GM's triplets Venture, Silhouette, and Montana

dirkwork · January 2004

Sounds like a bad switch in the door, but there is also a trigger for the remote to lock/unlock that could also do it. You could disconnect the door switches and drive it around and then if it still happens, its probably something with the body control computer. Also check to see that the wiring harness below the battery isn't getting ate up with battery acid, many of the Delco batteries leak and caused electrical problems as the harness is below it.

Also, this sounds stupid but you should check your keyring as maybe something on it is pressing the button to lock/unlock as you drive. You can also leave remote away from vehicle and see if the remote was triggering it.
DD

letsgetmikey · January 2004

I had the same problem. Screeching sound for a second after first start of the day. Sounded something like a starter grinding.

Took it in to the dealer, turns out it is a pump starting up. Mechanic said its pretty common on these vans. Nothing to worry about, just annoying.

Not as annoying as them charging $65 to tell me that, but I digress...

Mikey

baveux · January 2004

The gauge and my assumption were right, the thermostat was defective, they changed it today and now the hand on the gauge is just below the halfway mark.

mmossler · January 2004

The noise is coming from the starter. I am curious as to what pump the dealer was talking about making that kind of noise? Fuel pump does energize when the key is turned, maybe that's what your dealer meant. Mine is a definitely starter related.

lct1 · January 2004

Any web sites or suggestions where I could get help in dealing with
getting my van fixed. Looking for others with similar problems. Under
warranty (20k miles)but dealers, GM customer service, and BBB have
been mostly a waiste of time. I have Owned a GM vehicle for almost 30
yrs and can't believe what I have gone through to get this van fixed.
Problem with belt squeal and chirping since new I think is fixed. At
one point the dealer lubed the belt without telling me and claimed
there was nothing wrong. They covered up the problem and acted like I
was crazy. After 5 belts, tensioner, and 10 attempts, 4 Dealers,
seems that problem was nothing lined up properly when assembled. Now
I am labled a problem customer and someone that you just can't
sastify. Can't get questions answered or anything in writing. Other
problem is AC. High pressure valve blew out at 19K miles, As soon as
I got it back it was blowing warm air. Was told use rec. nothing
wrong, next they recharged it, colder but not as it was when it
broke. You could have made Ice cream in this van before it broke, now
it is cool and gets worse the hotter it is outside. They say it is
within specs. and refuse to go with me in other vans to show the
difference, which I've done. Also since AC broke bad moldy smell.
Before it broke still smelled like a new van. AC broke in Aug. when
it was 95 outside. This is just some of the story with this van. More later, Thanks

lct1 · January 2004

O2 Venture 3.4 , oil dripping off oil pan. Took it to the dealer
they tightened the oil pan bolts. Also tightened the drain plug so
tight I had to use a breaker bar on it when I changed the oil. Oil
leak got worse. When I went back the service manager put in dye and
said drive it for a few days. This was 2 months ago and although it
is still leaking it is not as bad. Oil was plashing everthing under
the van until dye was put in. My question is it possible they put a
sealer in it? It was in a small bottle and the oil turned a dark
green color. Thanks Len

jeber · January 2004

gosh, it would seem strange they would do that instead of just actually finding leak's source, but possibility. Only thing I could think of, a lot of people have "oil analyses" done...I've never done it but I don't think its too costly or time consuming. If sealer is found in oil, take results back to dealer, (verbally) rip their heads off and find a new mechanic to work with - good luck

peteragold · January 2004

Latest update on my 98 Transport--72,000 miles. Car was overheating--took in to dealer---they said I was low on coolant and leaking from intake manifold gasket--wanted $900 for repair. Had them do repair, replace the thermostat which is impossible to do yourself, flush engine oil and coolant. Drove car home, was running hotter than normal. Checked coolant next morning was fine. My wife drove car 15 miles and started to overheat again. I went to check car out and it was low on coolant again. I refilled with coolant and limped into dealer. Called me the next day and said now I was leaking cooling via cylinder head gaskets. Engine probably got too hot and warped or fried gaskets. Had to pay $1,900 for this repair. Yes that number you see is correct. Boy was I hot--almost as hot as the engine. The point is the dealer, GM or now BBB won't do a thing. I think this is all related to the intake manifold gasket issue. If the gasket had not leaked I would not have lost coolant causing the overheating in the first place. This intake manifold gasket is a critical item. It leaks, you lose coolant, engine is low on coolant so it overheats. So far no help. I have written letters and asked for some help but have not gotten any.

