2000 Chevrolet Venture

MY 2000 CHEVY VENTURE VAN HAD AN OVERHEATING PROBLEM WHEN THE COOLANT WAS FULL. I RESEARCHED ON GOOGLE AND FOUND THERE TO BE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC VAN PROBLEM ON THIS MAKE AND YEAR. IS THERE A RECALL OR ANY WAY THAT THE PROBLEM CAN BE FIXED FOR NO CHARGE? THE REPAIR SHOP SAYS IT HAS SEEN THIS ON THIS VEHICLE AS WILL AND THE COST TO FIX THE CRACKED HEAD GASKET IS $1200.00 I APPRECIATE ANY HELP THAT YOU CAN GIVE ME WITH THIS MATTER. I SIGNED UP FOR PRINTOUT OF RESEARCH BUT PLEASE DISREGARD AS THIS COMPLAINT FORM IS WHAT I NEEDED. THANKS. *TR

WE OWN A 2000 CHEVY VENTURE THAT WE BOUGHT USED ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO. WHEN WE BOUGHT IT, THE BUTTON FOR THE DOORS TO OPEN AUTOMATICALLY DIDN'T WORK AS WELL AS THE GAS GAUGE. SINCE, WE HAVE REPLACED THE HEADS, THE WATER PUMP, RACK AND PINION, WHEEL HUB, TIE ROD END, AS WELL AS REPLACING THE HEAD LIGHTS EVERY COUPLE MONTHS AND NOW HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKE LIGHTS.WHEN WE HAD THE HEADS REPLACED, THEY FLUSHED THE RADIATOR AND WE ARE STILL HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT COMING ON AND THE FLUID LOOKING CLOUDY. THEY TOLD US THAT THE CLOUDINESS SOMETIMES HAPPENS, BUT STILL DOESN'T EXPLAIN THE LIGHT COMING ON SAYING ITS LOW!!! WE WERE ALSO NOTIFIED THAT THE ABS BOX IS BAD AND NEEDS REPLACED...ALSO, SOMETIMES THERE IS WATER THAT LEAKS FROM THE WEATHER GAUGE OR THE TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD. ALSO THE TRACTION SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON AND ACTUALLY SHUTS THE SYSTEM OFF WHEN YOU TURN THE VAN ON, THIS MAYBE DUE TO THE BAD ABS BOX BUT HAS BEEN DOING THIS LONGER THEN THE ABS LIGHT HAS BEEN ON. THERE IS ALSO RUST ALONG THE VAN BELOW THE SLIDING DOORS. THE LOCKS ALSO SOMETIMES STICK WHEN USING THE KEYPAD OR THE ELECTRICAL LOCK BUTTON INSIDE THE VAN. WE CAN'T WAIT TO GET RID OF THIS VAN! JUST HOPE WE HAVE BETTER LUCK WITH OUR NEXT VEHICLE. *TR

LAST WINTER I LEFT MY 2000 CHEVROLET VENTURE VAN (WITH A 3.4 LITER V6 ENGINE) IDLING FOR ABOUT 10-15 MINUTES WHILE I WORKED OUTSIDE IT. WHEN I GOT BACK INSIDE, THE HEAT GAUGE WAS ABOUT 3/4 THE WAY TO HOT, AND NEITHER OF THE (2) ELECTRIC RADIATOR COOLING FANS WERE RUNNING. THE ENGINE RAN COOL FOR NORMAL UNCONJESTED TRAFFIC AFTER THIS. IN MID SUMMER THE HEAT GAUGE AGAIN WENT 3/4 HOT WHILE I WAS IN SLOW MOVING STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. TO PREVENT HEAT DAMAGE, I RAN THE HEATER FULL BLAST IN MID 80'S WEATHER; -NO FUN! I TROUBLESHOOT THE RADIATOR FANS CONTROL SYSTEM AND FOUND THAT THE PCM (POWER-TRAIN CONTROL MODULE; (COMPUTER)) WASN'T WORKING PROPERLY. I REPLACED THE PCM MYSELF WITH AN AFTER-MARKET, REFLASHED (REPROGRAMMED WITH GM UP-TO-DATE SOFTWARE) UNIT, BUT I COULDN'T GET THE PCM TO DO ITS 'CRANKSHAFT VARIATION RELEARN PROCEDURE' WITH MY EQUIPMENT, SO I TOOK THE VAN TO MY GM DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT DONE, AND ALSO TO HAVE THE COOLING FANS TESTED. MY DEALERSHIP TESTED THE FANS AND FOUND THEY NOW WORKED, FINISHED THE PCM WORK, BUT THEY ALSO SAID THAT IT OVERHEATED AND BLEW COOLANT RIGHT OUT OF THE RESERVOIR; THEY DIAGNOSED IT WITH BLOWN HEAD GASKETS ON BOTH FRONT AND REAR PARTS. (IT DOESN'T SOUND BLOWN, HAVE COOLANT IN THE OIL, OR PUT EXHAUST IN THE COOLANT THAT I CAN SEE.) THEY QUOTED $1147.50 LABOR & $390. PARTS, & WHATEVER IT COST FOR A MACHINE SHOP TO CORRECT ANY HEAD WARPAGE, TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THEY ALSO ADVISED MY WIFE (WHO BROUGHT IN THE VAN), THAT THE VAN SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL THE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM IS FIXED. I HAVE TALKED WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO TOLD ME THAT MOST EVERYONE WHO HAD THIS 3.4 LITER GM ENGINE HAS HAD TO HAVE THE HEAD GASKET REPLACED. ONE PERSON SAID THAT THEY THOUGHT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO SOMETHING SINCE THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE SO WIDE SPREAD. I SUSPECT THAT THE PCM FAILING TO TURN ON THE COOLING FANS WAS WHAT CAUSED THIS HEAD GASKET FAILURE IN MY CASE. DO YOU HAVE OTHER PEOPLE REPORTING HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS? *TR

