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GM's triplets Venture, Silhouette, and Montana

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Comments

  • niuges16niuges16 Member Posts: 1
    I have talked to several dealer ships around the area here and a few jobbers, and they suggested to try using a very good fuel injector cleaner. Apparently the potentionmeter on the guage varnashis' up and this should clean it up. Better the spending a couple of hundred dollars for a new system.
  • mschefflermscheffler Member Posts: 5
    I don't know if I made the situation better or worse. I'm assuming the contacts on the pin panel are supposed to be brass. If they were, mine were filthy! I got all of the black junk off of them and then it still had problems opening and shutting! So I did what a previous poster said about resetting the sliding door and it seems to be better. I'll have to run a few more tests to see if that cured it! Thanks so much!
  • n7donn7don Member Posts: 188
    Also would suggest you consider using one of the brands listed at http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html
  • dirkworkdirkwork Member Posts: 210
    N7Don clued me into the fact that the stock wiring, to save $ and weight no doubt, is really thin on accessory outlets like the Cig lighter and rear outlet. We had trouble running an inverter to power a nebulizer, the motor had to be on for it to get adequate power. If you use things on these circuits, you may want to swap to some heavier wire.

    Don, I just bought a 2000 Intrigue GLS limited edition on eBay. I love beaters, and this was affordable and very nice. One owner, cared for, etc. It has that nice 3.5 shortstar motor in it, leather seats, dual climate and stability control among other things. Now I just need to go get it from the seller!

    Dirk
  • nkairnsnkairns Member Posts: 27
    I cleaned mine, did the reset procedure numerous times but I still have the problem with the automatic door. I'd say nine out of ten times the door works fine. The other one time, it'll pop open again. It seems to pop open when it's trying to "latch" itself shut (pulling the back of the door into the lock position). There must be something we are over looking. Anyone else have any suggestions?

    Norman - Montreal
  • nkairnsnkairns Member Posts: 27
    My fuel gage on my 99 Silo does the same thing. Upon a fill up, the gage stays on full intill my odometer hits 250 kms then it'll register less than 3/4 full. I found adding a bottle of injector cleaner at every oil change (about 5000K) helps to correct the problem. I'm due to add another bottle now. Just noticed this past week the gage is sticking again.

    Norman - Montreal Canada
  • n7donn7don Member Posts: 188
    Suggest cleaning & lubing the sliding tracks & rollers to make sure the door moves as freely as possible. I use spray silicon that doesn't leave a residue for dirt collection. My '98, on occasion, will pop back open just as it's trying to lock but it's very rare.
    There's a mechanism that senses if there's something preventing the door from closing..... maybe if the closing force is borderline, it thinks there's something in the way and will reopen.... like a garage door
  • n7donn7don Member Posts: 188
    We had trouble running an inverter to power a nebulizer, the motor had to be on for it to get adequate power. If you use things on these circuits, you may want to swap to some heavier wire

    Most inverters will drop out if the supply voltage is around 10.5v. A 100w AC load will draw close to 9 amps. My guess is the wiring is sized on the presumption the customer won't be leaving a high power load connected without the engine running...
    I ran some 8 or 10 ga. wiring for the trailer battery recharging and tapped off it to supply the rear aux. outlet in the Montana.... but only leave the inverter connected for 30 mins or less with the engine off.
  • jpracingklubjpracingklub Member Posts: 2
    Help. lastnite i pick girl up from work and coming home the check engine light can on. car was jerking hard after i accelarated. finally made it home. i went to auto zone in the morning (today) and got a code read. P0742 TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH CIRCUIT STUCK ON. so, i call the local gmc shop. they are asking $680 to repair this problem plus they are saying i need another which they never say what other parts. The parts cost $63 and the other $47.They said " they would have to drop the rail and take out the tranny and put the parts and also do a diagnostic check to make sure $85" i would like to know if this is true. and also would like to know if i could do the work myself cost my $$ is funny. don't have $680. last month i had to spent alone a grand to get it fit $980. thats another story. "HAS ANYONE ENCOUNTER THIS PROBLEM AND WHAT DID THEY DO"
  • dirkworkdirkwork Member Posts: 210
    One thing you can try - replacing the trans fluid and filter. See if that does anything.
  • flower60flower60 Member Posts: 5
    our fuel gauge is messed up also. It works until it hits 1/4 tank then it stays there. Occasionally it with jump to the F. We have a 97 Venture (multitude of other problems too)
  • billwbillw Member Posts: 11
    I have a water softener in my house. Is it safe to use this water in batteries and filling up the radiator with? Seems like the salt would kill the battery.
  • dirkworkdirkwork Member Posts: 210
    No, its not ok.