Same conclusion as before in message #713, I would not recommend these vehicles to my worst enemy.

lct1 · January 2004

Good chance Head gaskets were bad and they didn't check it properly. At 72k the intake was due to be replaced but they should know to check HG also. Try and find out if they properly checked it the first time and maybe you could get them to give you a brake on labor. I have always owned A GM vehicle but recently found they have no customer service. Good luck

n7don · January 2004

I'm surprised the 'low coolant light' didn't give you a warning of the pending condition. If you got no warning, I'd suggest having this low coolant sensor checked out too.
It's unfortunate you've had these costly problems. Based on the history of the lower manifold leak, I started checking the overflow coolant bottle's level regularly. Found after a long, high speed drive, level would drop slightly. I could see a very slight leak so I went ahead and replaced the manifold gasket. Overall my wife and I really like the utility of the van and with the glut of used cars trade-in value wasn't much.
As a side note, do you know the reputation of the dealer? I'd ask for the failed head gasket if it's not too late.

veestar · January 2004

Anyone out there install there own thermostat and if so, are there any snags? ('97 Montana)

Thanks

n7don · January 2004

I've done it but not a fun project. I ended up making a 'curved' open-end wrench to loosen the housing bolts. One of the housing holes is slotted but I still had to take all the way out! The service manual says to 'remove the cross-over exhaust pipe' which looked to be more work than it's worth. I recently replaced the lower manifold gasket and here's what I'd recommend you try... based on what I saw. Remove the upper manifold and I believe you can get to the bolts. While this sounds like a lot, it's not too difficult. You may have to get a new gasket but if you're lucky, the old one is reusable.

Also I found with the upper manifold off you can remove a wiper linkage arm and with the engine tilted forward, get the alternator out. The book says to lower the whole engine [non-permissible content removed]'y.

lct1 · January 2004

I have a 02 Venture doing same thing. 23k miles. Starter will keep clicking after van starts for 2 or 3 seconds. Sometimes when it starts it feels like the engine is trying to jump out from under hood. Service manager didn't hear it even though I was standing right there. Doesen't do it all the time. Please let me know if anyone has any information on this, I'll post as well. I am guessing the signal sent to the starter is not stopping then solenoid keeps ingaging the starter. Thanks Len

just4fun2 · January 2004

By your above post, are you saying that you were able to remove the thermostat and the housing with out removing the exhaust cross-over pipe? I have wondered if you would have enough clearance to remove the thermostat and housing without removing the cross over pipe.

What a nice set up the designers did with that.

Thank you.

n7don · January 2004

Yes. Close, but doable. Loved ones should maintain their distance!!
The problem was getting the housing bolts loose. The wrench I made was bent so I could get to the bolts under the exh. cross-over. Again with the upper manifold off the bolts are visable and I think is the way I'd go about it again.
I second the design job comment!

lennx · January 2004

lct1

Did you take it back for them to check where the die came out?

stever · January 2004

"Once again, the Chrysler Group made America's favorite minivans in 2003. According to year-end sales figures, Chrysler sold a total of 374,494 minivans in the last calendar year, including 233,394 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravans, 120,767 Chrysler Town & Countrys and 20,333 Voyagers. Honda came in second in the family-mobile derby, selling 154,063 Odyssey vans, while General Motors took third in total minivan sales, selling some 148,881 Chevrolet Venture/Olds Silhouette/Pontiac Montana vans. Rounding out the top five were Ford's Windstar/Freestar with 129,236 customers and the Toyota Sienna, which sold 105,499 copies."

link

Steve, Host

just4fun2 · January 2004

GM actually didn't do bad considering that they are selling a 7 year old style van and Oldsmobile is on it's way out.

bryanttarvin · January 2004

Hi everyone,

I do not own a Silhouette, but I do own a 2003 Final 500 Aurora and found out that GM had begun publishing information for the Final 500 Silhouette. For those that might consider purchasing one of the last Oldsmobile luxury minivans, you can go this website to get information about how they will be optioned and what comes on the Collector's Edition models:

http://eogld.ecomm.gm.com/NASApp/domestic/proddesc.jsp?year=2004&- amp;- amp;- amp;addOptions=true&regionID=1&divisionID=6&type=0&am- p;am- p;am- p;vehicleID=251&section=oi_def&page=1&pagenum=1&b- - - utID=3

Alast, the end is almost here for Oldsmobile. I, for one, hate to see it go. It will be missed(by me at least!)

