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Chevrolet Venture Heating / Cooling

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Comments

  • johno99johno99 Member Posts: 8
    2002 chevy venture AC drain water LEAKS into passenger feet area under carpeting.
    How did you solve it. i blew backwards with a tight blower nozzle connection into the Ac drain (short little tube that draind behind the engine just below the alternator. no water came out and the van was sitting on a level garage floor.

    Did anyone solve the problem without taking the entire a/c plenum apart and clean out muck ?
  • d_jrayd_jray Member Posts: 5
    I had my intake gasket replaced.. When I took my 2000 Venture in last year, the air was working fine, Ice cold, but when I got it back, nothing.. just hot air blowing.. Does anyone have any ideas as to how this happened?

    Thanks.. :confuse:
  • silhouette99silhouette99 Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem with my 99 olds silhouette. The drain tube no longer, or never did, extend through the firewall. This summer, with more than usual use of the A./C we found the pooling water in the passenger footwell. But this problem has obviously been there a long time as wires are rotten and footwell is rusty.

    I tried to get some help from GM to no avail.

    I need to somehow get the tube to extend back through the firewall so that the water drips into the engine compartment and not into the cabin

    Anyone got any ideas how to do this?
  • johno99johno99 Member Posts: 8
    all the sister chevy Venture, Silhoutte, Montana have a rigid box that contains the evaporator ( little radiator) that gets cold and the air blows thru it to A/C (cool) the inside air. (it is major leauge buried up in the dash)

    On the bootom of this box is a molded in plastic rigid tube that extends through the sheet metal body and the rigid tube runs into the engine area & it's suppose to drain out any water into the engine compartment kind of behind the alternator.

    i have a junk yard by me and if the engine is out. then the tube is very visible,,it's not flexible and almost impossible to damage or misroute of have it fall of or something ( unles it's a nasty smash up. likley total the VAN).
    I basically learned that it's likley that some of the prtoective non absorbant foam stuff might have moved /shifted and may be clogging the outlet tibe hole so that the water doesn't drain out.

    If you know how to add pictures to this site PLS let me know how to do it, i took a few with cell phone that shows a cut away.from a junk yard vechicle.
    I am looking at likley adding a hole on the drivers side of the box not to bad to get at that side, and then add a barbed fitting that i will silicone to the box and attach a hose that i will run down thru th body via a drill bit about3/8 th inch dia in the firewall( sheet metal in front of your feet) so the water can drain. I will also add a couple of holes below the carpeting to drain at least some of the water if it gets in there

    to get at the condensor box looks like taking the entire dash out. I got to the heater core and can remove it if needed, if i could acess the A/c condensor then i would HOWEVER it looks like to get to it means removing the entire dash. It looks like a job in itself ( failry major thing to do)
  • jaxbudjaxbud Member Posts: 1
    I solved the problem of water leaking inside on my 2001 Pontiac Montana by adding a PVC elbow to the short plastic drain sticking straight out through the firewall. A deteriorated seal behind the firewall allows the water to run back the drain spout and inside the vehicle. I inserted a short piece of 5/8 " heater hose in the 3/4" PC elbow to make it fit on the drain spout and added caulking at the back to prevent any water entering the firewall. This was done from under the vehicle. It's tricky but doable with patience. Of course you could rotate the engine forward and have better access to the drain.
  • ketedfordketedford Member Posts: 5
    Had the same problem with the a/c. Took it in last year and it was over $600 to fix. Good luck. :sick:
  • jhdjhd Member Posts: 20
    Local garage tells me to replace a radiator in 2001 Venture they need to empty AC unit because the rad comes out thru the front, so evaporator needs to be removed. Is this correct? Can it be removed from the back after removal of top engine mount brackets, air box and fans? I know tranny lines go thru the rad but that’s no problem.
    Rad leaks to near the drain plug area. I am hoping that this is a drain plug o-ring and not the rad end seal. I do not have towing package, so this is just a regular van.
    I also need to replace thermostat. Do I need any special tools for that or after removal of throttle body assembly and heat shield I can get to the bottom bolt? This is insane design to place thermostat like this.
    The van is not worth as much as they wanted to charge me for both of these jobs.
  • bigduanebigduane Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 chevy venture, when on heat it has little air flow from dash vents but blows strong on defrost or when on AC. Sounds like there is a damper partially open preventing air flow. What is the most likely cause.
  • greenhorn3greenhorn3 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 1999 chevy venture there is no heat in front just blowing cold air but the rear heat works just fine .Would like to know if someone could help me with this problem as I really cant afford a mechanic.
  • azuazu Member Posts: 84
    Sounds like a clogged heater core. How is your coolant level under the hood?
  • greenhorn3greenhorn3 Member Posts: 3
    Coolant level is fine and I checked the radiator for air pocket is there any way I can unclog the heater core my self are is that a mechanic only job.
  • greenhorn3greenhorn3 Member Posts: 3
    I found out what the problem was it was the temperature actuator replaced it. I now have heat thank god.
  • ts60423ts60423 Member Posts: 52
    Which actuator did you replace? I am going nuts with this problem. All vacuum fittings and doors seem to work, but can't get hot air blasting out of the dash vents like it used to. I also recently replaced the blower motor - the old one was cavitating so bad it was causing a noticable vibration.

