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GM's triplets Venture, Silhouette, and Montana

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Comments

  • bob550kbob550k Member Posts: 148
    The plate is probably 6" long maybe 2" wide, sort of oval, the window switches, door locks and mirror all sit in it (I think) Just pull that whole part up with your fingernails, it just pops out. You will see how it goes together inside. It couldn't be easier.

    Good luck.
  • cach22cach22 Member Posts: 12
    edited May 2010
    Last year we had the inevitable head gasket problem on our 2000 Venture. Then this winter the "Service Engine Soon" light came on. I checked the code and it was indicating the catalytic converter. Well, I did some research and came across several places indicating that the catalytic converter often needs to be replaced (as usual this forum had the most information) after having the head gasket issue. I purchased a direct fit catalytic converter. It comes in two pieces and no instructions. The pictures show only one piece. I purchased a direct fit because I thought no welding was involved. To me the toughest part of replacing the catalytic converter seemed to be getting enough room under the van to be able to work on removing the bolts. Now I am not so sure. Does the direct fit catalytic converter require any welding? I do not have the equipment nor the know how to weld.
  • nmagdelenonmagdeleno Member Posts: 3
    Degreased engine and sprayed it with water hose. Let dry for three days, now engine won't start. Completely dead, no click, nothing. Pulled starter and had it checked, starter was fine. Anyone had this problem?
  • dirkdaddydirkdaddy Member Posts: 313
    always good to start engine after washing to dry it out and stuff. I'd check battery connection in this case but sure you got going by now! ;)
  • hhua1hhua1 Member Posts: 41
    2000 Olds Silhouette 103K miles has been having the dash lights and the head lights flickering many months, most noticible at idling, at high rpm it hardly noticible. I was thinking replacing the alternator, while searching the "how to replace the alternator..." last night. I went out to check the obvious loose connections first, no loose connections found. I tested the alternator with a simple device brought from local automotive parts store and the lights registered 14.0V out put, which is normal. I decided to apply a few light taps on the back cover of the alternator while the engine running. The head lights stop flickering immediately. I think something (relay, voltage regulator, switch, loose connection) inside may have been sticky and was loosen by the tapping. This morning I restarted the car and so far the flickering haven't returned. You may want to try this first before spending the money. Good luck!
  • hhua1hhua1 Member Posts: 41
    Ours 2000 Silhouette did the same (only rough upshilt). It happed more in the warm and hot temperature. Searched the webs and found the similar information below, I went to the hardware store and only bought the steel spacers (sorry I forgot the dimensions of the spacers) and fixed myself, it was not all that bad. The spacers seems to fixed ours problem so far (about 4 months).

    You may want to search more about the issue on the webs.

    Below is the extract from a site found on the webs, a Chevy site. Good luck:

    ======
    i got the transgo sk4t65e kit and changed accumulator springs and spacers, works great, really easy to do. drop pan, unbolt accumulator housing, pull out piston, replace spring with ones in kit and reinstall. takes about 160 bucks and about an hourCan someone give me the names of the places I can get this kit for my 2005 impala,my solienide was done 5 times in 3 years,I'm in Canada and would like to know where to buy the kit and how exactly is it installed,I saw a post on here about it 3 months ago but can't find it noe,also i think someone may have had pics posted of how to install the kit.

    i found the kit by going to ebay.com and search "transgo sk4t65e" you can buy it from there or any tranny shop should sell them most likely at an inflated price

    I found it easy to do. If you can change your tranny filter you can install this.
    You will need about 9 qts of tranny fluid
    I used seafoam for transmissions in the car for about 100 miles before I did the job, its suppose to clean out everything
    Install new filter and fluid after installing the kit
    I used just the stuff for the accumulator housing, this kit comes with a lot more stuff I didn't use. Some people like some of the other kits, which just come with the plastic shims instead of metal. I have not had any hard shifts since I installed the kit.