Enjoy!

Bryant Tarvin

baveux · January 2004

Its sad to see Olds going, but seeing what their doing to Buick is making me feel worse.

Buick is synonym of smooth quiet and reliable ride. They start to screw up with the rendez vous, they are coming with a van...they are ruining the Buick name...

They are no better with Caddy, a pick up now, imagine a pickup......Oh well

leftyga1 · January 2004

This has been a tough fix for my mechanic. He has been on the mechanic's internet site. The usual places of leakage show no sign. My Olds Silouette has a transmission cooler and an oil cooler -- but they seem fine. I think the mechanic settled on the intake gasket, after inspecting the rear gasket. Of course, all the hoses needed to be replaced. He suggests GM may issue checks if there is a common occurence among owners. Any others having this problem?

n7don · January 2004

Search this discussion group for "manifold leak". Appears it's a common problem.

indrgb · January 2004

I have my first out of warranty problem on my 2000 Silo. I can't complain too much with 53k I guess. The heater airlfow is "stuck" coming from the vents and the floor. If you move the switch to change the airflow location it makes no difference. The blower works fine however. I figure one of three things: heat/cool control unit, vacuum line, or god forbid a stuck damper door. Can anyone suggest how to troubleshoot this?

Thanks,
Ron

leftyga1 · January 2004

Thanks "n7don" for the search tip. I have printed them out to document the intake manifold problem. Still, none of these many comments relate to oil getting into the coolant - just a coolant leak to the garage floor. Happily, the problem was fixed. Apparently my particular problem is rare (anyone)?

jeber · January 2004

I don't have a leak in my silo...knock on wood, but from my reading here and elsewhere, I understand the notorious leak can range anywhere from barely noticible, just external and sometimes hardly even enough to drip onto the ground, all the way up to extremely bad, where it gets coolant into the oil and/or leaks bad enough to cause overheating.

leftyga1, is your van under warranty? If not, and gm helps out with the leak fix (labor, parts, discount, whatever) please let us know. It would sure be a relief to know that gm would pick up even a little of this rather large, costly job since its obviously quite common, and obviously due to THEIR flawed design/part.

hansienna · January 2004

Hmmmmmm: Caravan/GC was #1 by a LARGE margin. Odyssey was firmly in #2, GM's combo # 3. Venture/Montana/Silhouette, # 4 was Chrysler Voyager/T&C, Ford Windstar #5, and Toyota Sienna a distant 6th place.
How few in sales were the Mazda MPV, Kia Sedona, Volkswagen Eurovan?
Considering GM sells THE most vehicles of any company, the low sales of the GM triplets is another indicator of the decline of GM.

n7don · January 2004

There are passages that let coolant circulate from the engine block and through the head into the lower manifold and through the radiator. One at each end of the head, for a total of 4. If the gasket leaks externally, the coolant ends up on the floor. If the gasket leaks internally, the coolant ends up in the crank-case (oil). Now for you statement of oil in the coolant.... if that's what's really happening and not coolant in the oil, I'd suspect some other source such as the transmission oil cooler which is in the right radiator tank or if you have an engine oil cooler, it's sandwiched between the oil filter and engine block.

artgpo · January 2004

I would carefully examine the sales figures for GM as compared to ANY other brand worldwide. GM was and still is the sales leader. Just because one particular line of their vehicles is not a segment leader does not indict the entire company. Please check your facts before making such a broad statement.

hansienna · January 2004

What GM brand and model sells more than the competition?
GM will probably NEVER sell me another vehicle. GM does NOT have reliability of Toyota. All Toyotas have been better reliability than any of the GM vehicles I have owned. My Ford F-150 also has better quality than any offering from GM that I have owned.
Toyota does not re-label cheap junk from Korea as does GM.

artgpo · January 2004

Since this is a discussion area concerning GM triplets, I'll make this my final off-topic comment.

The two worst vehicles I have owned were a Toyota Corolla and a Nissan Van. I will refresh your memory to inform you that Nissan bought back ALL the vans from that particular generation because of an engine fire hazard. Perhaps someone else can enlighten me but I cannot remember any other car maker buying back all the vehicles involved in a recall, not even GM.