    After 310,000 miles i have had no problems with this thing but it is pretty cold this winter! I am having antifreeze professionally flushed this week. I hope that helps too.

    Thanks in advance!
  • olsparkeeolsparkee Member Posts: 3
    Have you looked at your cabin air filters to help airflow?

    I cleaned mine out and put them back and it made a huge difference.

    If you don't know, they are behind a pop-out panel in the back of the glovebox.

    There are two, side by side with the first one sliding to the left (out of sight) to make room for the second.

    My local AutoZone wanted $42 for replacements. I chose to clean and not buy new."
  • neustkgneustkg Member Posts: 35
    I had a similar problem w/my 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix. Like was mentioned above, there is a drain for condensation that drains to the ground. It can get plugged, especially if the vehicle is parked outside under trees (debris drops on the car, eventually working it's way at the base of the windshield). A shop can unplug the drain. In the future, though listen for a gurgling sound. Water backed up to the blower motors and rusted them out eventually, and needed to be replaced. If you are lucky, you'll only need to unplug the drain.

    The nice thing about the Venture is that there is a filter. If you take out the filter behind the glove compartment, you might notice a lot of debris above it. Make sure to vacuum/clean all this crud out.
  • ts60423ts60423 Member Posts: 52
    I tried to vacuum them out once or twice, but eventually realized that even though they looked clean, they could be full of dirt -especially the Hepa charcoal filters. To test them I usually just take them out and see if it helps.

    If you go online to Rockauto.com, they had a clearance sale on Venture replacement air filters the other day.
  • kayfusleekayfuslee Member Posts: 16
    I have no heat coming from 2000 chevy venture. Sometimes I can feel a faint amount of barely warm air coming out with the fan on low. Any ideas what could be wrong?
    I have put a gallon of antifreeze in the reservoir tank over the last 2 weeks. It seemed to help give me a little heat when I filled it to the cool level line, but not now. There are no visible signs of a leak and I don't see any antifreeze on the oil dipstick. The car is not overheating, but the temperature gauge is dancing around a little bit. Just out of curiosity, where is the coolant level sensor? Because I don't know if it's just another sensor in a long line of bad ones that just stays on now forever. Or the coolant really is low. I keep adding it to the reservoir tank so it's going somewhere.
    Thanks for any help.
  • azuazu Member Posts: 84
    The level sensor is in the radiator. If you have to keep adding coolant and do not see any leaks you probably are burning it due to a bad intake gasket. If the system has air in it and not coolant you will be lacking heat. Easy way to see if coolant is seeping into engine look under oil cap for a yellowish goo and/or pull PCV value and see if you see the same. If you do you have an intake gasket failure.
  • kayfusleekayfuslee Member Posts: 16
    Thanks. Yeah it had the goo just as you described. I'm taking it to my mechanic on Saturday for confirmation and an estimate. What a shame with this car. First the intake manifold gasket goes, and now most likely the head gasket. It would be OK if these gaskets weren't so costly to replace. But the costs are outrageous, and it's all for freakin' GASKETS! Add all the other failures of this car and it spells bye bye for GM for me in the future.
  • yrjhawkinsyrjhawkins Member Posts: 1
    My 2003 Chevy Venture Van is overheating. What's happening is anti-freeze is coming out of the overflow, when heating up the radiator hoses become stiff from possible pressure, fan is not coming on in time to cool the motor, but if I jump them it still overheat.

