My vehicle a 1997 chevy venture, suddenly lost power while cruising on the highway. The temp light came on and I pulled off the highway. Luckily it happened to be the dealerships exit and I pulled right in to the service bay. They tell me I have a blown head gasket. When they took the engine apart the service manager allowed me to see the engine. The coolant channels are coated with a brown gummy substance and the cylinders were full of coolant. The service manager was given a sample of the substance and said he will give it to the gm rep when he comes in later this week. Cost will top $2500. Previously I replaced the intake manifold gasket and the water pump. This seems like faulty gaskets or coolant I don't know which. I'm just glad it didn't strand me out somewhere away from town.
1997 Chevrolet Venture engine complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 85, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Defective intake manifold gasket repaired 4-times reply directly to the constituent. *bf the dealer refused to repair the consumer's A/C until the manifold gasket was repaired. The vehicle transmission fluid burned and the pcv valve was gummed with dexcool. The serpentine was worn out.
While driving coolant warning light illuminated. The dealership repaired the problem once, but the consumer was still having the same problems. *ak. Consumer no longer owns this vehicle.
While driving, the vehicle shut down. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The camshaft sensor was defective. The manufacturer stated that they will reimburse for part of the repair.
(1) car started making knocking noise and then quit in the middle of traffic. (2) the intake manifold gasket failed causing engine coolant to leak into the engine oil. This coolant in the oil ruined the engine bearings and main journal. This caused the engine to quit running in the middle of traffic. (3) the vehicle was brought to a chevrolet dealership and a complete new engine had to be installed.
Failure of manifold gasket and subsequent failure of the water pump caused coolant light to flicker on and off and. There was some driveability problems. Dealer noted that this failure was quite common, but not warrantied. The best part was it failed on consumer's birthday, what a gift.
While driving between 65-70 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. When this occurred the vehicle lost power steering and brakes. The vehicle was towed to the mechanic. The mechanic performed a diagnostic test which indicated that the engine had locked. The engine has to be taken apart to identify what caused the lock. The oil pan was full when this incident occurred.
Vehicle stalled while driving. Also, coolant was leaking from the intake manifold gasket. This could be related to what was causing the vehicle to stall. Dealership will be contacted. *ak
Own a 97 chevy venture during an oil change was told I had coolant in my oil, so I took van to a local chevy dealer. They informed my the intake gasket was bad and had to be replaced at a cost of 975.00, this was done and no mention was ever made that there could also be engine damage due to this leak. Five months later I was driving down a busy street during 5 o'clock rush hour traffic taking my sick child to the doctor when all of a sudden the oil light came on and I lost all power, I had to leave the vehicle in the curb side lane, get my sick child out and walk to a phone to call my spouse to come get us and the vehicle mind you this was late september and it was chilly outside. We had the vehicle towed to a local chevy dealer (the same one that diagnosed the gasket leak) who told me they did not know what was wrong with the vehicle and that it would be cheaper to replace the motor than to find out what happened, at a cost between $3000.00 to $5200.00 depending on what type of replacement motor I wanted, not being comfortable with this repsonse I had the vehicle taken to a different dealer, who at least could tell that the intake gasket had been replaced, but unfortunatly gave the same result replace motor. I did not have the funds to do this so the vehicle is parked in my garage and of no use to me. I had to go and replace the vehicle.
Intake manifold failed on van. Vehicle became hot quickly and stopped running. Had chevy dealer replace intake. Vehicle still overheats. Problem has not been resolved after spending over $1100.00. I appears that this is a very common problem with the 3.1, 3.4 and 3.8 gm motors. Very dissappointed in this product.
This is a follow up of acomplaint filed on 3/10/1997. After several conversations with chevy corp. They have advised me that they will offer no assistance in repairing my venture. The dealership has advised me that repairs will cost a minimum of $2000. Add this to the $7500 that I still owe and I will owe $9500 on this van. I am amazed by the denial of chevy corp. With all of the complaints by consumers who have blown head gaskets from dex coolant. I am asking that someone please investigate this matter!! This should not have happened with only 75,000 miles on this van. That's an average of 12,000 miles per year, and I have doccumented proof of regular maintenance. I have also had problems with the brakes, sliding door, seat latches, and electrical problems with power windows. I will never by another gm product again!!