Sure, my experience goes back a number of years but that is also my point. I don't believe the GM vehicles of 2004 are significantly inferior to any others on the road and, in some cases, they are far superior.

No one will win this peeing contest so you go back and enjoy whatever it is you drive and so will I.

mlesner · January 2004

I have been have a popping and or thumping noise coming from the rear of the minivan. It has been checked by the dealer twice and they can here it. I was told that Chevy Know about the noise and has no fix or idea of what it is. The dealer has told me the truck meets all GM Specs. but the noise is still there. A Dealer gives the mechanic 15 minutes to find the problem because after that they don't get paid for their time. If you add a lot of weight to the rear the noise goes away which leads me to believe it is the shock or spring supports that are flexing and allowing metal to move. Try it yourself and see.

just4fun2 · January 2004

There is a service bulletin No. 01-08-66-009 dated 10/2001 that is for "creak in the rear of the vehicle". Noise coming from the left rear while going over a bump,braking or acceleration.

Don't know if this is what you are experiencing, but, might be worth a try. Good Luck.

n7don · January 2004

This is a long-shot.... try retorquing the upper shock mounting bolts to specs. On the 98 Montana it's 62 ft-lbs.

dlubin · January 2004

Well, we had our 01 Montana (24000 miles) in this past weekend for a clicking sound in first and reverse (at low speeds), and a groaning from the steering. They diagnosed a bad wheel bearing for the groaning, and gave us a print out of a TSB claiming 'piston slap' for the clicking, claiming it was normal.

Well, two days later the car wouldn't shift out of drive (or shift at all), and now it's dead in the shop while we fight for a NEW not rebuilt transmission. At least with MajorGuard we have another van that'll hold all of the car seats!

Any suggestions for how to handle this? Will a repair really fix the problem??

indrgb · January 2004

Although there were no replies to my earlier message, I thought I would share my heater resolution with everyone. The mode switch was not working (floor, vent, defrost, etc..) Dealer diagnosed a leaking vacuum hose under the dash. They said they took the dash apart to find it and charged me $130, but I wonder if they really did. I also asked them to check the operation of the thermostat since the temp gauge always ran on the cool side and the heater would never "burn you out". It was defective and I had them change it for $188 (high, but a nightmare on these vans). I also had them do a coolant flush for $90 since I'm pushing the 5 yr mark on my 2000. It was a $400+ day, but the heater works well now and the temp gauge reads about the 3/8 mark when warm.

dirkdaddy · January 2004

having replaced my van's shocks and not tightening the upper bolt sufficiently myself, it does indeed make a loud knocking noise. very easy to tighten up if you have a large socket and a 10" extension. I'd bet that's what it is, exsp. since it quiets down with a load.

good luck -

DD

ps. finally replaced my michenlins with a fresh set at 96K (I'm thinking they were original equip on 98 olds?) They wore like iron. New ones also rated at 60k miles.

Drove to Austin and back, avgd about 57mph even with some city driving and got 23.5 mpg even using the AC (winter is warm here usually)

DD

mlesner · February 2004

Thank you for that bulletin of 01-08-66-009 or NHTSA.org #627619. There is also a bulletin 02-08-59-003 10/2002 which is NHTSA.org #10000163 for the rearend rattle on the Venture. GM can't figure out what it is other than structual but not a driveabality problem or a threat to the safety of the truck eventhough they don't know what it is.

dplachta · February 2004

The Detroit News carried an article this past Sunday about the new minivan replacing the venture. Included are pictures.

I thought it looked pretty good.

http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosinsider/0402/02/b01-51615.htm

just4fun2 · February 2004

Is it GM or the dealer that can't find the noise. If it is the dealer, try another one, if it is GM, ask them why they won't try the service fix procedure, that's what there for. Good luck!

paulie9 · February 2004

Two weeks ago I went to visit my mom in Wisconsin and lost control on a county highway on some black ice sliding into a ditch and then hit a culvert at about 40 mph causing me to go airborne about 15+ feet over a driveway and landing upright on the other side.

Thank God that no one else was with me because they would have been seriously injured whereas I lucked out without a scratch except for a slight bruise below my right rib from the seat belt.

