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A/C. This summer the A/C condensate drain started backing up into the cabin. The symptom first noticed is wet floor carpet/mats and then NO water draining on the ground outside. This is bad news in the summer due to quick mold formation and also water under the floor mats shorting out the electrical cables. I first tried sticking a wire inside the drain hole (high on passenger side firewall) to clear it out. There did not appear to be anything clogging the hole, and this probing did not fix it.
Reading on various forums about this and similar issues on other vans, I realized that it could be due to a bad gasket or seal that is impossible to get to due to its location inside the firewall. As I was doing some home plumbing repairs at the time, I decided to try some flexible plastic tubing. I used grey Merflex PEX tubing with a 3/8" OD and 1/4" ID and it fit perfectly. I pushed it as far in as it would go, and then after it came out I made a slight downward curve, and then I ran it down to drain near the control arm/ground. Obviously, you want to keep it away from the exhaust manifold, but there is plenty of room in this area to safely locate the new drain pipe. I used a plastic zip tie to secure the pipe to something solid and not moving. This fix immediately got the H20 out of the cab and onto the ground and it has held up fine since June! You can buy the tubing at any home improvement store in 2'-3' pieces and then cut to length.
Hub/Bearing Assembly. A couple of years ago we started to get the amber ABS light coming on intermittently and then after that we heard a whining sound coming from the lower front of the car. I suspected a bad hub bearing due to the sound and also that the ABS sensor is internal to the hub. We made a best guess as to which side was bad by driving and listening and also putting the car on jacks and moving the wheels and listening. I replaced the front left Hub/Bearing Assembly with a new Timken (Made in USA) version and the whine is gone and the ABS light has stayed off.
Control Arm. At the same time I was doing the Hub, I decided to replace the front left half-axle because the van was making a clicking sound coming from the left front axle area. I took out the OEM axle and bought a new one at AutoZone. I was surprised that no core charge was included with the purchase price and that the part was brand new. Anyway, I put in the new left half axle, but the clicking sound DID NOT go away! In addition, within a short time period (4-6 months) the van started making a clunking sound when shifted into drive from park when cold. I got busy and I put off trying to solve the old and new problem.
Fast forward to present (Oct. '10), and I noticed when changing the oil that the lifetime warranty, 2 year old, half axle had already torn a hole in its boot. I have been reading about a clicking sound in GM minivans caused by a bad control arm bushings. So I called automotive machine shops and asked about the price of getting a control arm bushing replaced. The responses ranged from not interested to "$30-$50 range." So I talked to my neighbor who works at another national auto parts chain and he got me the new front left control arm at his employee price of $51.
I replaced the old control arm, and sure enough, the vertical bushing in the old arm could be pushed out with my fingers (i.e defective). I also took out the defective half axle and returned it to AutoZone. All they had for replacement was the same new, but low quality (Made in China), part that I had purchased two years ago. I even took one out of the box, grabbed each end and turned in opposite directions, and noticed quite a bit of play. I declined the new part and got my $60 back. I put the OEM axle, that I had kept from two years ago, back in the van and reassembled everything. Both the clicking sound from the control arm and the clunking sound from the low quality half axle are GONE!
Finally, the amount of rotational play in the 7 year old used OEM half axle was less than that of a new, albeit lower quality, part purchased today. Let the Buyer Beware!
I am also looking for a good mechanic in the Dallas,TX area.
I recently fixed a problem with shoddy Walmart labor installed tires. They shook the front end for awhile until I figured out the problem. SO I had it fixed. Now I noticed a vibration that seems to be under my feet. I can feel the vibration through the steering wheel. It only happens when the van is moving. So it could be an axle or something that rotates. It has gotten worse and very noticeable. Does this sound like a bad axle or wheel bearing? I can usually do the work myself but haven't done any in years. Thanks.
2003 Silhouette.
http://www.amazon.com/Crescent-OBD2-Multi-Protocol-Diagnostic-Scanner/dp/B001MT0- - XPK/ref=pd_sim_e_2
I FOUND THE 3RD ROW BENCH SEAT FROM THIS WEBSITE IT WILL TELL YOU ALL OF THE PLACES THAT HAVE IT NEAR YOU AND AWAY FROM YOU.
I WAS LUCKY MY SEAT WAS 2 MILES AWAY AFTER 2 WEEKS OF NON STOP LOOKING . SOME ONE IN ANOTHER FORUM GAVE ME THIS SITE AND IT WAS MAGIC. AND BY THE WAY VENTURES,AND MONTANA'S ARE INTERCHANGEABLE WITH THE SILHOUETTE'S . GOOD LUCK
When I first bought the car someone posted how I would get beaten down on resale because I should have bought an Odyssey. I would love to hear the final comparo from him. I paid $18,000 for the car (I never even put rear brake shoes on this thing), ran it from 22,000 miles to nearly 129,000 miles. Sold it to the first person that waived green at me for $2,800. I realize I could have gotten more, but I'm more than happy for that young family that got that immaculate, garage kept car so cheap.
I really wonder how much better I would have done had I sprung the extra $8,000 - $10,000 for a similar used Ody after 10 years....
