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buy the HAYNES REPAIR MANUAL for this vehicle , it should take about 2 to 5 days to complete this project. AJ
this issue is kind of screwy,;mechanic said pump is working but he didn't test it and i changed a new thermostat before i got the head gasket changed (prior), ( used a stop leak product for the rad before i changed head gasket also) there's no leaking of fluids and nothing contaminating the oil, rad been flushed too.
Only other thing i can think of is the AC light stop working short time ago and couple other electrical issues hasn't worked for a longer period.
and when i accelerate putting more load on the engine..(like up hill) the check engine light flashes and power is reduced on the accelerator.
I got the same 2 codes on ours and that was the fix...I can't guarantee it will fix yours but its worth a $5.00 try...my mechanic couldn't even figure it out, a friend suggested it and it worked...
Once stalled it has to sit for fifteen minutes before it will start again. When this happens water vapor comes out of the air cleaner box and water droplets are on the surface of the maf screen.I have taken out the thermostat, vented the cooling system. I have taken it to a radiator shop, they are not sure. No exhaust gases in radiator. Where is the water vapor coming from. Could it be a bad manifold gasket? Thanks
Tha
Thermostat must always be installed so the spring/capsule is inside the engine.
MURPHY's LAW is usually in operation and if it can be done wrong it is highly likely you will do it the wrong way!
It is best to remember how the thermostat works rather than depending on how it looks to install it correctly. Thermostats are always mounted in the water OUTLET end of the engine that moves water to the top of the radiator. The water pump is the INLET/SUCTION side and it draws water from the radiator bottom (cooler water because heat rises). Purpose of thermostat is to restrict water flow in the engine until the engine heats up. When water temp gets hot enough the heat capsule weakens up and allows the spring to open the thermostat valve. IF THE CAPSULE/SPRING IS NOT ON THE ENGINE SIDE THE CAPSULE CANNOT BE HEATED. By the way I have been there and installed the thermostat wrong because I was looking at how it looks rather than how it should work.
I have a 98 chevy venture. my problem is overheating. I change the thermostat,thermostat sensor & waterpump but she still overheats. I've read everybody commets and answers but i haven't read about the fans.
My fans don't turn on when the car is hot. I turn on the ac and then it turns on.
But thay turn off after a while and then she starts to over heat again. only when
she gets real hot the fans may kick in. Dose anybody out there ever notice this
and is there a solution for this fix. Can someone help.
I love my car and i don't want to get rid of her.
Thanks to all of you.
Note: fan position is from drivers seat, so it is reversed when looking at them from the front of the van.
Under the hood over the battery is a fuse box. Fuse #6 (30amp) powers the right/low speed fan you say does not come on (w/o A/c). Check to make sure it is okay. Also check fuse #1, which controls the other left/high speed fan (in case I get this mixed up). Presuming they are both ok relays #9,10 and 12 (gray color?) control both fans. They are all the same but #12 (by itself) controls the right/low speed fan. I am guessing it might be the culprit. Pull #9 and install it into #12 (leave #9 out). Nothing will happen until the engine overheats, so go for a short ride. If the fan then comes on the relay you pulled is the problem. If it still does not come on, (with engine running) pull the relay and use a digital voltmeter on 20 volts dc scale and test cavity #30 (one probe there and one to ground) for power. If you get power that relay is also bad, if no power you might want to call a priest because it gets real tough now. The problem is in the engine computer or another sensor/wiring or what the hell. It could be anything. Good Luck. Don't you just love cars!!!!
I don't see any fluids moving on mine, my thought is water pump and/or thermostat. The top radiator hose gets warm but not hot, and the lower hose is ice cold. Only takes about 2-3 minutes for the engine to go from zero to 50%, then another minute to get to 75% of the gauge.
Thoughts?
IMO, there is no issue with Dexcool and sludge. the "sludge" is an supplement/additative GM added to the coolant as "insurance". it's basically ground walnut shells, and ginger root. Cast aluminum is pourus, and this can seal up any micro leaks. this will easily pass thru any coolant system, and when it does, it'l be ground up by the water pump. when exposed to air, the mixture turns to a jelly like rubber sealant.
