Leaking coolant LED to engine failure. Gm and dealership try to shift blame to me. They say there is no problem. The vehicle just stopped in the middle of the road. I had to push it to the side of a busy street with a small child inside. The engine oil filled with anti freeze and ceased up without warning. It had been to the dealership to have the low coolant light checked and they just added stop leak and said it would be fine. The lower intake manifold gasket was leaking. This has been well documented for over a year but gm is still in denial. My 1998 chevy venture was purchased used in september 2001. The vehicle only had 40,000 miles on it. I brought it to the dealership in sept. 2002 for 15 point inspection and oil change at about 45,000 miles. This was last day under warranty. In january 2003 the low coolant light came on. I checked the coolant level at it looked almost dry. There was no prior evidence like stains on my driveway. They said good thing I brought it in right away and flushed and filled it and said there was a small leak in one of the gaskets and added stop leak. In may the engine seized up and I needed to replace the engine with a rebuilt one at a cost of $4000.00. The vehicle has less than 50000 miles on it. The dealership and gm assistance claim no knowledge of this. In july my neighbor who owns a 2000 chevy silhouette has the same thing happen and needs his engine replaced. A friend of mine says he had his gasket fixed while under warranty. Please help me and the thousands of others who have been hurt because gm refuses to accept responsibility for what is obviously a manufacturing defect. I feel the only option that I have is to go to small claims court where I probably won't have a chance against general motor?s lawyers. I have a couple of web sites that have been sort of like my support group since my engine failed. I don't know if you are aware of any of them.
1998 Chevrolet Venture engine complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 111, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Car began losing coolant at about 20000 miles. Had to keep topping coolant tank. Presented to local dealer at 35,500 miles to be repaired. Coolant sensor replaced, problem persisted. Wife's car (1999 venture) began having same symptom, researched and found that this is a widespread problem with intake manifold gaskets (recently redesigned by gm). This problem can allow coolant to mix with oil, and oil with coolant. Can result in sudden catastrophic engine failure (camshaft breaks due to insufficient lubrication). Stranded vehicles will present multiple safety hazards.
Leaking intake manifold gasket leak. Leaking coolant. Repair estimated to be $800 by elco chevrolet in ballwin, missouri. We discovered through research on the internet and talking to mechanics at a local auto repair franchise that this has been a problem with the chevy venture vans. We are looking for relief from gm-this is not the first problem we have had with coolant leaks in the van and are now wondering if this problem was undetected and we have been repairing other items needlessly (water pump, etc.) when this was the true source of the problem. We are very concerned about the future of the engine on this vehicle with this problem.
1998 chevy venture, engine light came on, pulled over engine tapping & smoking. No oil light or change in temp, gauge observed. Had to walk on interstate 1.2 miles took ride from unknown couple, had van towed. Diagnoses was: intake gasket collapsed, causing connecting rod to go through engine. Dealership & gm customer care refused any assistance. Overwelmed by severity of this gasket problem readily available on the internet. We replaced our engine with a used one, that is all we could afford. It definitely was the faulty gasket that caused our engine to be replaced. When this first happened, no dummy light came on, nothing to even tell me there was a problem, such as low oil or service engine. The mechanic who replaced our engine told us he has seen several chevy venture vans with the same exact problem we had. We had the servive done at d&n garage 4929 south m-76 west branch, mi 48661, the owner is nelson smith. The phone # is 1 800 203 8504. It cost us almost $1600. To replace the engine, we lucked out finding one that had only 40,000 miles on it. Nelson made sure to put the new gasket on this engine. The gm dealership here refused to help. Where we bought the van refused to help, the gm helpline just very rudely told me it was my problem.
Kept loosing coolant - initial pressure test did not detect leak. Asked them to check intake manifold & gaskets. They detected leak. Cost to repair - 673.00. Do not know yet if any damage was done to engine.
At 60,000 miles my chevrolet venture started to leak coolant and I took it to my local chevrolet dealer and they said that the intake manifiold gasket needed replacement. Cost approx. $800.00 including cooling system flush and tax. Dealer said that gm was not paying for all or part of the repair and in fact they have not commented to it's dealers about the failure of the intake manifold gaskets at all. Obviously gm does not want to admit a problem with the 3.4l engine. My research finds that this is a very common and costly problem with these vehicles.
Current problem is leaking coolant with ticking sound in engine at startup until engine is warm. Diagnosed by dealer as blown head and intake gaskets. Estimated cost is $1300 for gasket replacement and another $660 if head is cracked. Mileage is 83350. Many other reports exist of this problem in chevrolet ventures with some leading to engine failure. 3.4l v6.
Developed engine coolant (dex-cool) leak at intake manifold. Dealer mechanic stated that the repair will cost $500.00 to replace the $3.00 gasket. Also stated that this was a common problem.
Engine coolant is leaking into engine. Suspect bad intake manifold gasket, after exhaustive research on web.
Since purchasing this van I have had numerous problems, with the most recent being an engine replacement. This problem stems from the bad design of gm's intake gasket which breaks down and causes anti-freeze to leak into the engine causing premature wear and/or replacement.
