago, fixed it once, it has stayed fixed.

Turn the ignition key to accessory, run the wipers on intermittent, then turn the key off when the wipers pause (which should incorrectly be "up" instead of "down"). Open the hood, pop off the plastic wiper motor/crank cover. Then loosen the crank arm on the wiper motor, manually set the wipers "down" where they're supposed to be during the pause (don't let the motor turn when you do this), retighten the crank, then turn the wipers on again. That ought to reset them. Put briefly, the governing circumstance is when the wipers are pausing between strokes while running on intermittent cycle.

ryan89 · February 2005

pulled elc fuse / located control unit under axle operated lever replaced fuse. air was released and compressor is now working correctly. thanx for your help. still having trouble with wipers will try to take them apart later

ryan89 · February 2005

wipers work correctly on intermittent. they only stay up when wipers are turned off. should I try this procedure for this problem

bob550k · February 2005

I drilled a hole in the strap on the broken end and put a zip tie through the hole and through the good end of the handle. It's a loop that hangs down and is easier to reach than the way the factory set it up. It's been working like that for over a year. I keep putting off buying a new one, but I know I will pay when the other end breaks and my vertically challenged wife can't close the hatch.

bob550k · February 2005

Well our early '99 silo finaly went in for it's first tune up and belt. When the Mechanic went to replace the plugs on the rear bank he saw it! The horror! Coolant! 54,000 miles and there it was, I knew it was coming as I've been smelling coolant for at least a year. I can't wait to see the bill for this.

I can't complain, the car was very inexpensive to purchase and has been very reliable. I was more than aware of the intake manifold issue and the trans issue when I purchased the car. What a great car for the family.

kkollwitz · February 2005

"wipers work correctly on intermittent. they only stay up when wipers are turned off. should I try this procedure for this problem"

I think so, but am not sure. Mine were only weird at shutoff if I remember correctly.

olds2000az · February 2005

I have 2000 sil, 42600 miles and just had the gasket replaced yesterday. $860 repair and took just over a day and a half...

musclecars70s · February 2005

Having read your complaint about the brake and low fluid level coming on, i had the same problem with a 2001 montana. After several attempts to detyermine what was going on through dealers and mechanics I rolled in to a friendly country GM dealer one day in my travels and they put a handheld computer in to the module hookup under the dash. Ran a few checks and determined that all i needed was a some brake fluid. they did indicate that this could mean other problems with the brakes like a leak in the line, worn out pads but those things weren'nt the problem. He added about a half pint of brake fluid and i was on my way.

bob550k · February 2005

The car went in for a miss and a check engine light. I came out with

New intake manifold gasket
O rings
Thermostat
Spark Plugs
New Wires
New serpentine belt
Cooling system service
Oil Change
Read and clear computer

$898.00 out the door

I didn't buy the extended warranty, I'm miles ahead on the cost of that. The car would be out of extended warranty anyway. Now the van should be good to go for 3 or 4 more years when we will be done with it.

jrdwyer · February 2005

Thanks for posting. I have been watching for leaks in our brake system on the garage floor, but there isn't any. So I guess the reservoir wan't properly filled from the factory or today's brake fluid evaporates more readily . We should have asked for the worn out pads when the brake job was done, just to keep them honest. Don't know if they would of given them though.

My dad just had the intake manifold gasket replaced on his mid 90's Grand Prix with a V6 (3.1?). It was not covered by warranty and cost $1,000, but they did give him a free loaner car for several days.

If there are any GM engineers out there, please design the important stuff to last or you will lose all your old customers to Honda and Toyota. And could you also design a van that is easy to service.

I like the Silhouette overall and it was the best value when we purchased in 2001, but it is definitely high maintenance. Thankfully, my wife is not.

olds2000 · February 2005

Greetings all. I just wanted to sign in and send a big Thank You to "Benjisdad" for his fix for the wiper park problem. It took me a while to figure out exactly what he was saying but it worked like a dream. I had the exact same problem with my 2000 Silhouette in that it needed lubrication and that "tab" bent back up that the motor parks against. Once I freed up the mechanism and rebent the tab up, it took a few tries to get the wipers in sequence. I disconnected the main wiper mechanism from the motor shaft and tested the operation that way to ensure it was going to park. Once it did, I reattached the wiper mechanism and put one wiper arm on at a time (starting with the passenger side (lowest one) and ensured it worked and parked). Then I reattched the driver's side wiper arm and set it in position. It works better than it ever did now. Again Thanks to "Benjisdad" - you saved me about $300.

bob550k · February 2005

I had the rear wheel cylinders replaced in our '99 silo, that's where our brake fluid was going and it never appeared on the garage floor or anywhere I could see it.