    Use distilled water, available nearly anywhere. For a dollar or so, its what you need. Has no minerals or salt.

    Dirk
  • offhamoffham Member Posts: 344
    I have 2000 Venture and when idling you can hear a slight whirr from the driver side. It appears to be this little motor that has an in and out pipe for coolant.

    Looks pretty simply to replace, but has anybody had a malfunction on one of these?

    Rgds
  • n7donn7don Member Posts: 188
    Sounds like it's the aux. coolant pump. Not sure they were standard equipment. I recall they were added to improve heater performance if a customer complained. In any case my 98 Mont. doesn't have one. You might try disconnecting it if the noise is annoying and see if you notice a difference in heater output.
  • offhamoffham Member Posts: 344
    Thanks your info and will check out. The heater output is not very good with it if that was the reason. I have had the thermostat checked and really takes some time to put something out, compared to other cars I have had. The radiator is pretty large.

    Will see how we go.

    Thanks
  • noideanoidea Member Posts: 3
    ">My 1997 Montana with 3.4 has acquired a mystery miss in engine. It occurs at idle after start-up and when stopped in traffic, or sometimes it runs smooth as silk. It runs fine at highway speeds. I've changed plugs, wires, coil, checked compression. All the computer tells me is that there is a misfire on #5 cylinder. When I pull the spark plug on that cylinder it is wet with fuel. Could a dirty injector cause an intermittent miss like this?
  • baveuxbaveux Member Posts: 175
    The injector needs to be changed out.A leaking injector will also cause excessive wear on that particular cylinder, change it as soon as possible
  • n7donn7don Member Posts: 188
    Search this group for "injector". Several postings on the subject. I replaced all injectors using a reconditioned set from lindertech. Cost approx $150. Another used new Accel injectors brought thru Summittracing. In any case if one is miss firing best guess it won't be long before another one fails. In the meantime have you tried injector cleaner like Chevron Techtron? Also I run fuel brands that are listed at TopTier Gasoline
  • slowmo2slowmo2 Member Posts: 8
    I just bought a 2002 Venture WB that has all four of the wireless headphones, but is missing the dvd remote. While dvds can be played and stopped without the remote, none of the other features are available. I believe the remote is the small triangular shaped one, and might have been made by Audiovox. Could any of you fine readers look at the remote in your 01-02 GM minivan and find a GM part number? It may be inside the battery cover. I know they can sometimes be found on Ebay, but I have searched it exhaustively and will have to wait for several days to see if one gets listed. I have also tried to Google it with no luck. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!
  • n7donn7don Member Posts: 188
    Might try calling Audiovox customer service:
    Audiovox CS Toll Free Number
  • billwbillw Member Posts: 11
    I have the drop down TV in the ceiling of my Silhouette van. After about a half hour on it gets think lines across the screen. Thought at first it was the VCR. Turn it off and the lines were still there. Turn it off for about 3 hours. Works good again for about another 1/2 hour and gets the lines back again. Could this be the battery going down? Also is there a way to get better reception on this. I know it can it be like a TV in your house, but it seems that it should get more than 2 stations.
  • nabilnabil Member Posts: 2
    tried following these instructions on programming a remote for my 97Silhouette, it seems I'm doing something wrong
    I remove BCM PRGRM get in the car (all doors including liftgate are shut), I turn to ACC, off and back on again (within a sec.), open a door (chime) close it (chime - seems because there's a key in the ingnition), hold lock/unlock for 30 secs, nothing. Somebody help! what am I doing wrong? lights blink & horn sounds
  • charlesewcharlesew Member Posts: 18
    Is the plug wet with fuel or anti-freeze?
    It might be worth your while to have a mechanic familiar with this engine check to be sure you don't have a head gasket leak. Those are the exact symptoms mine had about a month before the head gasket went out completely on my 1998.
    It might even be an intake manifold gasket leak, but I don't know if that causes a miss or not. Both problems are pretty common with the 3.4.

