GM's triplets Venture, Silhouette, and Montana

mjb56

Yes, we had two corroded coil packs and posts were corroded on both. Though, I noticed on a rather lengthy trip after the repair that the mileage had declined slightly and it still did idle a bit roughly. Must get this checked out.

hhua1

Matt, Thanks for checking. I am pretty sure now that the dealer put on the used trans dip stick and tube to our van.

I just received a part order notice letter from the dealer couple days ago, to inform me that the trans tube order has come in and to call the service adviser. The tube order date was 4/10, the date that the tube was replaced in our van. The part arrival date was 4/15.

Well, I think I will live with current "used" tube and dip stick as long as the tube doesn't leak any more. I would hate to bring the van in and end up with additional problems.

kkollwitz

I was vacuuming out my wife's Venture on Saturday in the garage. Decided I needed to move it outside to take all the seats out. Forgot to lower the open rear hatch, busted the rear glass on the top of the garage door opening....not fun.

harris5k

I have a 2000 Silhouette that has been basically trouble-free for 26,000 miles(cupholder, rear strap). I have posted about an occasional extended crank that the dealer explained away with a design quirk that involves the camshaft and crankshaft sensors not lining up properly-hence the extra cranking. It also registered a misfire when this would happen. I'm used to turning the key and having a car immediately start, so when the cranking lasts for 2seconds (about every 5th time it's started), it's bothers me. About a year ago someone mentioned some security codes having to be cleared along with an ignition module being replaced, but they had problems that seemed too serious--extremely long cranks. Mine always starts. Has anyone experienced/complained about this? Was there a resolution? I get my oil changes elsewhere, so I don't make time to get to the dealer, unless I have to.Thanks.

mobilmac

seriously incompetent, or just lazy. Starting should never be a problem, and don't accept any lame excuse from a service advisor or anyone else. If the injectors are clean and plugs, wires and ignition are up to par, and fuel pump and fuel filter, you should never have to contend with extend cranking. Thats the beauty of fuel injection. Even when one has high mileage. With mileage as low as yours, go over the service managers head or find another dealership.

indrgb

I have this starting issue too. Mine is also a 2000 Silo. I've had the van only 2 months and it has 32k miles. I only drive it about once a week, but my wife drives it daily. When it's hot and you make a quick stop for food or gas and the van is off for 5 to 20 minutes, once in a while it cranks over several times (probably 3-4 seconds) before starting. This bothers me. I had it at the dealer 2 weeks ago for something else and mentioned this to the service adviser. He wrote it up, but when I picked it up he said they could not duplicate the problem or find anything wrong. At least it is documented under warranty. I will probably take it to another dealer just so that I can build a case when it fails to start at 37k miles. Anyone else out there with this problem? Anyone have any ideas?

kkollwitz

While my Venture has not exhibited any hotstart problems, I've had other cars that did. If a hot engine doesn't start in the usual second or two, I stop cranking immediately, wait a couple of seconds and crank again. This has always worked for me.

masonmi

I have the same problem with the Hot starting, i'll drive it for a while then stop for gas go to start my 2000 Venture and it just cranks like it won't start so I just turn the key back to off they start it and it works, maybe theres a defect in the starters, i've also had my dealer check out the problem and they can't duplicate it.
Does anyone have a high pitch whistle at 30 mph when accelerating? I notice this every once in a while, i'm unsure if its in the engine or if its in the brakes?

kkollwitz

It took me a few years, but I've broken the pulldown. Does anyone know of an aftermarket piece? I'd like to avoid getting a new OEM part that'll bust in another 2-3 years.

kkollwitz

The broken plastic bracket was intact except for the part cracked off around the pin-mounting holes. I filed off the rough edges, drilled new holes nearer the bracket base, and ran a couple of loops of wire thru them and the vinyl handle. Next trip to Home Depot I'll pick up a pack of clear plastic cable ties & swap the wire out for one of them.

bob550k

Wow, those are some heavy complaints! My car doesn't start in 3 seconds? What the heck is that about? Go for a drive in a 1967 VW Bus and then thank your lucky stars. Cars are pretty good, 3 seconds... Sheezzz, I thought the Honda guys were a tough bunch.

Whew!

offham

See my post #95

Know how you feel

mobilmac

vehicle, it is realistic to be conscience of what you call a insignificant 3 second start.

Hats off to the owners when they notice these things.

And so what if we say 2 seconds or 1, we don't have be exact, the point is, we notice it wasn't their before, and thats not the characteristic of that vehicle.