Good luck
So I get out my Haynes manual and start troubleshooting. The wiring harnesses to the fans are fine. The 3 relays are all tested and are good. Fuses to the fans are good. I ran a grounded 12 volt from a trickle charger to the individual fans at the harness and they both turned on, so the fans themselves are good. I decided to take it to a trusted local auto A/C shop to see if it was related to the compressor.
The A/C shop said all A/C components were good, but they could not fix it because it was beyond their scope of expertise and charged us $50 for the diagnostic time.
Not having much electrical background, I then take the van to a certified independent mechanics shop (that I have used before) and have the auto electrical "expert" look at it. He comes back with an opinion that the fuse block is bad and it should be replaced with another one. He states that he can only get used ones for $200-$250 from salvage yards, so no guarantee with the part. His estimate to get another fuse block, replace ours, and maybe fix the problem is $500-$600. I pass and pay him $150 for the "extensive" diagnostic time they spent on our van.
At this point I decide that I'm going to learn about electrical circuits and dive into the wiring diagrams in the Haynes manual and also do a thorough web search on this issue. I quickly come to a second wiring diagram for these fans that appears to be from either a GM service manual or another DIY source. Here is that diagram (thanks to the author for this effort):
http://www.my-chevy-venture.com/engine-cooling-system.html
I realize that I can take apart the fuse block. The bottom three modules are held to the top of the block with screws. I unscrew the module containing the grey and light blue fan electrical wires and I find both the female and male metal electrical connectors are black and the female ends are not likely to make good contact based on their slightly distorted shape . So I go to a local salvage yard/pull-apart and find a similar van and then cut out two good female electrical clips with 5"-6" of wire attached. The trick to getting these connectors out is to remove the secondary light blue slide-in plastic clip first and then use a very small (eyeglass repair) flat screwdriver to push the primary spring down that holds the female connectors in the plastic bay.
I get home and remove/cut out the two bad female connectors from the module, clean the male contacts, insert the two new female connectors into the module, and butt splice the new connectors to the corresponding wires coming from the fans. Then I screw the module back into the fuse block, start the van, and the fans are RUNNING AGAIN with the A/C turned on. Hooray!
I'm not sure why there was a short/poor connection to cause this problem. Maybe one or two bad connectors from the factory? Maybe too much amperage on this type of connector/bad design? Maybe something internal in the fuse block? It did take 11 years for the connection to finally fail. From an internet search, there seems to be a fair number or people who cannot solve this problem and have to hard wire the fans directly from the battery to get them to run. I was also prepared to fix it in that manner.
So after the initial run around with mechanics who were not close to being experts, we spent a total of $3 for two used wiring connectors, some new butt splice connectors, and some electrical tape to fix our van. Most importantly, I learned quite a bit about vehicle electrical diagnosis and repair. Hope this info helps someone out there.
Also, the temp gauge is not working the way it should and neither is the fuel gauge. My friend claims that there is a problem with the instrument cluster on that side(right side). Now the tach and speedometer and other things are fine, and I'm wondering if the fuel sending unit in the gas tank may be at fault. The temp gauge goes down to 0 when the van is shut off and when you start it, it seems to come up to temp normally, but then creeps up to just below the red marks, but this causes no problems and the cooling fans seem to work normally. My friend says he was told he'd need to replace the instrument cluster at a fairly good price to solve these problems and he's not going to do this, so he'll have to live with it. The gas gauge is what really bugs me. It just seems to go all over the place, one time it might be right at the full mark, and then it's at half or below. He's got a wacky formula that he uses so that he or his wife don't run out of gas. They multiply the number of gallons they buy by 18 and reset the trip meter and when they get near what they call the "magic" number, they get more gas(LOL)
Sorry to be so long winded, but if any of you have any suggestions especially whether we can replace those auto shocks with regular ones, please let me know and thanks very much.
Greg
One thing that I didn't mention is the bottom of the fuse block should have a black plastic cover/splash guard that snaps into place. Ours was missing and I'm not sure when it was removed or if it was ever on the van from the dealer, where we bought it new. I got another one at the junk yard.
Our van had over $4K in dealer performed GM warranty repairs in the first 5 years (extended warranty came with all new Olds vehicles in mid to late '01). We will run this van for another 10 years, assuming that the head gasket and tranny don't fail. I might even tackle the head gasket myself.
We do like the van for its size, interior space, and ride, but it's very high maintenance! So much potential existed for improving upon this great basic design (large inside-small footprint outside- lighter than competitors- fuel efficient), but alas, GM just gave up and moved on to SUVs.
2003 olds silhouette
A couple of months ago, I suddenly lost the 5th fan setting on the A/C dual climate control. When it's on 0, it runs as if it's on 1. I've replaced the climate control (not exactly cheap), but it didn't resolve the issue. Both climate controls were checked and are working properly, so I'm a little lost. Not particularly my strong point.
Any idea what it could be? What's the next step?
I'd appreciate any input anyone could offer. Thanks in advance!
The driver's power seat on my 2003 Silhouette Premiere has quit working. Fuses are both good. What is my next step?