I purchased a 1997 chevrolet venture in 8/2000. The van had 19,000 miles and I paid 17,900. I am the second owner, and the van has received regular maintenance. I use the van to transport my day care children to their schools. I also use it to transport my children and their friends to and from school sporting events and dance. Last week the coolant light began coming on & off. Also, the temperature gauge began fluctuating between hot and cold, and there was no heat. The garage replaced the thermostat- $130.00. At the time there appeared to be no coolant mixing with the oil. I drove the van 3 miles to my home with no problems. The very next day while taking the children to school the same thing occurred. After returning the van to the garage, I got the devastating news that it appears to be a head gasket. My mechanic was in disbelief because I take such great care of my van. My day care parents are furious!! I still owe $7,000. On this van and I'm making payments over $300.00 a month. I recently built a new home and do not have the funds for the repair. To make matters worse, two of my friends just purchased venturesbased on my reccommendation! They are also considering unloading them asap. I was going to trade mine for a warners brothers model later this year. I sold a jeep cherokee with 100,000+ miles on it for $2000 so that I could get this van. The jeep was running beautifully. Gm is aware of this problem. There have been ongoing complaints. They need to stand behind their product and recall these vehicles for repair. This may very well be my last gm purchase. My friends, family, and buisness associates have all said that they will not purchase gm products if they choose to do nothing with my van! With modern technology, news spreads fast!! I am deeply disappointed with how gm is handling this situation. Please help. Greatfully, marie marion.
On 11/18/2003 I took my 1997 chevrolet venture van, with 64,000 miles, to my service shop telling them I was getting a fluid leak on my driveway looking like a mixture of oil and anti-freeze. I was told it was my intake manifold gaskets and also that I could have engine damage as a result. It turns out I did have engine damage and now may need to replace my engine. This shouldn't happen with so few miles. Chevrolet should back their product.
Consumer complained about a multitude of problems: 1. Headlights came on and off intermittently; 2. When hitting a bump in the road, headlights came on; 3. Engine overheated due to leaking radiator , and 4. Electrical problems, such as ignition and power door locks malfunctioned regularly. *ak the vehicle was hard to start. The door panels were loose. The windshield leaked. The anti theft alarm malfunctioned. Rear window washer malfunctioned.
Van taken for service for complaints of engine overheating and temperature gauge going up and causing temperature (hot) and service engine soon indicator lamps to come on. The van never warms up either. The van was diagnosed by gm technician indicating repairs of leaking lower intake manifold gasket, replacement of lower intake gasket thermostat and oil pump drive seal. Cylinder #2 misfire with installation of new spark plugs and wires, pcv valve, air filter, fuel filter and cleaning of fuel injectors. The van didnt get 1.5 miles from the service facility after my almost $1600 payment before the same problems resurfaced. The car was taken back and after being serviced again with no new diagnosis, I drove the van all of 20 miles before the engine overheated again. The van was taken back for the second time after initial service, all within a one-week timeframe. Now, the van has been diagnosed as having head failure. Gm needs to stand behind its work the first time and not try to charge the consumer more the third time for the same problem.
My chevy venture with 95,000 miles, with no prior warning, rather suddenly overheated and stalled as I was pulling it over on the interstate. Thankfully there was a level, grassy shoulder so I could pull all the way off the road, as the heavy truck traffic was quite intimidating. This was in maine, on a very cold day, and I was alone with my 4 small children, about 45 minutes from home. Tow truck driver couldn' t take all of us, and there were no taxi cabs. Thank god one of my friends with a van (ford!) was able to come get us. We had to wait in the cab of the tow truck for 45 minutes for my friend to come from home to where we were stranded. Got the van back from the dealership with a $2800 repair bill (apparently we got off easy, usually more engine damage is sustained in this kind of thing) diagnosis: failure of intake manifold gasket (which dealership admits is a "design flaw", resulting in these problems for too many owners) resulting in a flooding of engine with antifreeze, sudden temperature change warping the head. If this is such a common problem, I wish it had been recalled for a replacement before this incident. Chevy needs to know that its minivan products are almost always driven by moms with large families who cannot afford (financially or safety-wise) to break down so dramatically and without warning. My children and I were terrified that day--if it had stalled 5 seconds sooner, we would not have made it off the road. Thank you. Marcia hyde.
