Chevy Vans: Problems & Solutions

ybnrmal

I have a 94 silhouette with the manual! (Lucky me!) Here is what the specs say.
Motor oil--3100 5w30
3800 10w30
Trans dexron III or dexron IIE
Coolant50/50 mixture water and ethylene glycol antifreeze

Any more questions just ask. Also-about the first problem---if you've fixed those things already you might look at the ignition switch (the electrical not the cylinder). It is sometimes the problem.

cwise

our 99 venture has had the intake replaced also at 61542 miles just after the warrnty period.that was 400+.now with 74,000 the head gasket went.at a price of 1600.00.do you have any phone numbers for chevy???? :sick:

slavoie

replace the driver windows switch.it s easy to replace .the electrical circuit for passager window lift pass for this switch. the same probleme is alredy arrive at me.this driver switch is expensive aprox.70.00

mummybekah

I BOUGHT A 2000 CHEVY VENTURE IN 04/04 AND HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS (WATER PUMP WENT OUT, BATTERY DIED, REAR POWER WINDOWS WONT WORK, INTAKE LEAKED, SPARK PLUGS WERE SHOT) DEALER SAID VAN IN PERFECT COND. NOW THE THING WONT START IT EITHER CLICKS WHEN I TURN THE KEY OR ACTS LIKE THERE IS NO JUICE IN THE BATTERY. THE BATTERY IS BRAND NEW, AND THE ALTERNATOR IS GOOD. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS? PLEASE HELP I HAVE NO VEHICLE

motorheadache

Hi,

There is a class action suit out there on the Dex Cool product. Be advised. Dex Cool allegedly eats through gaskets. In my case, it was the intake where the cam shaft is housed. Cold air on a hot camshaft. Result, camshaft metal integrity compromised, shaft broke and ........ had to replace the engine.

motorheadache

Hi,

You got off easy. My Intake gasket went and result was broken cam shaft due to cold air passing on the hot metal ... shaft broke ........ $2.5k engine job. I understand that Dex Cool is the culprit. There is a class action lawsuit out on this product.

scorpiosme

A worn timing chain may cause the camshaft position sensor to get bad readings and I/m told this can cause engine not starting after code is set in computer. Not verified at this time.

extremlyangery

I also have a 2001 venture van and was told yesterday that the Intake Manifold and the Rear Cylendar Head is leaking coolant and like you GM wont help even though they knew there was a design flaw in the manifold. I would like to hear if anyone has had any luck in getting GM to help.

bepposdad

My 2002 AWD Venture ~47k "groans" when doing slow turns, such as parking lot maneuvers. It started only on humid days, and we used to joke about the groaning 'dead guy' in the back, but now it happens regardless of weather, and it has gotten louder.

The sound is similar to a tire rubbing in the wheelwell but it sounds more like it originates from the center of the rear where the differential would be on a conventional (non-AWD) vehicle. I checked underneath and there are no indications of rubbing anywhere, and the undercarriage is quite clean and not corroded.

No idiot lights are on. The brakes and rotors, as well as tires, have been replaced in the midst of this with no effect on the noise. Wheels appear solid...no 'real' loose bearings that I can tell as a layman.

Is there special AWD fluid I should check (no signs of leakage - all is crisp and clean) ...or maybe something electrical that may not be controlling the rear AWD module correctly?

Other ideas?
thanks
Tom

leaht95

We replaced our motor a few months back. My husband did the job himself. The dealership wanted an outrageous fortune claiming it would take 1 1/2 hours labor for the job. It only took 30 seconds once he removed door facing inside panel. Not kidding! However, now the tracking is gone and the window goes down but is difficult getting back up again and I've been told this could be the regulator and its $500.00 minimum for the dealership to fix due to the computer module in the door (so I've been told) that must be reprogrammed. If you believe that - ..... Good luck! One way to tell if it is the switch or the motor is to test it on the other door. If it is the switch then NEITHER window will work and if it is the motor then only one window will have the problem.

leaht95

We found a reputable place here in town to fix my Chev venture head gasket that went YESTERDAY with 105,349 miles and its a 1997! We were priced 1100.00 but not exceeding 1500.00 tops and that includes 250 machine shop charge to check it after install. Dealerships are always more. Good luck!

leaht95

I am not aware of the Dex cool class action law suit so anyone with direct information and/or website addresses please email me? ldragovich@direcway.com and ....

