NHTSA Complaint #10352613 — 2000 CHEVROLET VENTURE

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