From about 40000 milesproblems with the temp gauge indicating engine running hot when in fact it never was and coolant was adequate mechanic never able to figure out 60000 intake manifold replaced 90000 miles engine losing power and stalling engine block cracked possible and head gasket. Brakes noisy with a grinding feel in the pedal lights on dash on & off ABS and coolant low when no problem exists! Car pulls to left and hard to steer in a puddle horn almost impossible to activate. Directional and hazard lights flash when brakes applied.
I own a repair shop, my wifes van just started to over heat. Opon me testing the engine I could not find the problem- because of years of working on engines I decided to change the head gaskets only to find cracks in both heads from the plug hole to the valve -this is definitly a design flaw head do not just crack nor do they do it in the same place, I beleive alot of coolant problems with these engine 3.4 v6 will be traced to the heads ,I could not find the problem by doing a presure test but once the heads were out there it was..1997 chevy venture
Mechanic informed me that I will soon need my intake manifold gasket replaced because that is why I have an oil leak they cannot stop. I pad a lot of money for a diagnostic to determine the oil leak. And have been charged for so many oil changes because of the diagnostic tests etc. I was told there is a techniocal service bullitin re. This problem but I think it should be a recall based on my research of this widespread problem.
Coolant lost 3.4 litre g.m. Engine. Failure of intake manifold gaskets causing overheating and engine repair.
The following is a letter sent to gmc on 1/18/03. Gmc did not do a thing to help out with the defect. Note that [xxx] is the owner of the vehicle. My name is [xxx] - his son - I am filing the complaint on his behalf. ----- sir / madam: due to a significant manufacturer's defect in my gmc venture, I was forced into a dangerous situation where I could have been seriously injured. At an intersection on hastings street - one of the busier streets in vancouver - my vehicle unexpectedly stalled leaving me helpless, without power. Several mechanics assessed my minivan concluding that, for no normally expected reason, the camshaft snapped in half, rendering the vehicle inoperable and causing significant, irreparable damage to the engine block. Attached to this letter is an analysis of the engine failure conducted by a mechanic with 23 years of experience. Having purchased five new exclusively gm vehicles in the past, specifically a pontiac sedan, a pontiac station wagon, a chevrolet van, an oldsmobile calais supreme and my present venture minivan (wolfe chevrolet oldsmobile, vancouver), I consider myself a loyal gm customer. Being a lifetime gm customer I'm disappointed and surprised by the extent and magnitude of my minivan failure. I realize that the warranty has expired, but I believe it to be completely unreasonable for a camshaft to snap after only 5 years of light to moderate use. As such, I feel it is only fair and reasonable that gmc, being consumer minded, reimburse me for this manufacturing defect. The total cost for repairs is ~ $4600. Please contact me at [xxx] or [xxx] to discuss further. Sincerely, [xxx] VIN: [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
In march 03, I noticed that the van did not have heat. The van was taken to highland chevrolet, aurora ontario for recall work and we asked that they check the no heating problem! The no heat was diagnosed as a problem with the intake manifold gaskets. At the time of replacement the van had 59274 kilometers (37000 miles) on it. The van was repaired with newly designed gaskets that came out in november 2002. The van still did not have heat and the air conditioning was no longer working after the above repair. The van was returned to the dealer, who rechecked the van and stated that the cabin filters were blocked. They took the cabin filters out and told us to try the van for a couple of days. This did not work and van still did not have heat or A/C. The van was returned to the dealership again , we addressed our complaints with the service manager, who agreed to take the van back in for a third time . This time they back flushed the heater and heater now works moderately better. Service manager informed that there was a build up of grunge, which was preventing the heater from working . As for the A/C that still does not work, we were told that there are pin hole leaks in the pipe that runs under the van .this pipe operates the rear air. We were also told that there is leak with the end seal on the tie rod, which causes power steering fluid to leak. To date we have not had these items repaired. In july the headlight lens cover came off! I sent a registered letter to mr. Grimaldi, president g.m. Canadian division, asking for full reimbursement. I also talked about the tsb that was released for the 1999 vans with the same problem that essentially extended the warranty coverage for vans with less than 80,000 kilometers . Verna, a customer service representative telephoned me in response to my correspondence. However she indicated that gm did not see it as a problem but told me to hang onto my receipts. We purchased our van brand new in august 1997.