There is a RECALL on Venture minivans for POWER STEERING axles that grind when you turn - the axles could crack and break. Take to dealership and tell them you noticed on consumer reports that the van was on safety recall for the power steering and sliding doors and need them checked and/or replaced. There is a recall for Venture vans also for the sliding doors. Evidentally even with the lock engaged the doors can open going down the road.

leah

billb4

did you ever have a drivers window not go up?Whaat did you do fpr this?
Thank You
BillB

coreseller

Why fight them, their arrogance is finally catching up with them. Let the uninformed and their employees buy their products, I just dumped my GM minivan and bought a new Honda Odyssey. The lady's attitude in Detroit sealed the deal for me when I called about one of the dozens of problems with our van, I'm guessing she has helped with GM's eroding market share with plenty of other customers. The whole mess is truly a shame, we really did like the van and the way it drove, if only the quality was there.

dtownfb

The low coolant level is the classic sign of the infamous intake manifold gasket leak. The coolant is leaking into the engine which is why you do not see it. it is a very common problem for this engine and many other 6 cylinder GM motors. GM has known about this design flaw for years and finally issued a revised gasket last year. I would get it taken care of right away. Too much coolant in the engine can do irreparable damage over time. Prices vary for the repair. Since it is a common problem and has been around for years, any reputable independent shop can do it for less than the dealership (in case you are out of warranty).

Good Luck.

melftheelf

Had a problem with drivers door glass once inside found that the spot weld holding the glass bracket had come loose I ended up drilling a hole at the weld very carefully and pop riveted the bracket holding the glass back on. Its fairly easy but if your not familiar with the door panel coming apart and using any tools within small areas you may want to see if someone can help you.

plannerpiet

I have had the same problem, did you find a solution? plannerpiet

cat9hi

I have a 03 venture that dies without warning. I took it in for repairs and it gives no codes at all. It does it at all speeds. Has anyone else had this problem? If this has happened to you please post. My mechanic is stumped.

cat9hi

I have a 2004 chevy venture that dies without warning. I took it to the dealer and it gives no codes and does not die for the mechanic. It only does this intermittently and has done it all speeds. If anyone else has had this problem please post a message. My mechanic is stumped!!!!!!!!!!

gop4life

I also am on my 2nd GM Venture. This one, 2003 has 71,000 miles on it. I brought the van in for an oil change. The front wheels has started groaning the day before I brought it in for the work. I told the service manager about the problem. He told me that the front wheels have to be replaced. I asked him if it is anything that I failed to do? He told me that sometimes they just wear out. Mr. Goodwrench says that they have to replace both front wheels. He said that they are sealed units now so you can't repack the barings or grease them. He advise cost over $2100.00. I still owe $16,500 on the van. GM denied help with the repair. Only overing $8900.00 on trade for an '05. Needless to say, I am furious :mad: . Arrogance is right. But now what can I do? Do you have any suggestions? Anybody else?
Thank you
Bob

gop4life

This is my 2nd GM Venture. This one, 2003 has 71,000 miles on it. I brought the van in for an oil change. The front wheels has started groaning the day before I brought it in for the work. I told the service manager about the problem. He told me that the front wheels have to be replaced. I asked him if it is anything that I failed to do? He told me that sometimes they just wear out. Mr. Goodwrench says that they have to replace both front wheels. He said that they are sealed units now so you can't repack the barings or grease them. He advise cost over $2100.00. I still owe $16,500 on the van. GM denied help with the repair. Only overing $8900.00 on trade for an '05. Needless to say, I am furious . Arrogance is right. But now what can I do? Do you have any suggestions? Anybody else?
Thank you
Bob

skd

Had plug wires and plugs put in and the mis came back for a few days. Also found the intake gasket was starting to leak dex-cool. The shop replaced the coil pack connector and set time 8 degrees advance. Mechanic stated to me to trade it off while it is running. WE TOOK HIS ADVICE. After the last year of over $1000.00 of repairs and now the dex-cool leak we had enough. What a shame all of this trouble with only 80,000 miles.
NOTE: ACCORDING TO CAR FACTS IT IS NOT A LEMON.

gop4life

I just had the wheel hubs replaced today. Did not take it to Graue Chevrolet in Lincoln, Illinois. I called GM Corporate and they did not seem to feel that there is a problem with the wheel hubs. Howeve when the mechanic went to order the 2 wheel hub kits no one in Central Illinois had any in stock. The Warehouse was out ot the hubs. He then called Chevrolet and purchased the wheel hub assembly kits. So no problem huh?!!! The Warehouse had 30 sets on order and did not know when they would come in. We got them replaced at $269.00 per kit. GM asked the Chevy mechanic if the customer failed to service them. He then told them that they are sealed units. You cannot service them. Hopefully Chevy will take a look at this problem.
Anyone else have this problem. It has 71,000 miles on it.

Thank you, GOP4LIFE

1panky

gop4life, I would definitely seek a second opinion on this. Mr. Goodwrench as many nationwide chains repair and replace parts only as noted in their company manuals. They are not designed to deviate from this company procedure by using alternative approaches or aftermarket parts. I located a former GM mechanic who owns his own shop. It is amazing to me the alternatives he has offered to correct repair problems that also save me great amounts of money. Something as simple as locating an aftermarket part or incorporating a modification to the present part not only corrects the problem but also saves me much money. I only take my Venture to the dealer for warrantee work (now long past) or to perform adjustments under recall announcements.

kevd1211

I have the same problem with my 2000 Astro Van. Have you gotten a reply from anyone about possible causes or solutions?

sme2

I have a 98 venture with 138k miles. I was quoted a price of $730 from the dealer to replace the intake manifold gasket. I hate to spend more money on this vehicle as I have had many problems with it. Is $730 too much?

pbass

Shop around for a reputable independant mechanic. I did and saved a lot of money. The garage where I had the gasket job done does between 4 and 6 gasket jobs a week on GM 3.4 engines. At the same time I had him replace the spark plugs since they were due pretty soon and they're very hard to get too for self replacing.

unhpychevyownr

I am new to this sight, but after more than $3000.00 in repairs to my car I had to see what others where saying about there chevy vans. I own a lumina apv and have been loving it for the past 3 years, but what a mistake in purchasing. I have had to have nearly every gasket on the vehical replaced in the past month. Including the transmition gasket, manifold gasket, etc. seems to be a headack vehical over 100,000. miles and we are now looking into getting a Toyota Highlander. Rated one of the best cars around and consumer reports doesn't even recoment any of the Ford or Chevy SUV's or Vans. They only recommend the foreign vans and they say they should last up to 200,00. miles if taken care of well. That is enough for me to go foreign once and for all.

unhpychevyownr

I have been having a grinding sound since I got my new tires, however that was not the problem. When they put the tires on they also changes a gasket on the transmittion pan and has to flush the fluid. They looked into the problem and now they say the groaning has to do with the transmition fluid line and the transmittion. I am blaming that on them and we will see what they are going to do next. I know this doesn't seem to be the same thing, however you and the other person seem to be describing the same issue, along with a long list of other things, I am having trouble with. :lemon:

unhpychevyownr

I had this problem as well. As you can see I have replyed to nearly all of these problem postings in the past few days. My car was even getting close to shutting down. I will go back to my machanic and let them know of this modified gasket and see if they even knew about it. thanks for your post. May be too much coolent in the engine is what has been causing so many problems in my car, or at least helped the other problems along. :confuse:

unhpychevyownr

My van is a lot older, however this has been happening to me and it has to do with the power booster for the ABS braking system failing. The engine has been loosing compression and there for shutting the system down and it does it at the moste in consistent times. May be this will help. Good luck.

carvan

I have a 1999 Astro and I found the same problem Code # P1870 Transmission slipping.

hopcollin

Just acquired a 93 Astroext conv van that has been parked behind a barn for 2 years, The rats loved it and ate all of the wiring off of the engine to include spark plug leads and vacuum lines. After much work and numerous trips to the parts house and junk yards I got it running-in fact it runs great! My only remaining problem is that I cannot control where the heat or AC air comes out in the van-hi-low or defrost. and i suspect that it has to do with a vacuum line that is not connected properly.?? After replacing all of the wiring to the right front of the vehicle to include; headlights, turn lights, markers, heater, horn, A/C compessor, windshield washer fluid motor, etc. One vacuum line remains with no place to plug it into? The large wire loom that runs below the windshield had all of the wires described above replaced near the the two relays in the upper left corner: this same wire loom had two vacuum lines half eaten off, one goes to the heater water temp vacuum motor that controls heat temp. The 2nd vacuum line turns sharply toward the engine but was eaten off just above the A/C accumulator. Got no idea where this 2nd vacuum line is supposed to go, can find no other half eaten lines or rubber connectors to attach it to. Anybody got a 93 ext and can visibly see where this line goes? Or anybody know of a text document or graphic of the vacuum line arrangement and routing?? Any help would be appreciated. Thanx! hopcollin

susangel

My 98 Venture won't restart after I turn it off until it sits for awhile. Any suggestion as to what the problem might be? Thanks for the help!

coreseller

I wanted to throw in a little proviso to be fair: I've owned several other GM products and none proved to be anywhere near as troublesome as our Silhouette was. I bought a new Pontiac GTO over the winter (non-UAW assembled in Australia) and love it, It is extremely well designed and Germanlike solid. I had a 96 Impala SS that I took to 200K miles pretty much trouble free and hated to get rid of it. It just infuriates me to read and talk to others about the commonality of the problems people have with GM vans (RE: intake gasket) and see and experience GM's response/attitude concerning the fix. Now I've also read where GM is importing the 3.4 liter drivetrains from China? Is that the case?

fwpiii

The power windows (left and right) on my 1995 Chevy Astro van stopped working w/o any warning. I replaced the 30 amp circuit breaker but no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I could try.
Thanks

omani

I'm not very familiar with mechanical parts of a vehicle but I sure know a problem when I see one!

My friend recently recieved the computer control for the gear-shifts (Part No. 16197427). And we rigged it into his Chevy Van '95 model. But then that's where the van decided to turn against us. :mad:

At 1st gear it's incerredibly tired (A mule can beat it at take off!) but at 2nd and 3rd gear it's moving along nicely...that is until you get to the 4th gear. That's when the van REALLY starts to choke, you can literally feel it giving up. The part is genuine and brand new but we don't know where we went wrong, we checked the prints in the manual and double checked the wiring and all but nothing seems to be out of place. :confuse:

As I said before, I'm no mechanic and just to inform you that the part that before the new one (the computer control that was SUPPOSE to be in there actually got stolen, don't ask me. My friend still has nightmares about that :surprise: ). So where did we go wrong? The part by the way is correct and proper for the van, a helping hand would be greatly appreciated! :sick:

oko

May need to go waaay back with my '86 Astro. It starts like a champ but still, after a couple trips to the mechanic, races and stalls, often dying on stopping. Anyone know what's going on? Thanks

oko

When the AC is on, alot of really hot air blows out on the floor of the passenger side of our 2000 GMC Safari. I'm wondering if this is normal??? Thanks

rallen1

I've had the head gasket replaced twice, and my 98 Venture van only has 82k. How do I find out about this class action suit?

tess1

We have a very loud buzzing noise from the same area (front center console/windshield area)in our 2004 Venture. It doesn't sound like a horn honking, but more like a big old fly that's buzzing around your head. It's loud enough to interrupt conversations. It starts when you're going around 60 mph. (Fine for city driving, but guaranteed to make you insane when you're driving 400 miles on the interstate like we did yesterday.) I have to say that this loud buzzing is intermittent and seems to need a crosswind to get it going. The dealer has seen the car twice but the problem continues. Of course there are times when you can do 70 and the car drives quietly. Any ideas?

myastro

WE HAVE REPLACE THE POWER WINDOW MOTOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE ONCE AND HAVE HAD OTHER TIMES WHEN IT HAS WORKED INTERMITTANTLY, THE REPLACEMENT OF THE MOTOR HELPED FOR A LITTLE WHILE, BUT MY RECENT EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROBLEM LEADS ME TO BELIVE THERE IS A GROUND WIRE SHORT TO THE MOTOR. HAVE THIS CHECKED OUT. MY WINDOW WILL START WORKING AFTER I HAVE SLAMMED THE DOOR SEVERAL TIMES AFTER IT STOPS WORKING. VIBRATION SEEMS TO EFFECT IT AS WELL. THE NEXT STEP I WILL TAKE IS TO HAVE THE GROUND WIRING CHECKED OUT FROM THE POWER WINDOW MOTOR.

td01

I have a 2002 Venture with 48,500 Miles on it. Took it to Dealer and he tells me following items needs fixing.
-- In-take Gasket - $791
-- Water Pump - $258
-- Front Pads - $195 (W/O Rotors - may have to Resurface rotors)
-- Filters (Air etc.and inside the car) - $140
My other cars not Chevy's never need In-Take Gasket and pump never before 100,000 miles. Is there a way to check if it truly needs a gasket. What is reasonable charge for replacing gaskets? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Td

mac17

I've had the same problem . It has happened twice. The first time we replaced a fuse , 10 amp, it was number 50 on the fuse diagram..Mechanic could not find out why fuse blew..It happened yesterday( coincidentally in Home Depot parking lot, the same place as the first time..my wife said, that's it no more Home Depot)..We had the van towed to our garage mechanic ,,,we are waiting for a report
Did you ever find out the problem?

1panky

Dear td01, The list you provided is the same type of repair recommendation one obtains from a service center who uses a mileage/vehicle age repair chart. Repairs are recommended not on the condition of the vehicle but, rather by this chart. This exercise can and often is an extremely expensive proposition for the owner. I traditionally do not use a dealership as my primary repair facility after my warrantee lapses. I recommend taking this repair list to a good "independent" repair facility that is not part of a regional or national chain and have them check your vehicle and provide a second opinion. An independent facility will check each item noted and recommend repairs using the "real-world" condition of each item. You may be presently surprised by the recommendation you receive by an independent mechanic and at the very least, obtained a second opinion before you make a major financial investment in your vehicle. Let us know how you make out!

mac17

I just heard from my mechanic...they have found a broken wire that runs to the neutral switch,,from( I forgotten from where)...I replied to you earlier today message # 148..Hope this helps you

rrossnh

My battery died on my 2002 Chevy Astro van and my radio is locked. How do I unlock this thing?

weswing

I have been having a very similar problem with my '01 Venture.
It has not cranked 4 times in the last 3 weeks. Eventually, when you come back to the van (usually within a few minutes to an hour) it will crank like nothing is wrong. My mechanic said it would be a waste of my money and his time to try and pin-point the problem. Have you figured out what the problem was with your van? Would love to know!

cob

Call your nearest dealer and they will ask you the info on the vin number etc. They will call GM and get a code to unlock the radio. If you put the code in when you bought it you should be able to use the owners manual and your code to unlock it. If you did not put the code in originally then the dealer can help. When you get it unlocked look in the book on the instructions for disabling the theft lock then you don't have to worry about it if the battery dies or gets replaced.

coreseller

We went through a similiar problem with our 99 Silhouette. It turned out to be a bad batterry cable going from the positive side of the batterry down to the starter. The inside core had deteriorated right next to the battery under the insulation cover, luckily our local garage found it quickly and the fix was only $65. It was also intermitent. Good luck....Mark.