Sometimes a consumers thinks he notices an irregularity with his vehicle, only to have a overzealous smarty throw out a comment like post #112, and embarrass the owner into thinking there isn't a real problem or that he/she doesn't know what he/she(especially a woman) is talking about.

I've seen it happend numerous times to customers.

Complain, get it on record, get it in writing, in case it comes back to haunt you after the warranty is up.

dirkdaddy

agree on having it looked at. If you last drove a '82 Reliant K car maybe a 3 sec crank seems perfect, but for a Fuel Injected computer controlled car its slow. The EGR valve may be stuck, leaning the mixture out, something like that. Or bad gas, etc. Have it checked against one on the lot. Mine fires up usually in about 2 revolutions or little over 1sec.

indrgb

Thanks MM and DD for your comments regarding the extended cranking time. After 25 years of tinkering with cars I think I've learned a thing or two about starting cars. But there's always a smartass in every croud.

bob550k

If the EGR or the mixture was off wouldn't the check engine light be on? Maybe a momentary pause with the key in the on position before hitting the starter might be a good idea. Consider this before you let some meatball mechanic search through 20+ sensors (not all of which report on the computer readout) trying to correct something that may just be normal for a used car with 32,000 miles on it. Just think of the damage a poorly trained (or tired, or hung over, or disinterested) tech could do to your car while searching for something that just may be normal. I may be a smart [non-permissible content removed] but I cared for a fleet of 400+ cars and nobody is going to monkey around with my car for a 3-4 second start time. To repair these cars requires an exceptional understanding of computers, sensors, fuel injection, smog systems, electronics and more. There are many sensitive things to break under a modern hood to let someone poke around under there on a snipe hunt. The GM 3.4 liter fwd platform is one of the most reliable systems that has ever been built, but they are not and were not intended to be perfect.

Then again it just might read right out of the computers memory.

dirkdaddy

I'm don't have your experience to draw from, just my own tinkering. But as I understand it, a partially malfunctioning EGR valve isn't going to be caught by the computer. Vacuume leaks are also not really going to be caught unless really bad. From my readings on these sorts of systems (but I have not looked in my GM manuals for this specific FI system) after the intial "default" engine start mode (whatever time delay that is) the computer then goes to reading the sensors and running on the feedback it gets. The first say, 1 minute is running off a "default" stored set of injection maps. That is probably why your check engine light doesn't come on instantly when you start the motor. My father has a 3.8 bonneville that was not hitting right away when starting and he replaced the EGR valve and it seems to have done the trick. But as you mention, this is a complex system and something else might be off.

waiting a second before cranking is a good idea like you mentioned, it give the fuel pump time to get full pressure to the injectors.

Anyway, I'm looking for my mystery coolant leak on my 3.4, but in the mean time I just top it off every few weeks and wait for it to get worse.

DD

lennx

My 2002 Venture has good air flow from the dash vent when on cold air but when on hot, it makes lots of noise but blow only a small amount of hot air. Also the defrost seems to blow well on hot but poorly on cold.

Is this typical? The dealer said that how they all are.

mobilmac

with port fuel injection,(reliant k's had a carburetor in 82) which is standard in the triplets, i can assure you, it would start just as quick.
Your not making a fair conparison, you need to compare apples to apples not apples to oranges.

But that not the issue here, i was responding to post #105 and the others that followed with the same problem, harris5k stated that he had only 26k miles on his silo, thats not excessive mileage, and it is still well under warranty and he has a legitimate complaint.

Since his silo is still under warranty (3yrs.-36 mths), i did not expect nor did i recommend that he take it to joes corner shade tree shop, i stated that if he could not get the problem acknowledged by that olds service dept or serv. manager then go over his head or vote with his feet and go to another dealership.

continue next post

mobilmac

Who would be in a better position to work on that vehicle than a factory trained gm technician, who has dedicated diagnostic scanning equipment and updates straight from the factory.

The factory looks at similiar customer complaints from all 3 divisions (chevy,olds,pontiac)from all over the u.s and abroad, and compiles and analyzes them and comes up with a fix.

You said yourself that the gm 3.4 engine is a tried and true engine and its been around for a while, so fixing that bug should have been in the makings and a cinch.

Some reprograming? who knows.

Last of all, this is what this discussion board is all about, you can be asured that some gm minivan triplet owners have had this problem, and gotten it fixed by a really sharp technician, who is dedicated and followed up on the problem, we are just waiting for that owner or owners to share that with us, so we can inform our dealer service departments.

mobilmac

coolant reservoir got lower and lower every other week, and finally empty one week, i had to add a quart to the radiator before filling the reservoir.

