1997 CHEVROLET ASTRO Engine And Engine Coolingengine Problems

THE CONSUMER'S 1987 AND 1997 CHEVROLET ASTRO VANS HAD FAULTY ENGINE'S.***NO ANSWER REQUIRED***. *MR THE POWER WINDOWS FAILED, THE DRIVER'S SEAT CAME LOOSE, THE REAR DOOR HATCH BROKE AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO THE TORQUE CONVERTER SLIPPING AND VALVE BODY WEAR (90000 MILES). *NM

MY PROBLEM IS THAT I HAVE A 1997 CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN WITH 63,005 MILES ON IT AND THE MAIN BEARINGS FAILED. I TOOK IT MY LOCAL DEALER FOR A OIL PRESSURE DROP, AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE BEARINGS WERE BAD. AFTER SOME INVESTIGATING ON THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND THAT CHEVROLET MAY HAVE BEEN AWARE OF A PROBLEM WITH THE BEARINGS, HAVING ISSUED A TSB[87-61-22]. NOW THAT A NEW ENGINE HAS BEEN INSTALLED AT MY COST OF $4600, I AM LOOKING FOR SOME HELP OR INFORMATION ON HOW TO RECOUP SOME OR ALL OF THE COST. I HAVE HAD ALL POSSIBLE MAINTENANCE DONE AND ALL RECALL WORK DONE SINCE 1997. CHEVROLET HAS INFORMED ME THAT SOME RECALL WORK WAS NOT DONE, BUT MY DEALER RECORDS SHOW IT HAS BEEN DONE.*AK

*OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT* CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED TO THE SIDE. THE ENGINE HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE WHICH RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE WINDSHIELD AND ENGINE. *JG *JB

DRIVER'S SIDE REAR WINDOW WILL NOT STAY OPEN, CLIPS THAT SHOULD HOLD IT UP ARE BLOCKED BY MATERIAL, WINDOW SLAMS SHUT WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP. TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 45000 MILES. *AK OIL LEAK, DEALER ORDERED AXLE OUTPUT SHAFT SEAL AND CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP REPLACED DUE TO VEHICLE CUTTING AND WOULD CRANK, BUT WOULD NOT STAR. OIL PRESSURE GAUGE ERRATIC, DEALER REPLACED OIL PRESSURE SENDER. FRONT BRAKES AND PADS WERE REPLACED, ROTORS WERE RESURFACED. CONSUMER STATES THERE IS PLAY IN THE STEERING, DEALER REPLACED BOTH IDLER ARMS AND RESET TOE IN. POWER DOOR LOCKS INOPERABLE, DEALER REPLACED POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCH. POWER WINDOW INOPERABLE, DEALER REPLACED POWER WINDOW SWITCH. SHIFTER WAS HARD TO MOVE, DEALER REPLACED SHIFT CABLE. GAS PEDAL BINDS AT TIMES, DEALER ORDERED THROTTLE CABLE AND REPLACED ACCELERATOR CABLE. DRIVER SETA SEEMS LOOSE WHEN BRAKING, DEALER ORDERED DRIVER SEAT TRACK ASSEMBLY AND REPLACED DRIVER SEAT...

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 70 MPH ENGINE WAS MAKING NOISE. POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WERE AFFECTED.TECHNICIAN SAID THAT PROBLEM WAS WITH IDLER PULLEY AND TENSION PULLEY.*AK AFTER EXPLOSION LIKE SOUND UNDER THE HOOD, THE TENSIONER PULLEY DISINTEGRATED CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. *YH

EVERY THOUSAND MILES, SERVICE LIGHT COMES ON AND VEHICLE RUNS VERY ROUGH, JETS HAVE BEEN CLEANED 4 TIMES ON THE ENGINE. DEALER WAS BLAMING IT ON CHEVRON GAS. CHEVRON HAS SENT A LETTER STATING IT WAS THE POPPET VALVE. DELAER CHANGED ALL 6 POPPET VALVES AND CLEANED THE FUEL INTAKE SYSTEM, AND IT WORKED FOR 5 MONTHS. PROBLEM HAS COME UP AGAIN. *SLC

VEHICLE IS LEAKING ANTI FREEZE BETWEEN THE HEAD GASKET AND THE ENGINE DUE TO DEFECTIVE CASTING.*AK TIRES WERE SHOWING HEAL AND TOE WEARING. DEALER OFFERED TO PRORATED TIRES BUT CUSTOMER DECLINED. *YH

IN OCT. 1997 WHEN STARTING TO DRIVE TRANSMISSION SLIPS, FEELS LIKE VAN HAS BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND. DEALER REPLACED VALVE BODY,DUE TO A KNOWN PRODUCT PROBLEM.VAN ONCE AGAIN HAD SAME TROBLE IN MAY 2000, DEALER CHANGED VALVE BODY, ALSO STATEDE BECAUSED OF A KNOWN PRODUCT CONCERN. BUT TJIS TIME I HAD TO PAY $672.06. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS OF NO HELP. EVEN THOUGH THEIR MECHANIC STATED THAT GM HAD SAID TO REPLOACE THE VALVE BODY THE SECOND TIME WITH A NEW DESIGN, SINCE THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS DEFECTIVE. *AK

VEHICLE WOULD BE RUNNING ROUGH & WOULD SHAKE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP & WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THE JETS ON ENGINE WERE PLUGGED UP. THIS WAS CAUSED BY THE GASOLINE & COULD BE REPAIRED.

ENGINE VALVE SEAL FAILED CAUSING VALVES TO STICK WHICH RESULTED IN EXCESSIVE ENGINE NOISE. *YC

THE CRANK SENSOR WAS REPLACED, DUE TO FAILURE, CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON AND VEHICLE STALLING. *YC

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT 35 MPH WHEN HE SMELLED SMOKE, AND PULLED OVER TO EXIT. THE DOORS AND WINDOWS WOULD NOT OPEN. CONSUMER HIT THE GLASS WITH HIS SHOULDER AND HAND TO GET OUT, BUT THEN HE HAD TO BREAK THE GLASS TO EXIT. NOTICE LIGHT COMING FROM THE TIRES ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, AND THEN SAW THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME OUT TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. CONTACTED THE DEALER TO FIX THE VEHICLE. *AK

WHEN THE VEHICLE DIES OUT THERE IS NO STOPPING ABILITIY, WHEN DRIVING AT 30MPH VEHICLE DIES, NO STEERING CAPABILITY, NO NOTIFICATION OR WARNING. DEALER CONTACTED AND CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK