2000 Chevrolet Venture

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

MINI VAN WAS TRYING TO TURN OVER OR START ITSELF WITHOUT HELP OF KEYS OR PEOPLE BEING IN VEHICLE. DOES NOT HAVE AUTO STARTER THAT SOME PEOPLE PUT ON CARS TO START IN COLD WEATHER.FIRST STARTED THIS IN EARLY A.M. ON WEEKEND WHILE OWNER STILL SLEEPING. BEFORE OWNER REALIZED IT WAS THEIR VEHICLE (THEY LIVE IN APT COMPLEX) THEY DROVE THEIR VEHICLE THROUGH OUT DAY WITHOUT INCIDENT. LATER WHEN PARKED IT TRIED AGAIN WHEN OWNER WAS IN APT. TOOK TOO AUTO SHOP AND STARTER WAS REPLACED . DROVE THROUGHOUT DAY AGAIN WITHOUT INCIDENT THINKING PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. LATER ABOUT 10:30 P.M. IT TRIED TURNING OVER, REPEATING AT 2:30 A.M. THEN EVERY 15-20 MINUTES UNTIL 5:30 A.M. WENT BACK TOO SHOP TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK. SHOP IS NOT SURE WHAT PROBLEM IS EXCEPT SOMETHING SOMEWHERE ELECTRICAL., BUT IF STARTS ITSELF COULD CAUSE FIRE. *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

REAR DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS HAVE WORKED INTERMITTENTLY FOR YEARS. THE RIGHT HAS BEEN MORE INTERMITTENT THAN THE LEFT. OFTEN THE RIGHT SIGNAL WOULD BLINK VERY RAPIDLY WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. NOW, ALL OF A SUDDEN, NEITHER THE BRAKE LIGHTS NOR THE DIRECTIONAL WORK MOST OF THE TIME. THE HIGH MOUNT BRAKE LIGHT STILL WORKS AND THE DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS ON THE DASH BOTH COME ON AT THE SAME TIME. THE REAR TAIL LIGHT CIRCUIT BOARDS HAVE BEEN A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY PROBLEM ON THE GM MINIVANS FOR YEARS AND IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT ANYTHING HAS BEEN DONE ABOUT IT. *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2000 CHEVY VENTURE VAN 1YEAR AGO. EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT THE DRIVER SIDE BRAKE LIGHT HAS GONE OUT SEVERAL TIMES. EACH TIME MY HUSBAND REPLACED THE BULB AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS MELTED AT THE CONNECTION SITE. NOW THE PASSENGER SIDE IS STARTING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM! I WAS STOPPED BY A LADY THE OTHER DAY WHO TOLD ME THAT NOW APPARENTLY MY TURN SIGNALS ON THE BACK OF THE VAN ARE NOT WORKING AS WELL. I PAID ALOT OF MONEY FOR THIS VAN 1YEAR AGO AND IT HAS MULTIPLE PROBLEMS AND IT SEEMS STRANGE TO ME THAT IT IS THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT I SEE ON THIS REPORT ALL THE TIME! CHEVY NEEDS TO MAKE GOOD ON THEIR MISTAKES AND FIX THE PROBLEMS THAT KEEP OCCURRING TO THESE MINI VANS! I HAVE ALWAYS BOUGHT GM, BUT I BOUGHT PONTIAC MINIVANS. I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO IN THE FUTURE AS SOON AS I CAN SELL THIS ONE! *TR