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Comments
Thanks for any advise
peter
The problem I'm having is that the front wheels will not engage when the rear wheels slip. However, I know the AWD works, because whenever I start the van, the AWD is engaged until I drive it about 30 yards, then I can hear the relay under the dash kick it off. This is when the front wheels grab and actually bind up if I try a tight turn. When I say bind, I mean it stops the van.
That is the only time the AWD drive is on by itself and it is such a pain in the a** when I'm in a tight parking spot that I installed a switch in place of the AWD fuse. This way I can turn the module off at will (I have a 20A inline fuse to the switch to replace the standard fuse). This works pretty well, but I cannot just turn the AWD on whenever I want. This, in theory, should not present an issue with the van recognizing when the AWD needs to kick in, unless of course I leave the switch off.
Does anyone know exactly how this AWD system is supposed to work? Are there sensors I should be looking at? Does it sense wheel spin, or does it function by inertia?
On a side note - I haven't looked into it yet, but I'm wondering if I can just replace the module fuse that I bypassed and instead replace the AWD relay with the switch. This way I can control when it comes on and when it shuts off. I'm assuming the relay I hear clicking is a simple dual pole single throw, but I may be off on that assumption. I really don't care if I have to turn the AWD drive on manually, as long as it turns on.
Any ideas?
Bozie
and most likely the EGR valve which tends to carbon up and also breakdown. keep and eye also on spraying the throttle area with carb cleaner and run a few cans of Seafoam through the fuel system to keep the carbon minimal and injectors clean.
Oh and do replace the Delco Distributor caps with brass or copper post caps becasue the Delco caps now are made of aluminum and tend to cause arcing inside the cap. Try standard ignition products. Also replace the rotor.
alternative, shop around... it cost me around 500.00, getting a pull-out front differential installed. go to recyclers, for short junk yard.
I pulled the door panel off and then drilled out the rivets holding the motor and removed just the motor. I purchased a new motor from a local auto parts store and installed it using sheet metal screws. Sounds simple but it did take some thinking on how to handle this.
The old motor still worked but obviously had some bad gear teeth inside as it would only move the window a few inches up and down, leaving the window about 8 inches from the top.
The cost of the motor was about $70.00
Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be wrong with it?
please help somebody!!!
A FWD vehicle does not have to be very old to be totalled in a collision when a driving wheel is struck from the side.
I read a bunch of other messages here about similar problems, but none seem to address mine directly.
Any suggestions? I can't even see any way to get into the mechanism from the inside - there doesn't appear to be any way to get the inside panels off while the door is closed. Is a dealer shop going to be able to help me without damaging something? I've got a bunch of stuff that I really need to get out!
Thanks for any info - John
John
(from the inside):
I removed the handle from the back lid. There are plastic covers on each side of the handle that cover the bolts. I removed these. Then I removed the bolts. There was a larger plastic piece behind the handle that also came off once these bolts were removed. I was able to see the pivot point. The bottom of the pivot had a hole in it where the rod was suppose to be. It was tight quarters, but I felt inside the opening for the rod with my finger and was able to pull/push it to release the driver's side. With the passenger side already released and the diver's side now released, I was able to open the lid. At this point I found it easier to stand outside and fix the problem.
(from the outside):
I had to fish the rod back into the hole in the pivot. There is a shoulder/ridge on the tip of the rod where some sort of clip should be put after the rod is back into the hole. I used a small plastic tie wrap instead and fished it through the hole and around the rod. It seems to work pretty good, however, you may want to get a new clip instead. But good luck trying to get it back on (on the backside). There just isn't much room to work.
Good luck, if you haven't already found the solution.
It is an 87 Chevy Astro, 4.3L V6, with a 220 TBI. I'm not sure what the year of the engine is as it was a rebuilt installed before I ever saw the van, but it looks like a 87-88 to me. Any info would help at this point....THANKS!!!