    My heater stopped working about 1 month ago at a stand still, but at high speed it begins to kick out heat. The temp gauge goes down at higher speeds, but at lower speed temp rises. could this be related to the problem?

    Replaced the thermostat and the water pump. Help please! Could it be anything else except a busted head gasket?
  • johno99johno99 Member Posts: 8
    Did you burp it after you did water pump & stat?
    If you didn't that;s a simple fix. there is an air bleed screw and maybe two of them? Located toward the top of intake area .. As you turn the small hex of the bleed screw open (counter clock wise) air will come out and when it's solid collant shut it off... I did this years ago there may be 2 burp valves ? look in owners manuals it may be in there ? otherwise go to service manual or go to Library for ALLDATA ask refercne librarian if you never used it.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ~~~~~~~~
    Are you USING any collant ?,,,gotta pay attention to this one. and keep an eye on it overflow bottle if hook up propelry is a good way maybe once check rad to see if it's full.

    are you loosing collant externally ? leaks on floor or possibly leaks and burns off with engine heat/Exhaust you would smeel it very likely if this was the case
    Caps are pretty much the same as a lot of cars swap caps if they are the same don't force it if it don't fit.
    as you know everytime you open up rad cap you will loose a little collant(( normal.)

    Do you have access to a rad pressure tester ? if so on a cool engine hook it up to rad and run engine like normal, if pressure builds over 20 psi and keep building you likly have a head gasket gone.

    oTHERWISE IF YOU REPALCE PLUGS AND SEE GREENISH TINT ON ONE IT COULD BE COLLANT GOING INTO CYLINDER.

    Collant could get in the oiland cause it to turn milky
    collant can also go into the exaust and usually it will make smoke or sweet smell depends on how bad it's leaking..

    Other wise a ch
  • jhdjhd Member Posts: 20
    edited June 2010
    I change radiator last October and everything works fine except recently fans come on way past the gauge mid (12 o’clock) position. I want them to switch the fans earlier than that.
    There should be no sludge (there was no sludge back when I was changing the rad, oil is clean, coolant level does not go down.
    I cleaned all the fun relays and connectors, no difference.
    I tried to run engine with sensor unplugged, temp gauge showed no temp reading at that time. When plugged back, temp was shown on the gauge.
    Can anyone tell me if the temp sensor (located beside the thermostat) is an on/off sensor or it actually gives the range signal to power temp gauge on the dashboard? If range, what is the range suppose to be? There is no air in the system.
  • jhdjhd Member Posts: 20
    I am replying to my own message above – this is pretty dead forum!
    I changed the fan switching sensor (located near the thermostat). This is an on/off sensor switch.
    Fans come on at the same temperature as with the old sensor – about 2 o’clock on the dial. What else can cause this high switching?
    anybody? thanks in advance.
  • bigboyricky93bigboyricky93 Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2000 Chevy venture that has a problem with the front blower putting out cold A/C and the rear blows out hot air. I already have the trim panels removed and can see the blower assembly but need further help from there to figure out what is going on. please help.

    Ricky
  • dickwrightdickwright Member Posts: 2
    how hard is it to change t-stat and where is it located?
  • dickwrightdickwright Member Posts: 2
    reply to my self can anyone help?
  • cach22cach22 Member Posts: 12
    edited July 2010
    Venture Thermostat replacement I just checked this link and it is still good. It looks like it should help since it has instructions and some diagrams. I know this is for a different year, but I doubt the thermostat has been moved.
  • leesdreamleesdream Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2003 chevy venture and I am having trouble with the fan. When I have the settings set on vent and the heat turned to max and the fan to number 5 setting very little air flow comes out of the vents. As I turn the heat control to the cool setting the air flow increases. Max. air flow is when heat control is set to max. cool setting. Why?
  • rkegreenrkegreen Member Posts: 1
    I am actually having the same issue with our van as well.