You got to get that special gm coolant( dexicool) the orange stuff, that crap is expensive, took it to the shop more than once, could not duplcate .
It finally overheated while i was out town (figures). Took it back again, could not duplicate, funny, it never did it again, we just traded it about a month ago, we really didn't want to but my warranty was 10k over with certain peoblems sill lurking around.

Then i read a post on edmunds about gm's intake gasket problem on the 3.4 that was sucking coolant, so maybe thats your problem, i hope you are still under warranty.

Btw, i did notice my mileage started to suffer around the same time the coolant was playing magic
, i never saw a leak or smelled anything.

dirkdaddy

Thanks, yea, I have heard about the intake gasket problems. Seems like if I had to guess that's what it would be. Its so slow (only have to add a quart like every 3 weeks) I can't find it. Oil is fine, etc. Sometimes when I come to a stop and get out of the van I can smell that hot coolant smell. I've popped the hood and looked on the block and manifold, etc, but can never see anything.

I am cheap and have a large set of tools in my garage, but the prospect of tearing into the motor to that extent isn't something I'm aching to do at this point. The coils, injectors, alternator, valve covers, even pushrods have to come out to repair the gasket if you belive the GM manuals. I think I could disconnect the front motor mounts and tip the whole motor forward to gain better access, but paying the dealer $500 seems pretty appealing with my limited time for such projects. I like messing with stuff like that and doing the job right, but I'd hate to get into it and find the head gaskets were messed up, and have to pull heads to fix the thing. At least if its at the dealer and they need to really get into it, its not in my garage in peices.

No, my '98 isn't under any warrenty.

DD

robsmith

Just wondering if anyone has heard of the rear windshield shattering?

My Venture was parked in the garage and no one was around it. The only thing that was going on outside was my son was edging the sidewalk with an electric edger. It was about 20 ft away and not directly behind the van so I've just about ruled out some kind of rock being tossed up.

Has anyone experienced anything like this?

kkollwitz

may have finally let loose while the car was parked. Tempered glass has a lot of internal stress, and the cracking process can be very odd relative to typical unstressed float glass.

missedbass

I bought a 98 olds last year and I had it one month and the rear window shattered. It was about 65 degrees out and sunny. The glass just shattered and blew out, not in. There was a slight scratch on the window but I doubt that caused it to shatter. I see plenty of windows with glass etching designs and they don't shatter. I think it is defective glass but there is no way to prove it. Had new glass put in and haven't had a problem.

dadofchamp

What are the differences in the suspension systems in the Triplets?
Same question for the brakes.
Thanks!

dirkdaddy

I've wondered the same thing. I can tell ya, the basic design of the suspension is the exact same - strut front, beam axle with coil springs and shocks in the rear. Brakes are likely to be the exact same, power assisted ventilated disks in front, drums rear.

Some vans have self-leveling air shocks in the rear, as does mine, and the rear springs seems very soft. Just a 130lb person sitting in the 2nd row seat will kick on the compressor. I would imagine the spring rate of the non air-shock system to be higher.

I drove a base type '97 Pontiac and it wallowed all over the road, while the '98 olds I drove was totally different and felt very connected and stable. Tires, I think were the main difference, but their might be some slight differnces in struts/shocks and the anti-sway bar stiffness up front.

While the Olds is decent, I'd really like to get some firmer shocks to keep it from gyrating after dip in the road. Has anyone tried replacements they can recommend? I know Gabriel makes "hijackers" air shocks that probably are stiffer, and I guess their struts would be firmer. I used to assume that new shocks/struts would be an improvement to a stiffer, more controlled ride, but after replacing a Tempo's struts, my mushy ride was the same.

rayt2

The window glass more than likely shattered due to stress on the glass or frame, due to poor installation. If their not set properly it will stress the glass to point of eventually breaking without any warning.

Dirk, Have you thought about Bilsteins?????

Ray T.

dadofchamp

How about a price check on a 99 4 Dr LS Extended Venture?

4 Dr LS Passenger Van Extended, 36K, 8 Passenger Seating, AM/FM Stereo/CD/Tape, Camper/Towing Package, Dual Air Conditioning, Power Drivers Seat, Power Sliding Door, Traction Control System, Rear Audio, Load Leveling, Good Rubber, Good Brakes, Very Clean.

My mechanic is checking it out in the morning. $14,990 (firm) What do you think?

grandtotal

Is it a dealer sale or a private sale? What colour is it?

rayt2

You can get all that info from Edmunds Used Car section, just plug in the info and you'll see what it's worth and can print it out too!