MATERIAL USED FOR HEAD GASKET AND EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET WERE MADE FROM MATERIAL WHICH DETERIORATED WHEN EXPOSED TO COOLANT. MANUFACTURER DEVELOPED NEW GASKET FROM ALUMINUM TO REPLACE, BUT NO RECALL WAS EVER ISSUED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. THIS HAS COST ME APPROXIMATELY $2500 IN REPAIRS, AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE. THE DEALER SERVICE CENTER SEEMED TO BE WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE, AS THEY ACTED LIKE THIS WASN'T THE FIRST ONE THEY HAD SEEN. THE FIRST REPAIR I HAD WAS FOR THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD GASKET, AND IT CAME TO $1300. LESS THAN 4 MONTHS AND 5000 MILES LATER, IT WAS BACK IN THE GARAGE WITH A DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET. DEALER WAS KIND ENOUGH TO DISCOUNT THE REPAIR, BUT STILL CAME TO ANOTHER $1300. THIS WAS ON A VEHICLE THAT ONLY HAS 63000 MILES ON IT. *TR

I HAVE GOTTEN THE SAME PROBLEM FIXED ON MY CHEVY VENTURE VAN (2000) THIS WILL BE THE THIRD TIME...THE INTAKE GASKET KEEPS BLOWING OUT...I WOULD HOPE IF ANY OTHER GM VEHICLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM WOULD COME FORWARD SO THERE CAN BE A RECALL ON THIS, SO WE CAN GET IT FIXED...TRUST ME IT IS NOT A "CHEAP" FIX AT ALL. THIS HAS BEEN FIXED WITHIN THE LAST 4 YEARS...3 TIMES...THE CAR STARTS LEAKING ANTIFREEZE, AND OVER HEATING THE VEHICLE. *TR

I HAD MY RADIATOR FLUSHED AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE SEEMED TO HAVE OIL IN MY COOLANT. I WAS TOLD BY OUR MECHANIC THAT THE HEAD GASKET HAD STARTED TO DISINTEGRATE, WHICH WAS CAUSING THE COOLANT TO LEAK INTO THE OIL. HE SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH DEXCOOL WHICH IS THE RECOMMENDED COOLANT TO BE USED IN OUR VAN. IF GM RECOMMENDS THAT THIS COOLANT BE USED, THEN THEY SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. WHICH IS GOING TO COST US ABOUT $800 OR MORE IF OUR ENGINE BLOWS. WHEN WE FINALLY DO GET THE PROBLEM FIXED WE WILL NOT BE PUTTING THE RED DEXCOOL BACK IN IT, WE ARE SWITCHING TO THE GREEN, IT WAS RECOMMENDED BY OUR MECHANIC. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX THIS PROBLEM RIGHT NOW WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR TAX REFUNDS, BECAUSE MY HUSBAND IS A DISABLED VET AND WE ARE ON A LIMITED INCOME.. SHAME ON GM FOR TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEIR CONSUMERS LIKE THIS, AND I CAN SEE FROM ALL THE COMPLAINTS LISTED HERE THEY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE PROBLEM FOR QUITE SOME TIME. *TR

TL* - THE CONTACT CALLED TO FILE A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE SERVICE BULLETIN SHE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE, #030601010 DATED 03/01/03. THE CONTACT STATES THAT HER 2000 CHEVROLET VENTURE HAS HAD THE SAME REPAIR THAT THE SERVICE BULLETIN REFERS TO. THE REPAIR WAS DONE ON 12/21/06 FOR THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD, AND THE REPAIR COST THE CONTACT $696.07. THE CONTACT DOES HAVE HER REPAIR ORDER.