    Charles
  • nabilnabil Member Posts: 2
    tried following these instructions on programming a remote for my 97Silhouette, it seems I'm doing something wrong
    I remove BCM PRGRM get in the car (all doors including liftgate are shut), I turn to ACC, off and back on again (within a sec.), open a door (chime) close it (chime - seems because there's a key in the ingnition), hold lock/unlock for 30 secs, nothing. Somebody help! what am I doing wrong? lights blink & horn sounds
  • slowmo2slowmo2 Member Posts: 8
    Thanks, n7don. Lucky me, the dealer found the remote, so I don't need one.
  • slowmo2slowmo2 Member Posts: 8
    My wife and I just bought a 02 Venture WB, along with an extensive aftermarket warranty, and have noticed that the light behind the fuel gauge and half the light behind the temperature gauge was out. I know GM likes to sell things as units, so am I going to need the whole fuel gauge unit, or can I buy just the bulb? If the latter is the case, how hard is replacing the bulb?

    In another direction, is there any way to determine if the infamous intake manifold gasket problem has been addressed on a vehicle? I see orange antifreeze in the overflow tank, but I assume... :blush: ...that at 92k, if it was a problem, then it would have happened already. Thanks for your help!
  • lou747jeepslou747jeeps Member Posts: 5
    My intake manifold gasket (1999 Old's Silhouette) went out at about 90,000 miles and after the vehicle was 4 years old. I now have 172,000 miles on the vehicle. I would not assume that just because you have 92,000 miles on the original that the gasket has already been replaced. So far I'm doing fine on the replacement gasket, but I just switched from Dex Cool to another anti-freeze which may help from this point forward.
  • dillydilldillydill Member Posts: 111
    Hello,

    My brother has a 01 silhoulette he bought new that has a tranny replaced at 43K miles and now two years later and at approx 65K miles the replacement went again. Local dealer said the will kick in 1600 of the 2500 cost towards the replacement tranny or towards a new car.

    What is the warranty on this van?

    Any thoughts or advice on how best to proceed would be appreciated.

    Dillydill
  • jrdwyerjrdwyer Member Posts: 168
    We have a 2001 Olds Silo purchased new. The tranny was rebuilt by the dealer in 2003 at 26K miles. We have recently noticed sporadic hard shifting in the lower gears when the engine is at normal operating temp. We are now up to 55K miles and the warranty ends soon.

    After GM announced Olds was to be eliminated (May 2001?), it offered all vehicles with a 5 yr/60K warranty as standard. We purchased in August 2001 with this warranty.

    Unless your brother bought a longer extended warranty, the original warranty is probably up.

    That said, two years on a new or rebuilt tranny is quite ridiculous from a longevity standpoint. 100K miles should be the minimum that any respectable car manufacturer considers a normal lifespan for an auto tranny. I remember seeing GM press releases or auto news comments in 2000 or 2001 stating that they had made improvements in the durability of their parts and that the expected lifespan of such had been increased to 150K miles.