    I am not a mechanic, but this is how I did it and found info on the specs, double check just to be sure

    1. disconnect battery
    2. drain tranny fluid
    3. take off tranny pan , keep the gasket because it is more than likely going to be the reusable type ( metal lined)
    4. Unbolt accumulator housing, there are 4 or 5 bolts that mount the accumulator to the tranny, but all of the bolts for the accumulator need to come out sooner or later.
    5. It will have 3 lines going to the accumulator housing, they just slip out with a little finesse
    6. Open up accumulator housing and you will see a gasket, which can be reused, and 2 pistons
    7. Pull those out along with the springs, you will reuse the springs on top of the piston, but not below the piston
    8. The transgo kit uses 3 springs in the 3rd position along with a shim above and below the piston (It will tell you this in the kit)
    9. 2nd uses 2 springs with a shim below the piston.
    10. The rods in which the pistons ride on will fit into the bore at the bottom of the accumulator housing
    11. Clean gaskets and bolt everything back together, make sure the 3 lines are secure and fully installed into the housing
    12. 8mm bolts - 8 ft lbs, 10mm bolts- 18 ft lbs

    I think the whole job cost me about $150 and took about 2 hours. 1 hour to do the job and another to set up and clean up. I have seen people changing the PCS and having the same problem over and over, but the shift kit seems to do the trick from what I have read.
  • bob550kbob550k Member Posts: 148
    It's time to let our 1999 Old Silo Premere go. The for sale sign is on the window. This has been an excellent car and was siginificatly trouble free for 120,000 miles. Great car, loaded like crazy, good power, good MPG and the interior is better than the 2010 Chrysler T & C Limited I just bought to replace the car. Last year I did have to put a tranmission and head gaskets in the car, but at 122,000 miles that's okay since I did very little else to the car in the past 10 years. The paint still shines, the car drives and runs perfect, the leather is still nice and free of tears. This is still a nice car. No real reason to sell it other than it's 11 years old and we got a new one. This forum was very helpful to correct the minor issues we had with the van. To bad GM doesn't make Vans anymore, I probably would have bought one. The interior of the Limited just doesn't compare in utility or function to the Premiere.
  • surendransurendran Member Posts: 2
    edited June 2011
    Hi, I would like to know if you fixed your wiper issue ?. If yes, it would be great if you could share what it was and how did you fixed ?

    My 1999 Chevrolet Venture also have same issue. After a snowy day it only works on high speed, and it is not parking.

    Thanks in advance
  • hhua1hhua1 Member Posts: 41
    The head lights flickering returned, I decided and replaced the alternator.

    Based on my observation of the old alterernator, the issue can be the corrossion of the connections between the alternator and the voltage regulator which is mounted right behind the alternator. It should be very easy to unbolt and clean them all once you have the alternator out side.

    To totally remove the alternator, I have to lossen (I don't have totally drop the engine) and lower the sub-frame 1/4"-1/2", which wasn't as bad as I thought. There is absolutely no room to remove the alternator without lowering the sub-frame, even when the wiper arm is disconnected.

    Regards,
  • viv5viv5 Member Posts: 1
    Will rack pinion steering from 2000 Venture fit a 2002 Montana.
  • davidakingdavidaking Member Posts: 3
    Venture and Montana are the same year by year for the most part. I can't remember when the mid cycle was done so it might matter between the 2 years. Steering gear should work so long as the same year. Sorry for not being precise.
  • gerardtdgerardtd Member Posts: 3
    Had to replace mine too. I purchased the direct fit and installed it myself. Only problem encountered are rusted bolts connecting with the muffler, just used air grinder cutter to cut it and purchased the bolts and nuts needed.
  • kgdaviskgdavis Member Posts: 1
    Used copper seal for a steaming problem and antifreeze leaking smell on a 1997 venture with about 120k and has been two years now( knock on wood) not too into a tear down myself.
  • kkollwitzkkollwitz Member Posts: 274
    With car parked, and key turned to accessory (engine not running) I hear a soft thump from under the dash in front of the glovebox. It sounds like a shutting a cigar box, and will repeat a couple of times a minute as though something were opening and closing. I can also hear it by raising the hood...seems to come from behind the washer fluid tank.