My Silo wasn't so lucky. Got about $7000 of damage, mostly underneath the van when I hit the top of the drain pipe in the culvert. Major items needing replacement are the engine cradle, radiator, a/c evaporator, front bumper, struts, right front fender, both front wheel spindles with brakes, 3 of 4 wheels and so on....

My question to you guys is what should I do after my Silo is repaired. Should I keep it and hope it's OK or should I get rid of it assuming that it will not be as safe as before the accident?

Your opinions will be greatly appreciated.... Paulie

mlesner · February 2004

I have tried different dealers and GM is involved. They here the noise and have done over the whole undercarriage. They are clueless and will not change any parts because everything LOOKS good. If it doesn't look broken they will not change it. They just don't know.

Kirstie_H · February 2004

A magazine reporter is looking to interview automotive technophiles who have DVD players, MP3 players, satellite radio and/or surround systems in their cars and cannot wait for the next big thing to come so they can add it to their rolling entertainment centers.
Please respond no later than Wednesday, February 4 to jfallon@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info, make/model of vehicle and a sense of the entertainment technology you have and aspire to own.
Thanks!
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com

just4fun2 · February 2004

The TBS that I quoted only involves drilling 4 holes and installing 4 pop rivets. The whole procedure is rated at .5 hours. I know that service reps/mngrs can be impossible to deal with, but as a goodwill, do something for the customer, GM should do this.

I think that I would keep going higher up the GM chain until I get to the top. I would think that the dealership would try this and if it didn't work, absorb that half hour labor(plus the cost of 4 rivets), to satisfy a customer.

Good Luck.

mikek777 · February 2004

I have a Chev Lumina APV with the 3.4 L engine. It seems to still be going strong at 170,000 kms. I had to change the transmission at 110,000 kms, however that is the only big problem I have had. I noticed a small amount of coolant leaking about a year ago. My mechanic added some stop leak and everything has been fine since then. As there has been no major problems so far and the resale value is so low I may as well keep it for at least another year. After that I don't know what I will purchase.
My other car is a 98 Honda CRV that has had no problems with about the same mileage as the Van. I feel like I could easily get double the mileage out of the CRV. However the Chev van, I don't think so.

indrgb · February 2004

Re: crash. Glad to hear that you are okay. Me personally, it would bug me knowing about all the parts that were replaced, but they are not really welded structural parts. I would make sure that the van drives at least as good as or even better than before the accident. Then I would see what you could get out of it on trade. Expect to be disappointed. Try 3 or 4 dealers. Do lots of research on Edmunds and others before going to a dealer. If they won't give you enough for it, you could try selling it yourself. If it doesn't work out, just drive it and don't sweat it.

hbospring1 · February 2004

Door Lock have been quiet for a while till my wife got lock in the back seat because the child proof locks in the back seat were flip on, I let her out and flip them off, that started the problem back up again.
Door locks work on their own 2001 Olds Silhouette the door lock go on and off (up & down) on their own sometimes while the van is just parked/off, other times while going down the road? They will not do this in the shop / the dealer can not fix, only does this every few months, but when it does, it happens a lot and is very fast many times for a min. or two?

jrdwyer · February 2004

Our 2001 Olds Silo's Transmission failed at around 23K miles. The dealer's mechanic rebuilt the tranny instead of installing a remanufactured GM one. I guess it was at the dealer's discretion and I was ok with them doing it in-house. It has worked fine since last September when the work was done. We are now at 30K.

baveux · February 2004

It is me or what, I just broke my second keyfob !!! They seems to break at the "eyelet" very easily.

At first my dealership refused to replace it under the warranty but I've found that their is a TSB covering it ( 03-08-52-003 Apr 03 )

So they are on order, geez you feel good when you win a battle once and awhile !!!

hbospring1 · February 2004

01 Olds Silhouette Van has Intermittent Barely Audible Buzzing noise from R Rear or R rear side of Van it is a low level sound, will happen 1st time in the day at the 1/4 to 3/4 mi range.
Note:It is Not the ABS self-check and Not the Air shock

n7don · February 2004

The 98 Montana has a safety warning buzzer that will activate if the power sliding door is open and the vehicle is put in gear. It's kind of a 'sick' sounding buzzer, not very loud. Might see if this is the noise source.

GM's triplets Venture, Silhouette, and Montana

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