Ray T.

dirkdaddy

bilsteens are great shocks from what I hear. I replaced my car shocks with KYB's and they were nice but a bit firm (of course that was the intent though). My truck bounced all over the place with stock shocks, but Duetch Tech Nitrogen's stablized it a great deal.

The only deal with those choices is that I don't think any of those companies makes a air shock for the back, and that is the bounciest and both ends need the same dampers. That's why I was looking at pedestrian shocks like Monroe and Gaberial.

dadofchamp

Been there, done Edmunds. 14,990 is about $750 less than TMV so it sounds like a good price. I was just checking. Thanks!

dadofchamp

Dealer Sale - Light Blue
It's a "referral" deal. Leasing section of a dealership, with only 2 salesman who aren't part of the regular sales staff. You give them the name of someone who has bought a vehicle from them in the past and they show you the asking price that all the other salesman are starting with and then they say "$14,990 is my best deal." That "best deal" is about $1800 less than the asking price he showed me on the huge list of used veicles on lot. There were hints that they might drop a hundred or two, but it evident that it won't be much more than that.

ronsmith38

I took my 2000 Silhouette in for service (oil/filter, air & fuel filters, and some warranty items - flickering cabin lights, and a rattle in the dash. They did not have the part for the cabin lights TSB. During the trip home from the dealer (very good service up to now) with my wife driving, the car started to accelerate wildly. By the time she got home the engine had over heated to near the red line, and the brakes no longer worked. The brakes probably failed due to over use trying to slow down the car. The car was towed back to the dealer, and was there 2 days before they said it was ok. They said they installed the flickering lights TSB (a connector on the alternator) , and checked/tightened many connections, but no real defining fix. They test drove it for 38 miles. Any thoughts on this? I am a little afraid the problem might return.

yzf

Ron:

Ask the service guys if they checked the throttle cable. While not that common, throttle cables have been known to get hung up on other parts that have chafed or protrude for some reason or another. Did they check the cruise control module as well? Those are some of the obvious things that may have caused the wild acceleration. BTW - how did you stop the increased acceleration? Did you have to turn off the engine then turn back on? If so, was it normal after that?

As far as the heating, if you didn't hit redline, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're right in that the brakes probably did take a beating due to the acceleration. Might be worth having them checked too and having the brake fluid flushed and replaced.

Good luck.

robsmith

I've noticed that my 2000 Chevy Venture will start rolling backwards even while in drive on a slight incline.

Is this normal for this vehicle or is this a signal that something might be going wrong with?

Thanks for any help.

dirkdaddy

I think that is a function of new transmission tuning. Used to be in the 70's they had big honkin' v8's and they would have the torque converter engage right at idle, so lifting your foot off the brake would send the vehicle forward. Now, for better fuel milage, mfg's make the engines idle freely, not dragged down by having to pull the torque converter along, so your vehicle can move backwards.

Summary: Use the brake

bcd99

My '01 does the same thing. It's a little annoying, more like driving a stick then an auto. But they say that the new way the trannys are set.

grgbrtz

For those of us who have things to tow, what have yuo used for a hitch? Class II or III? Please let me know your experiences with these vehicles for towing. I just got an 02 Venture WB edition with AWD. So far we love it. Wifes car mainly.

bcd99

I have an 01 Silo and am planning to buy the Reese III hitch #37028 being that the trailering pkg specifies 3500lbs capacity. Just have to get up the initiative to buy it and the drill the holes in the rails.

tomekk

I'm jumping in a little late into this 3-4 second "crank to start" discussion, but when we bought the van (brand new Venture 2000 in November of 2000),

I noticed immediately that it would be fairly hard to start when hot. I was reading the manual (very informative and well written, I have to say)and it said that if you're cranking hot engine and it is not starting up right away, you've got to give it some gas. I told my wife about it and she just pushes the gas pedal a little when cranking hot angine, and it starts immediately.

So, it seems to be normal behaviour of the 3.4 engine.

Hope this helps,

Tomek

P.S. I just dropped it off for service today - small oil leak from the engine, low coolant, busted hatch pulldown handle (happened in December when cold), transmission seems to be making moaning noise when not under load (it moans whn I keep my foot on the brake, but when I push on the gas and get the car going, the noise goes away). All that at 28.5K miles... should've gotten Ody or Sienna.

indrgb

Tomek - I admit, I did not look in the OM before posting my first message. After reading your message I looked and it did say that if it doesn't start after 3 seconds to push the pedal about 1/4 way and try again. I will give this a try the next time I get extended cranking. I'm a little puzzled about it since the van is fuel injected. If anyone wants to jump in here feel free. I've owned many fuel injected cars and never had extended cranking until now.