    It also thumps when engine is running.
  • headprodonheadprodon Member Posts: 2
    Hello; I have the same problem, did you ever find the solution? If so would you please help me to remove mine?
    thanks
    Don donbarber@insightbb.com
  • FriedHogFriedHog Member Posts: 7
    This may be no help, because somebody else removed and reinstalled my glovebox latch (I don't know how). But that didn't fix the problem. My problem was that the metal tab that the latch grabs was bent. I bent it into the correct position and the glovebox opens and closes now with no problem.
    Very easy fix because the metal is so soft. Good luck.
  • headprodonheadprodon Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 Olds Silhouette and the glovebox latch is broken, I have removed the two screws holding it in but the latch will not come out. would someone please tell me how to complete the removal. HELP
    Don
  • shopdog97shopdog97 Member Posts: 160
    I'm wondering if this procedure will fix my Pastor's trans issue on his '99 Olds Silhouette Premier tranny which DOES shift rough. A friend of his told him that he dropped the pan on his Venture some time ago and changed one of the two trans solenoids and this supposedly cured his problem, but I have to wonder if this person was experiencing torque converter lock-up and not just hard or rough shifting. I had this Silhouette for nearly 3 weeks while my friend and his family was out of town and did some maintenance work on it, most notable fixing the driver's side power window(They went over a year with BOTH front windows not working) and doing a few other things and when my wife or I drove the van, we both noticed that it shifted rough, although not all the time. Both the engine and transmission were replaced in this vehicle a few years ago.

    I will mention this shift kit to him and see if he'd be interested in spending the money to fix it if he is going to keep the van. Thanks for the info, and have a great day!
  • hhua1hhua1 Member Posts: 41
    GM mini van transmission rough up-shift when warm.

    Just happened to see my old post, and like to provide an update. The rough up-shift haven't return since I put in the modified spacers in the transmission back in late 2010 myself. So the modification works for us, we still own the 2000 silhouette and she is still my wife daily vehicle. Regards,
  • hhua1hhua1 Member Posts: 41
    GM mini van wipers won't fully seated / fully parked / or fully retracted.

    Our 2000 Olds Silhouette has been intermittently not fully retracted / seated / or parked. It finally will just parked a few inches higher than the seated position. After I lubricated the wiper linkage it still not fully seated. I then took off the plastic cover on top of the wiper motor and I sprayed it with a good dose of lubricant, I manually pushed the wiper motor arm back and forth a couple time to loose it up. The wipers work perfectly after that.

    I think the original lubrication get dusty and no longer doing it job. A good cleaning and re-lubrication help the parking feature works again.

    Good luck!!!

    Regards,
  • hhua1hhua1 Member Posts: 41
    An update. No more dash lights and head lights flickering since the new after market alternator replaced in July 2011.

    The original alternator still working fine when I took it to the automotive store for the bench test. I do believe that the corrosion of the connections between the alternator and the voltage regulator was the issue.

    Regards,
  • hhua1hhua1 Member Posts: 41
    Sorry for the late reply. I don't watch the forum unless I have issue with the Silhouette. But yes, the kit (the modified spacers) cured our van transmission hard shifting / rough shifting since.

    Good luck!!!
  • brownarcadiabrownarcadia Member Posts: 1
    You can remove the coil pack, remove front top bolts from both engine struts, remove air intake hose from throttle body. Then disconnect lower wiper arm pinch bolt and move the wiper arm aside. Pull the vacuum hose from the brake booster. Attatch a rachetting strap to left engine strut brackette and radiator frame and rotate the engine. Slide the altenator right out the top. Sounds like alot, but it's easy. This is also the repair manual instructions to remove alt
  • jw1983jw1983 Member Posts: 3

    Are the gauge clusters from the Ventures interchangeable from a Pontiac Montana? My 2000 Venture doesn't have a Tachometer and I don't like it. I found that the Montana's have one but I am not sure if the harasses are the same. Is it just a plug in play change or is there modifying?

  • kkollwitzkkollwitz Member Posts: 274
    I started this folder long, long ago; now my married daughter owns my wife's 2003 Montana. It got a new transmission in 2014, and is still going strong.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Very cool - fun to have you checking in here.
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