    You may have some negotiating power using this logic when talking directly with GM. It really sounds like the new tranny that was installed was also defective and thus the the previous repair was unacceptable. Maybe they can lower your out of pocket cost to $100-$200.
  • dirkworkdirkwork Member Posts: 210
    I don't think the rebuild was done correctly, and the dealer knows this, so they are making some effort to meet you halfway. Paying $900 for a trans rebuild is better than having to pay full dealer rate, but probably not all that great of deal. I have not priced this, how about getting a local tranmission shop estimate?

    I changed my trans fluid about 90k and now have 128k and its never been rebuilt, and GM makes one of the best transmissions. That said, my transmission shop guy said (when he was putting a clutch in my old car) "Hondas, Toyotas, Ford, Chevy, Dodge - we see 'em all. Automatic transmissions wear out eventually"

    Driving style, terrain, load and conditions can make a big difference too.
  • charlesewcharlesew Member Posts: 18
    The intake gasket on my 1998 Tran Sport didn't even show any sign of leaking until about 125,000, and then it was very small. It was found during routine service by a mechanic that knew what to look for and where to look.
    As far as Dex-Cool or conventional anti-freeze, we switched all of our GM vehicles to the conventional stuff. I have no idea if Dex-Cool is good or bad, but I heard too many negative comments about it to feel comfortable using it.
    So, you could look at a 1998 Blazer, a 2000 Grand Prix, and a 2004 Montana with green antifreeze and none of them have had any gasket problems. Just the anti-freeze change.

    Charles
  • slowmo2slowmo2 Member Posts: 8
    I am enjoying my recently-acquired 02 WB Venture, and am planning to use it for some traveling this summer. I am interested in buying a roof-mounted cargo box, but I want one of the streamlined ones. Are Yakima and Thule my only options? Also, I eventually want to install a trailer hitch on my van, with the purpose of using a hitch-mount bike rack. I have looked at DrawTite, Reese, HiddenHitch, and a few others. Any recommendations? I also will be shopping for a swing-out bike rack, because I hate having to take everything off to get to the cargo space. Any suggestions on what to get?
  • dirkworkdirkwork Member Posts: 210
    I've done nearly all of what you want. I had a hitch added although I've got brain fade and can't remember which model, but it is 2" and bolted on using existing holes and only the receiver is visible.

    I have a Yakima full-swing 4 bike rack that mounts to the hitch so you can keep bikes mounted but also open the rear hatch. Works great. The locking cable it comes with my only complaint, it is too short for me. You can get them on ebay or locally, I paid a lot less than retail.

    There are some other bike rack options, but that is one of the cheaper and better ones. There are some racks that do more but also bigger and cost more.

    I've also got a Thule rack I had from another car (dodge shadow) and use one of crossbars and mounts up at the front of the factory rack. I added a ebay wind fairing to divert wind over the load in the rack. I still get the same fuel milage and my duffel bags don't get windblown very much with it. The bonus is that with the thing on the van, it looks more "cool" and give your kids places to put some punk stickers. With that fairing, you don't really need a big box, but it might be nice to have and more secure. I have not messed with a nice mount for a rear bar, I used cable ties to strap it to the factory rack for just hauling some bikes, the front took most of the stress so it worked fine, but I wouldn't want to put a heavy box on the factory rack w/o the proper mounting.

    Congrats on the new van and I think you'll be happy with your setup.