Our van suddenly overheated coming home from work a couple weeks ago and totally shut down. Our dealership says that we need new gaskets and the heads are warped due to the engine getting so hot. There if oil in the coolant and boiled the coolant and overheated the engine!! We have only had our van for 11 months with no extended warranty and we know of a lot of other people having the same problem. Gm has not so far done anything to help!!! Our dealership has been very nice, but they say there is no recall at this time for this problem!!! Sincerely. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Two months ago I took my chevrolet venture(with 53,000 miles)to a certified chevrolet repair shop complaing that the low coolant light was on, and that my van was experiencing a loss of power. After having my car in the shop for 8 days I was told that they couldn't find any problems. I was charged 153.00 for the diagnostic test and an oil change. A week ago my car started to overheat. I again took the van to the shop. I was told that I need a brand new engine at a cost of $5,000. I just finished paying off this $27,000 van. Now it is worthless. I don,t understand. To add insult to injury I can not role up my window on the drivers side, as the power switch has failed
This all started in dec of 2002, the coolant was leaking into the oil due to a intake manifold gasket failure. I replaced this at a cost of 850.00. After reading all the complaints on this from other websites I decided to write the bbb also who wrote back stating not gms fault since they have not had any complaints. Thats a lie, because there is a thousand of them on the internet including a petition-on-line. Anyway though, after only one month after I fixed the manifold gasket the engine went anyway and since I still have a large "balance due" on the car I had to get the engine repaired at a price of $4300.00. My mechanic though at least guarantees me on this engine of 3 years or 75000 miles. More of a warranty than gm gave me. I also want to note that before I got the gasket replaced, I went to the chevrolet dealership I bought the van from...he didnt even look under the engine but knew immediately that I had this gasket problem and offered me only $1000.00 for the van for a trade in...he knew we still owed 7000.00 on it. I will never buy american gm products again.
Over the past year the low coolant light has been coming on. Recently I noticed coolant on the floor of my garage so I decided to take the vehicle in for diagnosis. Leaking intake manifold gasket and possible lifter problems. I have also had to have the brakes replaced a couple of times and have had the vehicle in for several recall related issues. A web site has been set up to petition gm to recall this issue http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?gmcnsmrs&1 .
Manifold gasket leak
Engine required replacement because of a broken camshaft. Camshaft broke due to engine coolant leaks into engine via damaged intake manifold. Repair cost estimated at $5180. This incidence is similar to many cases reported by owners of vehicles (venture, montana, grand am, etc.) with either the 3.1l or 3.4l gm engine. There is no prior warning before engine failed, except for the low coolant light turned on a while back. Coolant was topped off to recommended level at that time. Owner of these vehicles should visit http://www.gmintakeleak.com/ for more information.
While driving the consumer notice that the low coolant indicator light and the check oil light started flashing. The consumer checked the oil and noticed water in the oil system. The vehicle was serviced and the technician indicated that the vehicle needed and intake gasket.
We own a 1997 chevy venture and I am fearful that I will be stranded on the side of the road with my children because the transmission light keeps coming on and we already had to replace the head gasket. This nearly happened at october of 2003. Now there is a ticking noise. This has been in the shop many times. We bought the vehicle new and have had nothing but trouble.
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