The Hondas blow transmissions, the Toyotas were blowing engines...All cars require maintenance. (so do wives).

jrdwyer · February 2005

I'll have to check the rear wheel cylinders. Thanks for the tip.

This van has definitely taught me that some vehicles, or types of vehicles, are better than others. Economy cars, like my 1995 Mazda Protege that I bought new, seem to be better engineered and have fewer problems. After 180K miles the car still works great with no leaks or serious problems. Even the original clutch is still fine after pulling a 400 lb. ATV and utility trailer for the last 6 years. I only wish the Silhouette, which cost twice as much, was as reliable as the Protege.

billw · February 2005

I have a 1999 Silhouette. The remote is not working like it should. Already replaced the battery, still same problem. It do not want to unlock or lock. But works right off for the opening of the sliding door and the panic horn button. Is there a cheap replacement to get a new remote. Also has anyone had trouble with the rear hatch not being able to use the key. The tumblers will not turn either direction. Since I can not use the remote to unlock it, its a problem sometimes.

dirkwork · February 2005

if you look ebay is much cheaper than dealer. but need the van one w/sliding door button of course which is harder to find.

vanman1 · March 2005

I agree, they come on to ebay all the time. Best place if you can find one.

jerseyvan · March 2005

I had a 99 Venture LS that I finally traded in yesterday on a 2004 Ford Freestar (I am sure some people will say I am trading one problem for another). We loved the Venture because of its 8 passenger seating (and therefore flexibility) but hated it because of the repair bills (my fault for not extending the warranty). Needless to say, I extended the Ford Warranty to 6yr 75K.

We bought the van off-lease about 3 years ago with 40K miles on it and have only put 30K on it since then. Besides burning oil since the day we bought it (about 2 quarts between oil changes and the mechanic could not find a reason), our van also had the following problems, most of which did not pop up until after 60K: About 6 months after we bought it, ABS brain went out ($800), our power steering pump developed a whine (although noisy and annoying, it never "broke" so I did not fix it, then the electronic door locks went out (did not fix), then the flapper that controlled the heat got "stuck" and would not always release immediately (did not fix), then the liftgate strap broke (did not fix), then the tape player stopped working (did not fix), then the infamous intake manifold went, then the lighting harness on the rear stop lights broke, then a lifter failed ($800). The final straw was when the head gasket blew last month and we had to put $1400 in to it to fix it so we could get $4k out for a trade. There are other things I could list, but I do not remember all the nickels and dimes this van took out of me.

The mechanic said the 99 Venture has just about more TSB's than any other car he works on regularly and his parts supplier tells him that the Venture family gives him more than a fair share of the busines - all of this with no support or ownership of the problem from Chevy.

It is a shame that such a great and flexible van could be destroyed by such poor mechanicals. I would not buy another Venture and, based on what I have read about my problems with reliability not being unusual I would not recommend my friends to. My father-in-law has a Venture and my sister-in-law a Silhouette and I have convinced them to dump them (they both have under 60K) before the problems start.

jerseyvan · March 2005

Oh yeah, and the gas gauge stopped working also (didn't repair as the mechanic said it would cost over $100 just to do the diagnotics on it, let alone find the problem and fix it - he said it was in the electronics and was not a mechanical problem).

vanman1 · March 2005

The Freestar is a decent van, it's made about 10 minutes from my house. My issues with it are bad mileage and a questionable transmission. We decided to go with a 04 Montana because of those issues and so far it's been perfect (getting on a year now). It is a shame your van was not better as we have many friends with Ventures and Montanas and all are happy. It's one of the other reasons we bought.

jwk626 · March 2005

I took off a few screws under the front fender and reached up to fog lamp. Twist the holder 1/4 turn and the bulb comes out.

billw · March 2005

Thanks guys for the info. Those little remotes are expensive.

benefits · March 2005

Hi
This is my first time writing on this site,but I found it because I'm service manager at a private garage and deal with these vans on a regular basis. The reason I came to this site was because my mechanic and I wondered how many "I hate Montana sites" were out there.
Pontiac Montana's,& Chevy Ventures are the van of Choice for comfort,performance...for the first 3 years of there warranty,after that they are a joke. At our garage we joke that we will name are kids after these vans since they are going to essentially pay for there way to University. I have a 2001 Montana on a hoist getting a headgasket,I have one outside waiting for a new wheel bearing(which contains the wheel speed sensor for the ABS/Trac light),tommorrow I have one coming in for a new rear wiper motor and another for unexplained coolant loss(likely intake) If any custome asks me what to buy for a used car,I specifically tell them not to buy GM. Don't get me wrong,the more of these vehicles people buy,the more money I make,but after a certain point it gets ridiculous.

billw · March 2005

I know that you have to put the radio in the dash on a certain station to be able to use the video/TV. But do I have to put it on another station to get the rear radio in the head liner to work. It has the head sets that play music but only what I have on the front. There is a tuner in the rear but it does not change the station. The only thing that will change is the volume. Is there a trick to make this work?