    You might also want to upgrade the rear shocks if they are bouncy, I put hi-jackers from autozone on and it helps with loads, but the lightly loaded ride did suffer a bit.
  • jeffshadowjeffshadow Member Posts: 13
    I read virtually EVERY post in this forum as I was looking for a near-excellent condition Silhouette for my dog! I sold Oldsmobiles for 14 years and as a member of the Oldsmobile Club of America, it is the only make and model I would ever buy. After studying the posts and revisiting my experiences with selling Silhouettes, I decided on the GL version with the right side sliding door. I searched on AutoTrader for several weeks and found precisely what I was looking for in Burlington, Washington. This particular Silhouette was a rental for eleven months in the SeaTac area and then went to a private owner in Oregon. It had the rather unimpressive hubcaps on steel wheels. My wife and I flew to Seattle, took the Amtrak Cascades to Burlington where our dealership sales representative picked us up. The van was better than the photos described and nearly as clean as when new. We were so impressed by the dealership service that we also purchased a 1995 Cutlass Supreme convertible that the store had just set out for sale. We drove the Silhouette home to Southern California and the convertible was transported here three weeks later. I bought four 1998-1999 Intrigue 16" wheels for $35 apiece on eBay and upgraded to larger tires as well. So now I have a 2000 Silhouette (last year with the traditional Oldsmobile Rocket grille) with wheels from 2001-2004! I purchased new remotes from www.thepartsyouneed.com (found in this forum) and got a GM printout of the options and warranty claims on this vehicle. All three recalls and safety checks were done at 39,000 miles. So far no problems at all and the Silhouette has 59,000 miles. The van will soon be repainted and striped to resemble an Amtrak SDP40F locomotive from the late 1970s. :)
  • dirkworkdirkwork Member Posts: 210
    Sounds like you did your research and found a nice ride! I like the Olds, it seems to handle better than the other of the triplets and has a lot of neat features. The bonus is that like you, I got a used one and you get a lot of vehicle for your money.

    Funny you mentioned Oldsmobile is your choice of car, I just bought a 2000 Intrigue from a guy in Ohio and while it has two spots that need painting to be 100%, I got it for a steal and he had done all the maintenance on it and had receipts.

    So we're a two olds family right now too. The paint job sounds...interesting. Not sure I'd do that paint job, but you'll be able to find your van in the parking lot, that's for sure! For me, just adding the fairing to the rack helps me locate the van in a sea of while vehicles.

    Good luck with teh van. If you have read all the posts you have heard about the things to look for.

    Dirk
  • d0ct0rd0ct0r Member Posts: 1
    This afternoon, I was about to pull into a parking lot today and all of a sudden, I lost steering (couldn't turn) and the battery warning light was up. I then stopped the car (was driving maybe 3km/h) okay, shifted to park,
    then shut off ignition and started again. There wasn't any hesitation when restarting, then I was able to drive again.

    Recently (3 weeks ago) I got the gasket changed (famous 3.4L problem). And own this car only 1 month - I have no idea about its history.

    Wire harness under the driver seat ? Fuel pump ? Anything else ? I feel I am not alone with such behaviour. :sick:

    Thanks for your suggestions,
    V.P.
  • dillydilldillydill Member Posts: 111
    Thanks for the messages. . .
    I know my brother talked to the regional Olds rep but didnt get anywhere.
    I tried to tell him to tell the rep that acuras have had tranny problems and they extended the warranty to 100K.

    I will let you know what happened when they get back from vacation next week.