montanafan

Here is a possible reason the pushing the pedal may work. From talking to the guys at the emissions test station, they say that the cars are programmed to run lean on start up to reduced emissions. This causes changes in gas (seasonnal or brand) to effect starting. Perhaps by pushing the gas pedal, this is overridden?

tomekk

Montanafan,

but this only happens only when the engine is hot, and not every time. What causes it, I don't know, but at least I know what to do when it happens :-) it makes sens though that the engine is running too lean and stomping on gas will give it the extra fuel to make start possible. On related note, I've always been impressed with our Venture's fuel economy (22-26mpg, way better than my friend's Oddysey). Combined with 25 gal. tank it is true bladder busting cruiser.

Tomek

tomekk

So, after 28K miles the following repairs were made:
- replace alternator (it was causing moaning noise, really strange)
- fix oil leak form seal around balance shaft (somewhere at the bottom of the engine
- fix broken hatch pulldown handle (yes, they did have them in stock)
- adjust driver's side sliding door

It would be about $1,500 at consumer rates (the warranty bill from the dealer to GM was $900).

Earlier I had right rear shock absorber replaced twice (it was leaking both times), right outside mirror replaced, and I'm waiting for new driver's seat cover as a internal seat frame rubbed through the fabric and split it open...

I'm thinking of extending my warranty. Anybody can recommend warranty company that's cheaper than the $1500 bumper-to-bumper extension to 6 years / 60K miles offered by GM?

Thanks,

Tomek

pukie

I have a 99 Transport/Montana with a few problems that shouldn't be happening with a van that is less than 3 years old. I currently have 60k miles on it. The warranty ran out 25k miles ago, so there seems that there is not much I can do in that department.
Here are the problems that I am having.
#1. Like alot of other Montana owners in this site, I too have a problem with disappearing coolant. Where is it going? I top up the over flow tank about once a month and then the low level coolant light comes on about a month later.
#2. Airbag warning light on steady. This only happens when my gas gauge drops under 3/4 tank. Once I fill up with gas, the light goes out until the gauge reads under 3/4 tank. Go figure! Explain this one to your mechanic. I have been keeping an eye on it for 2 months now, and the same results every time.
#3. Hard upshift. I have to be careful when drinking coffee while driving. My vans upshift is so violant some times that I wish my airbag would deploy so I don't get a broken nose on my steering wheel.
#4. WIPERS. THOSE D#$M WIPERS. I have replaced them twice now because they run into each other and get bent in two. I had the wiper motor looked at with no fault found.
#5. Drivers side electric window. It never ever goes all the way up unless given a little bit of help with my hand.
#6. Within the first 3 months of owning the van, the paint dissappeared from the front bumper. It began by bubbling and then flaking off. Yes, this was covered by the warranty and has held up since.

I believe that this is all of it.
I can't really afford to get these problems fixed because hey, I'm still paying for the van.

I'm just praying that it holds up until the payments are done atleast

yzf

I have a 1.25 Draw-tite receiver installed on my 2001 Olds Silhouette (with towing package). Its rated to 3500 pounds and a 300 pound tongue weight. I had asked for a 2 inch receiver, but the dealer who had it installed screwed it up. So I got the hitch for free. So far, I've just towed light duty stuff (large bbq trailer, trailer with motorcycle) with no problem whatsoever. The compressor in the back really helps keep the van level when towing. The receiver is also mounted back so the hitch is not too obvious. Hope this helps.

jpc47

The door window on my 1998 Venture has a small latch. The pin in this latch has popped out twice. I put it back in both times but I'm wondering in anybody out ther has an idea on a more permenant fix. Thanks.

mizeuml

Just got my '99 Montana back from the shop today. The rear a/c was blowing hot air when the a/c was on. They replaced the rear expansion valve for $180. It took them a while to find this problem. Got the air bag light problem fixed for the 4th time. This time they replaced seat belt retractors on both front seats for $240. Got one of the throttle cables replaced. The outside casing was cracked. This was a $30 job. Thanks to GM's extended warranty, they got to cover the bill again. I bet they have paid out over $4000 on warranty on this van. We are having problems with the engine running rough when first started with a cold engine, but they could not find any problems. We also had the Check Engine light come on once and the engine was cutting out while stopped at a light. Had to rev engine to keep it running. They checked diagnostics but did not find any codes, so they charged me $60 for that. I asked them to check the ignition coils since two of the posts were corroded where the plug wires attach, but they didn't. I wonder if the coil packs are going bad, but the van runs fine going down the highway. Any ideas???

Thanks,
Matt