Second, I would suggest anyone that suffers from the cold coolant in the overflow, or temperature fluctuations, cold heet in cabin to have their thermostat changed, but have a 1/8 hole drilled into the outer portion of the t-stat. (between the thermo mechanism, and where the rubber gasket is. seems the 3.4 does indeed suffer from HG issues, but it is made worse by the fact that when the thermostat is closed (on a cold engine), or a running engine that's moving down a cold highway where the thermostat closes for some time. what happens is that tiny amount of air bubbles (less than a cup full) float up to the thermostats thermo sensor, and prevent the thermostat from properly detecting the temp of the coolant!. it varies, because if you make a turn, are on a bouncy road etc, the coolant will splash up & sometimes open the stat enough for you not to overheet, but you will see it on yor gauge as fluctuations. by drilling a hole, your 3.4 will indeed maintain it's 195 degrees, BUT any air trapped under the stat will be forced up to the highest point in the coolant system (luckily the cap), and as the pressure increases, it will be slowly expelled without damage to the overflow tank. Sometimes, small amounts of coolant will be dripped into the tank as well (even happens with a healthy engine), but during normal driving with acceleration, some of you know that the cooling system has a vaccume where it sucks in. - seen by a radiator hose collapsing a little or getting soft on a hot engine. - the good news is that the hose in the overflow tank is submerged in coolant, and it will suck that in, and not the air. as the pressure in the cooling system gets to operating temps, and 15psi, the amount of exhaust gases squeezed into the system diminishes. DO NOT USE HG IN A BOTTLE. you fill screw up the entire cooling system.
BTW, many cars have self purging systems that resolve this issue unfortunately not the 3.4 we must make it ourslves.
GOOD LUCK
Anyone out there encounter same?
The 2 heads are aluminum & the block is cast Iron & each has a different rate of contraction & expansion. the head gaskets are made of multi layered steel (MLS). If the cooling system is not maintained properly (not kept full, car allowed to overheat etc.), air is trapped in the cylinder heads, and form hot spots, and the expansion/contraction is made worse. additionally the head gaskets themselve (steel), can begin to rust. All that is needed is a little leak between the cylinder portion of the gasket, and the coolant portion of the gasket, and you will get air pushing into the coolant.
think of it like this oIO where "O" is the cylinder, and "o" carries coolant thru to cool the engine block. if "I" rusts and breaks down, compressed air from "O" can now get into "o" and causes the car to overheat.
best advice if your Venture is OK is to keep that overflow tank filled to the line with 50/50 dexcool. If you have to keep filling it up, you have a leak, and you really should get it fixed. - these vans are really reliable if taken care of. Unfortunately for those of you who purchased 2nd hand, you have no trustworthy way to know how it was maintained. everything on this van is simple and straight forward.
2002 Chevy Venture runs hot all the time and recently got well into the Red zone.
Mechanic says its needs a new radiator and water pump but he did that 4 or 5 years ago.
Is 500.00 a fair price for this job?
When throttle is closed Powertrain Control Module (PCM) sees about 0.5 (plus minus 0.2 or so depending on a particular sensor) Volts. When ignition is turned on PCM records the voltage as 0% throttle.
If TPS is worn out or wires are loose the voltage may drop below initially recorded by PCM and PCM will assign 0% to a lower voltage, for example 0.3 Volts. As a result the original voltage of 0.5 Volts is interpreted by PCM as 4% open throttle, enough for PCM to start thinking that throttle is partially open and stop idle control loop completely.
Check engine light goes on only when TPS voltage drops below 0.2 Volts or so.
I was only able to figure it out after borrowing a professional scan tool and monitoring sensor data while driving.
Here is my thinking. It just so happens the trans in the van is UNIQUE only to 1997 and 1998. It is called a GM 4T60-E transmission. You might want to google Wikipedia 4T60E. It gives a lot of good info that might be relevent to your situation. A key issue here is that trans came in 12 different combinations and it is possible the wrong parts were used. You say your trans was rebuilt. Does that mean the original trans was rebuilt or they exchanged it with another that was supposedly rebuilt? It makes a difference if they installed one of the other 11 different trans into you car. Another thought is in 1999 the trans was changed to a 4T65E. Not sure but remotely possible one of those was installed and it was not intended to work.
Since the trans has the same problem of the original, it is highly likely they just screwed up in the fix especially if they did not change out the torque converter.