jerseyvan · March 2005

We had this on our van. The tuner, cd, and tape is still controlled by the front controls. When you push the appropriate button in the back, it just turns off the back speakers and pipes it through the head phones. There is not actually a tuner or controls in the back. That is, you can not listen to one station in the front and a different one in the back. However, you could listen to a radio station in the front and a cd in the back or a tape in the back and a cd in the front and so on. Hope that makes sense.

billw · March 2005

Thanks for your info. The reason I asked this is because there is buttons back there for AM/FM and a scan button. Thats why I thought you could change stations some how. I just bought this 1999 Silhouette about three weeks ago used and didn't know if maybe the person before had broke it.

montanafan · March 2005

You should be able to change radio stations, switch betweeen AM and FM, and go through the Pre-Set stations from the rear audio controls (when they are powered up). If you can't, then there could be something wrong with the controls, wiring or radio.

Also in case your Oldsmobile didn't come with an owners manual, look for Helm, Inc on the web to order one, or register with mygmlink.com and you can get online access to one.

kkollwitz · March 2005

"the lighting harness on the rear stop lights broke"

The side rear stoplights stopped working on my Venture last week, but the center high light is fine, this sounds like the same problem. Does anyone know if this is an easy fix? I'm inclined to do it myself.

lou5 · March 2005

I registered to participate specifically to address the issue of the electric sliding door malfunctioning in the 2001 Venture (posting 1016). I have a 2001 Silhouette with 72K miles. Like many of the posters here I've already dealt with the intake valve, the A/C condenser, etc. My latest, though, is the electric sliding door which, after having an adult passenger attempt to close the door manually faster than it would close automatically, no longer closes automatically. It will, however, open automatically. The projected repair cost of $800+ to replace a "module" lead me to decide not to fix it and to simply turn off the electric feature. But the cable that remains in the door makes it extremely difficult to open and close, particularly for the two kids who use it multiple times a day. Has anyone ever removed or disengaged this cable rendering the door forever more "manual"?

n7don · March 2005

Have you tried initializing the system?

Power Sliding Door (PSD) Re-Initialization
The rear side door actuator control modules monitor the power sliding door positions at all times. Whenever the battery positive voltage supply to a rear side door actuator control module has been removed or the on-board diagnostics have been activated, the power sliding door system(s) must be re-initialized.

Re-initialize the right or left power sliding door systems using the following steps:

1.Turn the ON/OFF switch for the power sliding door system to be re-initialized to the OFF position.
2.Manually open the power sliding door completely.
3.Manually close and latch the power sliding door.
4.Turn the power sliding door ON/OFF switch to the ON position.
5.Open the power sliding door completely using the B-pillar or overhead console OPEN/CLOSE switch.
6.Close the power sliding door completely using the B-pillar or overhead console OPEN/CLOSE switch.

ventman · March 2005

Hi

Just a response to this - I am sure being in the business you know there is always break downs on every vehicle. This gm story has to be looked at yes , but remember they out sell everyone by twice as much. Which means you see more of them- I do own 2002 venture - And have seens this before- but now a days you have to protect yourself and take extra warranty. And also remember if your had a bad experience with GM does not mean everyone has-
My experience is vast thru out all manufactures. AND trust me they all break down. They all can be a joke when you think of it.

Thanks for listening

Ventman

infinia1 · March 2005

my 02 venture ls with 42k is making a very annoying noise upon startup and up to 10 minutes afterwards. the noise is best described as a buzz/rattle. is seems to be coming from under the front end, under the radiator. it gets louder as the engine is reved and goes away upon warmup. the dealer has attempted to fix it 4 times now. they have tightened all heat shields. does anyone have any ideas?

kyleo · March 2005

My 2000 Pontiac Montana has been decent vehicle, up until lately. Apparently, these folks know how to build a vehicle to start failing soon after the warranty expires.

With only 35,000 (gentle) miles, my transmission has started slipping. I took it into the shop last week and was told that a rebuild was necessary ($2,500.00). I called the local Pontiac dealer and was told that since my warranty had expired (out of time), I was out of luck. I guess it goes to show that if you plan on buying a GM, you'd better invest in an extended warranty.

We went deep into debt to buy this van, hoping that it would offer reliable transportation for our family for years to come. I'd expect a small repair here and there, but loosing the transmission at 35,000 miles wasn't something we were expecting.

Hopefully, GM will cave to the competitions push for better warranties and either improve their quality, or extend their warranties.