    Dillydill
  • ronsmith38ronsmith38 Member Posts: 228
    The grille on your van must have been replaced. My 2000
    Silhouette does not have the Rocket insignia, but the newer swoosh.
  • boga228boga228 Member Posts: 50
    Information to all on the Venture, Montana, & Silo 4th gear (overdrive) can go without any notice to the driver. especially if you drive only in the city under 55 MPH. When you drive freeway and you notice that your getting bad gas mileage its probably that 4th when out, to find out when driving on the freeway shift to 3rd and the engine will speed up and the van will bog down, now acellerate and than shift in to Drive you should feel the tranny shift into overdrive, if you don't your 4th gear is out. On the Venture sometimes you can't feel if the RPMs are running high becuase thier is no Tachometer, Montana has one, unsure on the Silo. At 65 mph you should around 1900+-100 RPM's. It took me months before I found out because I don't use the van that much, it's the wife that uses the van. If you know you have a problem and you take it to the dealer and you told them that you said you have no overdrive. They would hook up a scanner and check for codes and test drive the van to see if 4th gear is working the scanner would show 4th gear engaged. Problem with me is that i took it to the dealer and they used the scanner they said 4th was good. I guess the machanic that look at the van wasn't really a good one becuase a REAL MECHANIC would have notice the RPMS were high and would have test drove the van on the freeway or some sort.
  • cargal5cargal5 Member Posts: 1
    these 3.4 engines suck. know alot of people who have replaced their engines,headgaskets and transmissions. beware of buying a used one. people get rid of them instead of repairing them. i know i did, transmission problems began to show just after warranty was up. kept the van until 70,000 kms and dumped it when the lease was up. feel sorry for the chump who buys it from the dealer. they kept saying there was nothing wrong with it even though it clearly acted up when it was taken for a test drive by their mechanic. it didn't act up all the time but couldn't trust it on a long trip. :(
  • livernoislivernois Member Posts: 1
    have tried a reset according to owner's manual but the power door keeps opening after making contact with the center post. does anyone know how to change the contacts or what i should do next?
    many thanks!
  • mschefflermscheffler Member Posts: 5
    We just fixed this on our van. We cleaned the contacts reset the power sliding door programming, etc. Turns out a socket set did the trick. :blush: The latch plate had gotten two compacted, so we loosened it a bit and now it works like a charm! If you're not car savvy, like me, it's the black hook thing that's at the door opening that's got two bolts in it. I took my van into the body shop to have a window regulator repaired and mentioned it to the guy and he figured it out in 5 minutes. I'd been searching and trying fix it all cures for months. Go figure!
  • mschefflermscheffler Member Posts: 5
    We just fixed this on our van. We cleaned the contacts reset the power sliding door programming, etc. Turns out a socket set did the trick. :blush: The latch plate had gotten too compacted, so we loosened it a bit and now it works like a charm! If you're not car savvy, like me, it's the black hook thing that's at the door opening that's got two bolts in it. I took my van into the body shop to have a window regulator repaired and mentioned it to the guy and he figured it out in 5 minutes. I'd been searching and trying fix it all cures for months. Go figure!
  • newtomontananewtomontana Member Posts: 1
    2001 Pontiac Montana: Like many others my coolant and oil is leaking from the intake manifold gasket. What is the best way to take up GM on this problem? I called GM and they tell me there is no recall on this and I would have to spend my own money to fix a manufacturing defect!!!It has 117K so it is outside the warranty period. Any help or advise will be appreciated.
  • boga228boga228 Member Posts: 50
    There was a TSB on the coolant leak a couple years back. My extended warranty covered it. As for your van it's way out of the warranty, sorry for the bad news.
  • jeffshadowjeffshadow Member Posts: 13
    Actually, by "original" Rocket grille, I meant the twin port openings, not the newer 2001 "chrome" style. All Silhouettes, including mine, have the "swoosh" logo since 1997!
  • maytummaytum Member Posts: 9
    the glove box in my Silhouette won't close. the latch mechanisiem won't move when trying to pull the latch handle. I am assuming something broke in the latch mechanism. I tried to take remove it, removing the 2 screws, attaching it, from the inside. it is loose now, but it won't come out. what am I missing? how do I get it the rest of the way out?
  • profcolliprofcolli Member Posts: 1
    Just had a cooling system flush and fill service done at my local GM dealer and they tell me I have an intake manifold gasket leak which is burning up my Dexcool. The repair would be $1,023CDN but they said not to worry about it because GM WILL COVER IT under warranty, even though my warranty period is over (93,000km, which is about 55,000 miles on the engine, but an August 2001 model).
    Not only did I not get the argument I was expecting but they made it seem as if this was an everyday occurrence. Seems GM Canada is treating this problem differently?
  • vazinpourvazinpour Member Posts: 1
    I have a great deal of wind noise in my 04' venture. the noise starts at around 65 mph and gets louder and more frequent as I speed up.
    Any thoughts on this problem?
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