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Chevy Express/GMC Savana

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Comments

  • krastlouiskrastlouis Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    I have a 99 Savanna1500 5.7 ltr engine with 138k miles on it. Never had a problem with the transmission, but recently I noticed a whirring/whining sound when putting the van in reverse or drive. It doesn't make the sound when in neutral or park. No leaks and the transmission performs fine. I took it to my mechanic and he couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. He checked the transmission and drove it and said it wasn't the transmission. He thought it might be the belt tensioner or idler pulley, but the noise seems to be coming from under the van and not near the belt tensioner. The noise can only be heard at low speeds with the windows open as normal driving sounds drown it out.

    Any help on what this is will be appreciated. Getting ready to take a 2000 k trip this summer and don't want to break down on the road.
  • jeep_cj8jeep_cj8 Member Posts: 4
    How much does your pontoon weigh? I am considering getting an AWD Express or Savannah and currently have a 18' camper and tow it with a AWD Safari. Looking for more power and space with the V8. How else do you like your van? How hard was it to find an AWD? I have been looking locally for months and nothing.
  • janno1janno1 Member Posts: 1
    The conversion was done by American Vans Inc. I need new front and rear bumper covers and so I started looking online for the company. I see now that the company does not exist or I just can not find it. Now I have no idea what to do. I even called a few Chevrolet dealerships, but they could not help me.
    If anybody can help me, Thank You!
  • narnonarno Member Posts: 2
    I hope somone has a remedy? I have an 04 express cargo van that i work out of, that when i have the rear doors open the wind over swings them and i keep damaging my doors.

    I would appreciate any advice. Thank you in advance. :confuse:
  • narnonarno Member Posts: 2
    try a website called car-part.com, its a salvage yard broker site. I find many parts there. Good luck!
  • bflippenbflippen Member Posts: 2
    Here is my list:

    Bought used about 8 years ago with about 60k on it, got a 3k mile warranty on it. Went on a trip from Oregon to Wyoming. Halfway through started having transmission problems. The round trip was just over 3k miles. I did take it into a Chevy dealer, but the check engine light had gone put. When I returned the selling dealer said the transmission is failing not failed. Had to rebuild tranny because the shift belts burned up.

    Since tranny work, exhaust rattles.

    About 5 years ago, had smoke come out of steering column and wipers stopped working.Kept blowing fuse. Bypassed the wiper switch assembly, put in lower amp fuse. WIpers have worked off of a toggle ever since. When taken to the dealer (a different one this time) they told me the wiper motor was drawing too much. (if that was the case the lower amp fuse would blow, has never blown since I bypassed the wiper switch)

    I am having the same issue as many with brake lights. I have even tried different types thinking a number has been transposed somewhere.

    I am going through window motors about 1 every two years.
    During replacment I thought i screwed up and broke the Hanging tabs on th edoor panel. Unfortunately I think it was more to to the cheap plastic used, as doors never touched are also falling apart. I have used a lot of JB weld to put back together and remount power lock and window switches.

    I have no A/C as of 2 years ago since it decided to spring a leak.

    I have the trademark Chevy noisy fuel pump.Got noisier after recall fuelpump work.

    Speedometer Needle is very hurky and jerky and sometimes requires a tap on the dash to see what the real speed is.

    I stumbled across this while doing yet another search for a power window motor and switch.
    :mad: :mad: :mad:
  • bflippenbflippen Member Posts: 2
    Here is my list:

    Bought used about 8 years ago with about 60k on it, got a 3k mile warranty on it. Went on a trip from Oregon to Wyoming. Halfway through started having transmission problems. The round trip was just over 3k miles. I did take it into a Chevy dealer, but the check engine light had gone put. When I returned the selling dealer said the transmission is failing not failed. Had to rebuild tranny because the shift belts burned up.

    Since tranny work, exhaust rattles.

    About 5 years ago, had smoke come out of steering column and wipers stopped working.Kept blowing fuse. Bypassed the wiper switch assembly, put in lower amp fuse. WIpers have worked off of a toggle ever since. When taken to the dealer (a different one this time) they told me the wiper motor was drawing too much. (if that was the case the lower amp fuse would blow, has never blown since I bypassed the wiper switch)

    I am having the same issue as many with brake lights. I have even tried different types thinking a number has been transposed somewhere.

    I am going through window motors about 1 every two years.
    During replacment I thought i screwed up and broke the Hanging tabs on th edoor panel. Unfortunately I think it was more to to the cheap plastic used, as doors never touched are also falling apart. I have used a lot of JB weld to put back together and remount power lock and window switches.

    I have no A/C as of 2 years ago since it decided to spring a leak.

    I have the trademark Chevy noisy fuel pump.Got noisier after recall fuelpump work.

    Speedometer Needle is very hurky and jerky and sometimes requires a tap on the dash to see what the real speed is.

    I stumbled across this while doing yet another search for a power window motor and switch.
  • wikingerwikinger Member Posts: 6
    I live in Germany and drive a 97 Express. The speedometer needle you have to disassemble the casing, and wet the shaft of the speedometer needle with silicone oil. Then again, the works reliably.
    I had the same problem.
  • grosskopfgrosskopf Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 GMC Savana When I turn the key on all the dash gages and lights come on like normal but when you start the van there is nothing for 2 or 3 tries then it will start and run fine. Sometimes it will start and shut down. There is no service lights coming on to show a code. I was told it was a key bad but I have 3 keys it happens with all of them. Has anyone ever fond this problem and a cure.
    The van has 85000 miles it is AWD I had problems with the door pins on the side doors they were covered under warranty and they put greesable ones in on both sides. I had brakes put on it in spring of 07 it had about 60,000 on it then. The air quit this last summer and I will fix it this spring. other then this It has been a nice ride. I would a preseate any info or help with this the garage seems clueless.
  • mccsmccs Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone know where I can find the torque specs for the lug nuts on a 2008 Cheverolet Express?
  • wikingerwikinger Member Posts: 6
    This Info found in Owners manual:

    Wheel Nut Torque
    MODEL
    All
    TORQUE
    140 ft-lb (1 90 N-m)
  • mccsmccs Member Posts: 2
    The owner lost the owner's manual and when I researched it online, I found 4 different torque specs. We will download the owner's manual and give it to him.

    Thanks for your help.
  • bob4374bob4374 Member Posts: 3
    I've recently did a complete 4 wheel brake job on a 1997 1500 Series conversion van. new pads, rotors, calipers, shoes, wheel cylinders, hardware, complete bleeding no air at all coming out of bleader valves and the van has a real soft brake pedal with the van running ou can touch the pedal with you're finger and it will go almost to the floor, with the engine off and all vacum expelled out of the brake booster the pedal wont even reach the gas pedal the van stops on a dime but the pedal sux can anybody help?
  • wikingerwikinger Member Posts: 6
    edited March 2010
    This is to be applied when a brake rathernew normal.Wenn new coverings, must be frequently replaced, the brake pedal until the pads applied to the brake disc .After three to five times the brakes have any pressure.
    Greetings from Germany!
  • woody1071woody1071 Member Posts: 1
    I bought a van that got attacked by squirrels last winter. They chewed up several wires that were connected to sensors and I need to find where they run back into the harness to fix them. So detailed pictures of the an engine in the van from inside the van would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks.
  • ssincityssincity Member Posts: 1
    First off let me say.. I love our van! My buddies all talk crap untill its time to road trip! We also have a 03 ford excursion 7.3 diesel and does its job well. I just love vans!

    My question and I used the search and found nothing. Is there a front suspension leveling kit for our 2003 Chevy Express 2wd with 5.3?

    All help would be appreciated.

    Thanks
  • meg19meg19 Member Posts: 3
    edited September 2010
    MY PROBLEM ----COPY & PASTED FROM ANOTHER THREAD----

    I bought it certified with 14,000 miles. It came with a 36,000 warrenty. I now have 94,000 miles on the vehicle and I am on my fourth set of rotors!! And on top of that I have the original brake pads. As a matter of fact from 14,000 mi to 94,000 my brake pads have not worn at all. Chevy gives you a print out of how much remaining brake pad is left and my brakes have not worn AT ALL in 60,000 miles. Every old school mechanic I talk to says this is a RED FLAG that my brakes are not operating properly. I had to cut the rotors at 30,000, and then at 50,000 they were warped and too thin to resurface. I Replaced them again. At 80,000 I had to have them cut because they were warped. Then at 85,000 I had to have them replaced again because they were warped. I live in Illinois but use the vehicle for a business that has me traveling from state to state. Everytime I take it in the rolling hills of Missouri, of god forbid the mountains of Colorado, after 1 hour of hills or mountains, I can feel that they are warped. Within 1 hour of mountain driving my rotors get to hot that when I brake, my whole steering column shakes and the vehicle swerves to hard that I can barely stay within the lines on the interstate. I seriously feared for my life the four times that this has happened. I have tried to have Chevy look into this and everytime they just slap new rotors on and send me on my way. I keep telling them there is something else wrong. They give a 12,000 mile warrenty on rotors and they are warping in half that time. Chevy has had to replace them for free under warrenty 3 times and I have had to pay once. I feel like all they want to do is slap new parts on instead of finding the problem or having a
    RECALL! As a matter of fact my dealer told me that they have a couple other customers that use their Chevy 3500 Express Van as a work truck and that the same thing keeps happening to them. They try to tell me it must be my driving/braking in mountains. First of all I grew up in Colorado and had a 1984 Dodge Ram Van and never put rotors on in less that 100,000. I know how to drive in the mountains. I have spoke to corporate, who agrees something else is wrong but they won't do anything about it. They say they've checked everything. But they won't check the pressure in the master cylander with a gauge. I finally got the service supervisor to admit to me that these vehicles have crappy metal rotors from China and that they have been failing in the saftey lane tests for their ability to brake and stop in the required distance. I bought the 3500 1 ton van because I believed it would last me for years as a work vehicle. I feel that my vehicle was overated to it's weight limit and it cannot stop itself if it has ANY kind of load in the cargo area. It's just really scary because I use it for work and I have to travel to these areas and I fear for my life everytime I drive in the mountains. I am going to be writing to all kinds of people at Chevy as well as the better business bureau. I have already filed a complaint with the US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTAION HIGHWAY SAFETY ADMINISTATION. THERE NUMBER IS 1-888-37-4236. IF CHEVY RECEIVES 3O OR MORE COMPLAINTS A RECALL INVESTIGATION WILL BE LAUNCHED. I am also going to contact a local Chicago newspaper writer who takes on stories like this when people are wronged by corporations. This isn't really about being wronged as much as it is about being safe.
  • jsamuelsonjsamuelson Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1997 GMC Savana. It has a lot of brown gunk in the radiator fluid. It also overheats when I'm towing my boat. I bought a Prestone 2 Radiator Flush Kit, but I don't know which hose to cut for the fittings? I can't find the radiator drain either. Any assistance in flushing the radiator would be appreciated.
  • wikingerwikinger Member Posts: 6
    Hello, here in Germany, our Express and Savane bottom of the engine on the left bank of cylinders a drain plug for the cooling water.
    There, the cooling water to be drained and fresh water to wash back through the reservoir einfüllen.Than the engine with a little vinegar to warm up in cold water and drain again.
    Thereafter, the cooling system should be clean again.
    Greetings Ingo
  • pgreenc5pgreenc5 Member Posts: 1
    Looking to buy a 2005 or 2006 Chevy/GMC conversion. Leather, low top, DVD...
  • ferallynxferallynx Member Posts: 2
    edited October 2010
    I have 124,913 miles on my own Chevy Express, and I have replaced the rotors a total of ZERO times. I have never had any problems with brake pads. They've been replaced as needed during scheduled tune-ups. (Which my company designates). You say that your steering column shakes to the point that you can barely keep the van straight. It seems like you have a major problem with your particular vehicle. The vans are known to shake, special the rear-view mirrors, but not to that extreme. We have several Expresses used at our work place, and sorry to tell you, but their is no major rotor issue.

    You say that the Van's payload capacity is overrated? That's absurd. The brakes are well qualified for 3,900 Lbs of payload (or with almost 10,000 Lbs of trailer weight). Which is actually a legit advertised payload, unlike the totally unrealistic advertised Sprinter payload of over 5K Lbs. I've driven a Dodge Sprinter for 6 years and, the brakes aren't any better, or more reliable.

    You are so fixated that the car should be "RECALLED" ( that and the many other things), that it's kind of getting suspicious that you have some sort of grudge against the car. And since you state that you have an '84 Ram van, your POV is starting to show. So what it seems like here is, you have an old Ram van, and you're mad that you aren't using an updated Chevy Express van. That's just what it seems like, but I'm not going to state it as a fact. Trying to get others to call up the DOT in order to file a complaint on your own stated issues is too far.

    If you think your van is really that crappy, and you are not getting the warranty coverage, I suggest you demand a new vehicle, or threaten with a lawsuit.
  • ferallynxferallynx Member Posts: 2
    EDIT: Rotors were replaced with regular tune-ups. What I meant was: I had zero problems with the rotors, or the brake pads.
  • richard1153richard1153 Member Posts: 1
    I have a one ton chevy van 1999 and it has the 5.7 liter engine, the owners manual tells you it takes 5 quarts of oil but that will not reach even the middle of the dipstick. I have always had to put in 6 quarts of oil when i do an oil change. Why is this going on when the book says 5 quarts, do the 1 ton vans ahve a larger oil pan or oil cooler that causes this to happen?
  • d4belld4bell Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 Chevy Express Van and cannot find any torsion keys to lift my van up enough to put on 285 size tires . I didn't want to sinch down the torsion bar bolts. Anybody out there use re-indexed torsion keys for a silverado or escalade? My van is a 2500 AWD, six lug with a 5.3 liter V- 8 From what I have been able to find , it looks like an Escalade, Yukon, and Silverado are the same. It's hard to believe there isn't a suspension company out there offering torsion keys for this van. I realize the roll-over rate is already a great possibility. The more I investigate the less that is offered for this vehicle. I can"t find a remote key case either. Any help on these items would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. Have a nice day!
  • tbb2tbb2 Member Posts: 3
    You state, and I have read elsewhere, that locking differentials are not available from the factory anymore. I see it is not listed as an option currently on the Chevy Express cargo van.

    When did availability stop?

    I'm trying to identify the type of differential on a used 2003 Chevy Express 3500 I bought.
  • momslimovanmomslimovan Member Posts: 1
    I don't know whether to scream or cry. We have a 2004 Southern Comfort Conversion Savana. We JUST paid it off 2 weeks ago and as per Murphy's Law all hell has broke loose. I have a mystery puddle of water appearing in front of the front passenger seat. It just saturates the carpet!
    The underside of the dash is dry as a bone, as is the door. The seam along the center console is damp and the carpet is seperating from the glue.
    The water is now also starting to appear on the corner of the driver's seat by the center console.
    And then TODAY my seatbelt warning light came on and stayed on although I had my seatbelt ON!
    Of course all warranties have expired too.
    So any ideas where this water may be coming from????? Clogged A/C line maybe?
  • tbb2tbb2 Member Posts: 3
    I may also be a leaking heater hose.
  • osstilljrosstilljr Member Posts: 1
    Howdy, Just got a 97 Savanna, 84,000 miles, very clean, however, the brake lights work great when all the other lights are off, when I turn the headlights and that on the left light doesn't work and the right brake light lights up when I left off the brakes, and when driving the gas gauge goes berserk, cant never tell how much gas I have. This van has the TV, VCR, etc in it, very nice but I cant get the TV to work, does this thing have an inverter, if so where, I checked all the fuses right behind the drivers seat and they are all good, in fact all the fuses are good.....thanks for any help
  • handyexpresshandyexpress Member Posts: 2
    change the fuel pump sensor
    ...
  • ihatemy04frstrihatemy04frstr Member Posts: 7
    Can anyone five me any advice about these vans? Are they reliable ?
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    ihatemy04frstr,
    What kind of information are you interested in? Please feel free to email me directly with your questions.
    Christina
    GM Customer Service
  • plumber6plumber6 Member Posts: 1
    I too have been replacing rotors reqularly on my 2008 < 10,000 miles and the brakes are like new.
    No reasonable or support from Chevy
  • danthevanman1danthevanman1 Member Posts: 1
    i recently bought a 99 chevy express mark III converison van 100K and after having it for a few days i noticed a eledtrical problem my radio cuts off at a certien volume and my interior lights dont work when i turn on the dome light but the do when i open the door or use my remote to unlock the doors i have checked both fuse boxes and they are both good so im stumped as to what it could be anyideas
  • ivparkerivparker Member Posts: 1
    We have a 2006 Chevy Express that we bought used. The last row only has lap belts. We found someone on craigslist that has a 2000 Chevy Express that she says has all shoulder belts. I haven't sent my husband to go look at them as its a drive away from us so I wanted to see here if you thought they would be compatible. Could we putt 2000 Express seats into a 2006? Has there been any change on how seats are installed to make a difference? Thanks so much for your help.
  • newsie23newsie23 Member Posts: 17
    I believe the seat brackets changed after/in '03. I had wanted to use rear buckets from 01 or 02, and the attachment was different! It is likely the bench seat attachment also changed.
  • savana2savana2 Member Posts: 1
    you should be able to turn them off by tuning the headlight switch to the left like I can on my gmc van
  • carpetguy1carpetguy1 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2003 Express exteded cargo van. Has 88,000 miles on it. The check engine light is coming on only if I reach 70 mph. If I slow down light goes off. Does anybody have a guess or has gone through this with theirs. Thanks in advance for any help!!!
  • wikingerwikinger Member Posts: 6
    Hi, check ur transmissionoiltemprature!
    Check Transmissionoil! Change it, or refill to max!
  • tbb2tbb2 Member Posts: 3
    I do not have personal experience with this but have a recall of reading something about oil pump problems that occurred under load ... like when you are moving 70 MPH. Checking your engine and transmission oils and filters are the first step. If they are okay I would then look at what is needed to inspect the oil pump.
  • carpetguy1carpetguy1 Member Posts: 3
    THANKS!!!
  • carpetguy1carpetguy1 Member Posts: 3
    THANKS!!!
  • pmccullochpmcculloch Member Posts: 1
    I am also looking for the same info did you have any luck thanks Paul
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