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

eodkid · March 2005

I had a very similar problem with my 01 silhouette. It turns out I had a short that melted a ground pin in my drivers side tail light plug. I cleaned it up and fixed the connector and all of my "gremlins" went away. Hope that helps.
Jeff

eodkid · March 2005

My 01 silhouette had a similar problem. I changed the tranny filter and it went away. Maybe that will work for you.
Jeff

eodkid · March 2005

I had the same problem and it turns out the hose going to the rear separated at the pump. Look at the base of the fluid tank for a rubber tube going to the rear. Mine was dangling and I just had to re-attach it.

stever · March 2005

After all these comments about possible causes, I think you need a second opinion from an independent mechanic/transmission shop or a different dealer.

Steve, Host

dirkwork · March 2005

RE: the hose for the rear comes out the bottom

I think the place you reconnect this is 1/2 way up the tank on the rear washer motor. Mine also fell off - suggest a small zip-tie or thin wire that can be "bread bag twisted" around the hose on the connector.

I know the washing fluid tank has two motors on my '98, one about 1/2 way up and the other at the base. The one 1/2 way up is the rear, so you won't jepordize your critical front windscreen viewing my over-using the rear - so keep it full.

DD

dirkwork · March 2005

Sorry you are having trouble. A transmission is about the worst thing besides an accident that could happen to a vehicle because of the cost to fix. BUT - the price the dealer quoted seems a bit high, I know my local shop would likely beat that although thank gosh this vehicle has not needed any of that work. Try a good local transmission shop. The one near my house is where the police and county vehicles get taken, the guy knows his stuff.

I asked about Honda, Chrysler, Ford, he laughed. He said "I see 'em ALL" - "eventually, they will all fail".

GM has quite a good reputation for building a great transmission, so the early problems you are having are quite abnormal.

Things to check -
* fluid level, engine running in park, warm, level
* if level is low, look for leaks
* change filter and fluid as suggested, see if that helps. Use correct fluid.

Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

DD

paulie9 · March 2005

Make sure that the trans fluid level is in the xxxxx'ed area of the dip stick. You must drive your van for at least several miles, with fluid warm to the touch, then check on a level surface with the engine running with trans in "park" and emergency brake set. Your owners book should have a section on how to check the transmission fluid. Follow the instructions to the letter.

To little fluid (at least 1/2" below add mark} will cause slippage or no car movement (racing engine). Too much fluid (more than 1/4" above full mark) will cause air bubbles or foam in the trans fluid which will cause your trans to slip or shift erratically.

If fluid level is correct, then I also suggest getting a trans fluid flush/change.

If the previous steps don't resolve your problem, then take your Montana in for a second opinion.

I had recent bad experience's with my once trusted neighborhood mechanic;

Last year I had many engine misfires in cylinder 4 on my 97 Buick Lesabre. After doing diagnostics my mechanic said that I needed a new engine at about $2500. Hoping that something else was causing the misfire diagnostic code, I did a lot of research on the internet and decided that there was a good chance that #4 fuel injector was clogged. Had it replaced at Pep Boys, they where the cheapest at $180, and problem was fixed.

This year I noticed that the starter was skipping/pausing when starting my Olds Silhouette. Mechanic said that I needed starter to be replace for about $350, so I decided to try and do it myself. First step is to disconnect battery cable which I found to be a little loose, so I tightened it and problem is now fixed.

vanman1 · March 2005

We bought an 04 Montana and it came with a 5 year power train warranty on it and I think the new GM vans do also. So far we love the van. Transmission failure on GM vehicles is low as they do build good ones in general. I would keep up the pressure on GM to fix it though, you never know what a letter to head office might do. Just a thought.

kyleo · March 2005

Thanks for the responses! The shop I took it to replaced the filter and fluid. They also found a large amount of metal in the pan. I drove it unil...

On the way home last night, the transmission went out. There was a bit of shuddering, then slight grinding noise, then nothing. Luckily, I was able to coast into a parking space. GM wants $2,500.00 for a new one. (Sigh) With such low miles, I wonder if Pontiac is willing to help out a loyal owner?

rickt2 · March 2005

Thanks for a great post! Procedure and codes extremely helpful.

vanman1 · March 2005

You can get a rebuild for a lot less.

I would put pressure on GM though. I have read stories where they have paid for 1/2 or all out of good will. I would keep trying and write some letter / call anyone in Detroit you can.

kyleo · March 2005

The local shop quoted $2,400 to rebuild with only a 2/24k warranty. GM is a 3/50k at $2,500 so they're not too far off the mark. I talked with the service writer today as the van was being towed in. He said the GM rep was there today and that he'd talk with him about seeing what GM would do..... (Just called back) The rep wants to have the tranny inspected before making any decision... I'll keep you posted.

jasonm · March 2005

Has anyone had any problems with the drop down tv that is on the Premiers? I just bought my van and the TV is not functioning. Where do I start?

GM's triplets Venture, Silhouette, and Montana

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