I been looking for a used Astro. Kinda like the mini-van look of the Astro. I found one right near the house by me. Problem is the guy wants to much for the amount of work it needs. I been looking at this forum and reading for a while so I kinda know what to look out for. It's amazing the same issues come up with the one I looked at. Get this..... The guy is asking $1800, (but will take $1700) for a 1991 Astro with 108,000 miles. The problems...... The dash is loose from him mounting a stereo and a piece of the small trim is missing, the right side power window dont work, the dvd player in the TV dont work, the anti-lock brake lite stays on, it idles rough when cold, the heater blower relay has to be shaken sometimes to get the blower on and the power wire gets hot, there is a small leak near the left side of the intake manifold near the corner, windshield has a crack, the last rear seat mounting brackets are missing, the sliding door sticks and needs to be forced open, the right side washer hose is missing, the temp gauge nevers goes to normal operating temp, when making a turn the steering kinda makes a rubbing noise like something near the wheel in the column once in a while, the steering seems to pull to the left a little, and a few other small things. I guess I better keep looking. He wants way to much for the amount of work it needs. I offered him $1200, but he wont take it, he wants at least $1700. I think its gonna be around for sale for a while......
All in all, though, I must say that Astros are THEE most dependable vans out there, motor-wise , even with thier quirks. We have several with 300,000- 500,000 miles on the original motors (and we drive them like cabs, not like grandmas). They are indestructable.
This is a 314,000 mile 1999 Astro with a STRONG original motor (doesn't use a single drop of oil) and 54,000 mile tranny (we got 260k out of the original). Other than the requisite 75k mile fuel pumps, its been a trouble-free (reletively) TAXICAB since it was bought as a demo with 20k on it. (Thank God for Auto-zone's lifetime gurantee on the fuel pumps... LOL - I only pay for someone to help me with the grunt work instead of the $600 at the shop)
I don't really know how to describe this problem. Started 3 days or so ago when it was raining (pouring) and has snowballed into an undrivable problem. Nothing shows up on diagnostics. This is my work vehicle - a taxi - (and my sole income) and everyone is baffled. I need it back on the road.
It started with a simple flickering of the headlights ... once in a while. Then it progressed to flickering headlights AND a speedometer doing the tango (at the same time). Then to dummy lights coming on - mostly anti-lock, but no check engine, PLUS all of the above. Cruise control kicks out, too. Now it is happening every 15 or 30 seconds or so, AND is disengaging the tranny at the same time as everything else is going haywire. Total event (all symptoms) lasts maybe a second or 2 at a time. All of the above happen at once, so I know it is a power loss of some kind and ita all related, but it doesn't make any sense. Sounds to me like some sort of ground problem.
I knew the coil was bad and arcing, so we tried that first. Had a burnt spot on it, even. NO relief at all.
Lost the fuel pump 2 weeks ago (again!) but that doesn't have anything to do with this, I don't think.
How do I get the gremlins out of the system? Any ideas?
Any suggestions on the best place to buy these parts for my 2003 Chevy Astro?
Electronic Gremlins Electrical Problems That Are Driving You Crazy
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It was a coincidence the pump was going bad at the same time the fuel gauge became inaccurate. After I replaced it, I did a continuity check on the sending unit, and it measured the specified 40-240 Ohms, smooth as silk. So, to borrow a line from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, "I'll be damned if I can find anything wrong with it."
Since then I thought the problem occurred again, but it was either my imagination or it corrected itself.
BTW, I think the only way to troubleshoot this problem is to drop the tank and do measurements at the connectors.
It had a rebuilt engine about 65000 KM ago, and I know has something wrong with #1 cylinder, with the plug fouling up bad. I install a hotter plug, and that seems to cure the ailment, just for #1. I just installed new plugs, and it didn't help much, other than it idles better than before. New wires and cap last plug change before the most recent. We don't drive long distances where I live, so plugs may wear out sooner, than going down a freeway everyday. I know nothing about cars/trucks, as I am a carpenter. I love my old van, but this hill-thing is annoying, and I feel one day she may quit for good. Any ideas?