    You can hear that it is switching from cold to hot, and when you put your hand on the vent you can barely feel the hot air coming out. I then turn the temp to cold and you can hear it switch and it flows out pretty good...(almost too good).
  • kayfusleekayfuslee Member Posts: 16
    When trying to drain the radiator on my 2000 chevy venture, the valve just turned and turned with no coolant coming out, Then the whole valve suddenly came out completely. When I put the valve back in I cannot tell if it's actually secure as there are no threads or anything. It actually looks like a plug with an O-ring on the end.

    Is this what it is supposed to look like or did I break something off of it when initially trying to unloosen it? If it's normal how does it stay in?
  • eskie713eskie713 Member Posts: 1
    Hi there,

    I'm new here.

    I just bought a 2003 Chev Venture from an Autobody shop. They had fixed all the problems and got it safetied. I have the paperwork and everything. One thing I noticed when I'm driving the van...

    When I'm driving long periods, the heat is working, very slowly...... but when I'm driving short periods. I get no heat, even when I stop at the lights, the heat cools off and it feels like it's blowing A/C. Mind you, I live in Winnipeg and it'll get dang cold in the middle of winter. Considering it's almost Nov and it's getting colder. I was wondering if this is an easy fix that my hubby can do? Or is this a normal thing??

    Please help...
  • johno99johno99 Member Posts: 8
    check coolant level, in Radiator FULL and proper level in overflow bottle as well. make sure hose connects overflow to radiator cap,

    ,,check or replace rad cap 14 or 15 lbs, or swap with another car

    You must have 50/50 fluid ,,protected to like 40 below F.,,,i am from MN and it get cold here as well.

    there is also a burp screw on top of the manifold to let air out. open it and when solid fluid comes out close it. look at owners manual i believe it tells you about it

    other than that the thermostat is not that hard to replace in case it's stuck open when done need to burp it.

    Can you feel the hoses going into the heater core ,,,is one very hot like you can touch it for a second and you must let go and the other cool ?

    I can't recall what changes it from hot to cool,,is it cable operated ,,,gotta SEE FEEL , TAKE APART stuff underneath until you get to the air blend door to see if it's moving fully from hot to cold all the way.

    I personally went a junk yard and took one apart.1st. then took mine apart for water leaking into operator AREA from air conditioning,, i could get all they to the heater core it was not hard but a bunch of stuff needed to come out and GO BACK IN The SAME WAY

    put a temp gauge in the a/c vent outlet and have it blow out at operator like you would on A/C it should at least 140-150 degree F it is just sitting there the stat could be good

    do the cooling fans run when you turn on A/c ?

    are the cooling fans on all the time, i assume you don't have the rear coolant heater option
  • radjamrsradjamrs Member Posts: 1
    the speed control knob is stuck in the off position. any ideas on fixing this would be a big help. right now i have no heat /cool/defrost
  • joe319joe319 Member Posts: 2
    have same problem as u need help only thing is i dont have a bad head gasket i need some help i got some air out which gave me heat for 2 days if i flush the system will this owrk get the air out
  • joe319joe319 Member Posts: 2
    ned help with my 2001 venture had the problem of no air no heat fixed the air flow was dirty filters in your glove compartment almost fixed the heat problem believe there was air somewhere in system so we got some out got heat 2 days later no heat but even when i had heat for 2 days my defrost would not throw heat i have looked all over for answers if i flush the system would this work [also already changed thermostat] to get the air out cause i have cold/warm air when im driving or giving it gas in park need help its frezing and my kids said they rather walk little warmer in the sun lol
  • johno99johno99 Member Posts: 8
    Did you look in ownsers manual?
    Is there a code on for check engine light
    Collant leve in rad has to be up and the overflow tank needs to be at proper level KEEP an eye on the leve every time you open the hood of lack hot air.
    I would syas you need to bleed the one or two screws on top of the engine ( to purge the air and get a solid stream of collant ,,and it should be a 50/50 mixture, once you do that then make sure the system is full again.
    I would look in my owners manual but i's not handy and or look under the hood to see if there are two blled screws or just one, I think tow and they look alike. as i recall you loosen them with engine running and collant and air come out (it's easier if you do not remove them completley) that should help you out.
    I didcovered the problem when i changed my stat.
    <<<
    also feel the hoses especailly to and from the heater core if one is hot and the other cool it could be a heater core issue,, I assume you have a working cable ( i think that adjusts a door form hot to cold) this is likley not the answer i you had temp heat for 2 days..unless you moved the air blend door in conjusction as to wehn you had heat.
    ...
    Heat in my vneture gets very hot needs to be turned downafter you get going, and seems very hot in summer and my CD's a very hot to the tocuh. SUPER HOT almost to the point you don't want to tocuch them. Not sure if that is heat related however.
    ~~
    lots of luck
    If you can't find bleeder screws ask a mechanic type person or if needed write back, sorry for the delay,
  • tauer1tauer1 Member Posts: 1
    Did this harness problem relate to the blower motor resistor problem? I have some of the same problems in the same van. Passenger side window will go down from the driver side but not up. The drivers side window seems to have intermittent power problems. The heat only works on 4,5,6 nothing on 1,2,3. Should I be replacing the blower motor resistor first or going after this wiring harness on the driver side?
  • matts05venturematts05venture Member Posts: 1
    I have experienced the same problem on my 05 venture and living in rural Manitoba I understand what cold is. I replaced the cabin air filters in the glove box and the air flow is much better (but still cool). I spoke with a mechanic and he indicated that replacing the filters is a waste of $$ as it is the same air we breathe as soon as we step outside the vehicle. His suggestion - throw them out and do not replace.

    Now I am looking at replacing the either the T-stat or possibly the heater core as I have air flow but insufficient heat. However I cannot find a schematic to show me where these items are located. any other advice or direction is much appreciated.
  • johno99johno99 Member Posts: 8
    you know you might be wasting a lot of time and $ if you don't burp the engine 1st.. After replacing stat or doing any any engine coolant related work YOU MUST URP the baby otherwise it has air on top and the collant doesn't circualte just air and some collant, there are plugs on top of the engine, they need to be loosened up till you get solid fluid and I believe there are Two of them ,look at owners manual or go to library for free acess to ALLDATA. IF you find out excatly how to do it please publish it for others.

    FYI I tore my dash apart ( due to a/c water leaking inside cab) and heater core is is a job to get to ,,nothing difficult just time i did not remove it however, not sure how easy it will be to remove & RE-INSTALL HEATER HOSES TO THE HEATER CORE in the engine comprtment side. GOOD LUCK
  • cach22cach22 Member Posts: 12
    I doubt the blower motor resistor problem is directly related to the wiring harness problem.

    I would replace the blower motor resistor first if for no other reason than to quickly fix the problem and move on the next issue with your van. It sounds as if you can get around the wiring harness for now.

    I had the same issue with the fan only working on certain speeds. First, 1 quit working, then 2. Before I could figure what was going on, 3 had quit working.

    The most difficult part of replacing the resistor is accessing some of the screws. The resistor is located inside the blower motor housing under that dash on the passenger side. The price of a new resistor is between $35 and $40. The new resistor is much better protected than the old one.
  • bondfamilybondfamily Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 Chevy Venture. A few months ago my blower would go off and come on when ever it pleased. I had the Knobs replace as one had cracked and fell off. $240. They told me it may or may not fix the issue but it was the place to start. It has worked fine for about two months. Suddenly today when it was freezing and I had to take the kids to school (windshield iced up) the blower wouldn't work again. The Back one DOES work just having this issue with the front one!! Any ideas?
  • bigboyricky93bigboyricky93 Member Posts: 4
    Hey bondfamily,

    So I had a similar problem not too long ago and it turned out to be the blower motor resistor, I ended up testing and replacing it myself, but it took appx 4 to 6 hrs of work due to the location of it, it is a pain to get to, but can be done. (flexibility is very helpful lol) I replaced the one on my mothers van about 2 yrs ago when i was 16. The best instructions i found came out of a Haynes vehicle repair manual where it was step by step instruction on how to test and replace if needed the resistor.

    It is located under the passenger side glove box and must be accessed through the carpeted insulation panel which must be removed there. From there the blower motor must be removed with screws in hard to reach areas (a ratchet set with extensions is extremely helpful) and then the resistor can be removed. Once it is removed, there is a diagram for testing it with a multimeter to see if it is non functioning.

    It is also possible, but not as likely as the resistor with this type of van, that there is a leak in the vacuum system which would require more detective work in seeing if there is a vacuum pull on the system. One easy and not always accurate way to test that is to turn on the car cycle the switch for the blower from off to on to off then turn the car off and cycle it again. On the cycle when the car is off if you hear a creaking/odd noise it probably still has vacuum.

    ~Ricky
  • bondfamilybondfamily Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the reply Ricky! I was afraid it would be something I couldn't do myself - err I hate paying for the labor, but it's worth it for me. Hope it doesn't cost too terribly much.
  • bigboyricky93bigboyricky93 Member Posts: 4
    No, if it is the resistor i have no doubt about it that you can do it. The resistor part number is in the manual i mentioned (i dont have it with me) and i got an oem replacement part for around 50 with shipping off a generic "parts" website provided thats what the problem is. The haynes manual i got off amazon minimally used for like 5 dollars and it was in mint condition. Get the manual irregardless of it being the resistor or not bc that thing was a God-send in saving money and has step by step photos for other thing but i would recommend testing the resistor before buying a new one. If it is, you can drive around without the panel and motor and resistor in place, but just be cautious no one gets snagged or kicks up inside of it until the new one comes.
  • bigboyricky93bigboyricky93 Member Posts: 4
    also, i found this in post 17 at the beginning of this thread. this is a diagram of the power plug and clip that gets plugged in to the resistor:

    begin---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------

    OK here goes -

    pull the connector from the blower motor resistor - as you're looking at the plug with the"slots " which clip the wire to the resistor at the top...

    The connector looks something like this as you look at it:
    ________________________________
    _____!____!___!______________!____!____!______
    !__________________________________________!
    !_____!____!______!_____!_______!_____!_______!
    !__G__!_F_!___E__!__D__!___C___!__B_!___A__!
    !_____!____!______!_____!_______!___ _!_______!!

    I filled in the letters for clarity - making this diagram was a pain!!!

    E is the ground - touch one probe to it from your test light or multimeter to it for each test and follow this order - each terminal corresponds to a blower setting. You should get about 12 volts for each test (ignition on - engine not running) The blower resistor then steps down the voltage to get the blower to spin at the appropriate speed.

    A+ E = SPEED SETTING #2
    B+E= SPEED #1
    C+E= SPEED #4
    D+E= SPEED # 3
    F+E = SPEED # 5 (HIGH)
    G IS HOT AT ALLTIMES YOU SHOULD ALWAYS GET 12 v HERE

    If you don't get 12v at each when you change the switch to the corresponding setting and test then the switch is most likely the problem (assuming that the connector at the back of the switch is attached securely and that the wires are in good condition) If all get 12 volts when you switch to them then the blower resistor is most likely NG.

    This gives you enough info to test it - let me know how you make out..

    end------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------

    if you have anymore question or want more info just reply and ill do my best

    Ricky
  • 01iaventure01iaventure Member Posts: 1
    My temp gauge went from 1/2 way mark to 1/4 mark down to not even registering now in 1 week. I still get heat and I have checked the overflow which is good and even took the radiator cap off to verify coolant level. Radiator is full. Concerns?????
  • tamaracw69tamaracw69 Member Posts: 1
    I have replaced thermostat, water pump, the cap and still don't understand why it's over heating? There is a lot of pressure on the hoses and I have burped it several times.. With no change does anyone know what it could be still?
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