Gm has issued a service bulletin number: 03-06-01-010 in march 2003. This bulletin affects my chevrolet venture van and will cost me between $600 and $1500 to repair. Talking to the dealer indicates to me that there are a considerable number of chevy's with this problem.
1998 chevrolet venture manifold leak.*mr the coolant level was down quite often. *jb
I purchased a 1998 chevrolet venture new for approximately $27,000. After 4 1/2 years I had to replace the lower intake manifold gasket at a cost of about $500. I maintained the vehicle to the manufacturers specifications even changing the oil every 3 to 4000. On labor day 2003, a little more than 5 years after I purchased the vehicle, I broke down returning from a family vacation with the car packed and my three kids. The car had to be towed to the nearest chevrolet dealer. 75 miles from home. Bottom line the cam bearings spun in the engine and the dealer said the car was worth $300 as is. It needed a new engine at a total cost of $6150. Gm customer service agreed that this was premature engine failure but that the engine had 72,000 miles and according to gm the life expectancy of that engine is only 100,000 miles. They said I got almost 75% of the engines expected life and they offered me 25% of the cost incurred by me to install a new engine. Gm needs to recognize that the faulty gasket on the lower intake manifold caused this problem by allowing antifreeze to enter the engine. Gm should have reimbursed me the cost for the gasket replacement and the engine. Normal wear and tear I expect, but to have a vehicle worth about $7,000 one day and $300 the next is not fair. I will never buy another gm product as long as I live and I will let as many people I know how gm stands by their product.
Low coolant light comes on and off and coolant over-flow is consantley empty with a residue left behind. Low coolant light started coming on at approx.48000; present mileage 58830. Within the last 2 months I have noticed coolant on my driveway and in my garage. Temperature guage also show signs of over heat.
I had to have a gasket leak on the intake manifold repaired. I understand this is a problem since 1995 occurring in approximately 1 out of 30 vehicles according to my current dealership. My previous mechanic of 15 years (a chevy mechanic for 26 years) also said gm is aware of this frequent gasket leak. I called chevy in detroit to ask for financial assistance for my $1,070 repair and they turned me down due to lack of evidence of a problem.
I recently purchased a used 1998 chevrolet venture. Upon checking the fluid levels yesterday, I noted that the coolant level was low, and the coolant appeared to be contaminated (probably by oil). This, coupled with abnormal temperature fluctuations and an odd tinge on my oil dipstick caused me enough concern to do a little research. I've found thousands of testimonials from gm owners, especially of the 3.1 and 3.4 liter v-6, who have suffered from a leaking intake manifold gasket. The damage ranges from a six hundred dollar repair bill to ejected rods/cracked heads/complete engine failure. This is obviously a widespread defect, and engine failure in any type of traffic is obviously a safety concern, especially in a family vehicle such as a minivan. I am currently looking for information regarding accidents caused by this defect. My complaint is the commonality lack of support for this problem, given the fact that gm is clearly aware that it exists (both by technical bulletin and the fact that all four of the local gm service departments I called recently referred to the problem immediately). It is unbelievable that a recall has not occurred on this poorly engineered, inherently dangerous "dex-cool" coolant system, when it corrodes engine operating parts and support structures, often undetectable in the lower engine area until catastrophic material failure.
Rear window on vehicle blew out. *mr in 2001 the rear window had to be replaced because it had blown out. In 2003, the same window had blown out again which was the original from gm. There was no seal around the original window. The lower intake manifold seal had to be replaced by gm in which they covered half the cost. There were other chevrolet's with the same problem. (the cracked sealed leaked coolant into the engine) the consumer felt that gm should reimburse the insurance company. *scc
While driving temperature gauge started fluctuating from high to low, and vehicle overheated due to the intake manifold leaking anti freeze onto the engine.
2 fuel pumps, now motor.
The intake manifold gasket leaked coolant onto the engine, which resulted in engine failure. *ak
The service engine light illuminated and the vehicle started to run roughly, it was discovered the head gasket which was supposedly done previously was never done. *jb also the head light bulb was replaced
Intake gasket leaking.
1998 chevrolet venture van 3400 dex coolant engine, intake manifold gaskit & head gasket left us stranded on the side of the freeway with 3 children in busy july 4th traffic, had to be towed home and call for someone to pick my self and children up while my husband waited for a tow truck. From the research we have done this is a common problem with this engine that chevy will not publicaly admit too even though they have redesigned the intake manifold system for the new vehicles .
I bought my 1998 venture in july. Of 2001. It had 67000 on it. It seemed to have the smell of antifreeze. In june of 2003 our vans intake gasket burst causing coolant to leak into the engine. Apparently this is not unusual plus to make matters worse the average repair bill is at least 6.6 hours long just for the gasket not including any damage done to the cam shaft (which is hollow in this motor) I would like to see a class action lawsuit against gm on this matter.
We had a manifold gasket on our 1998 chevy venture go bad earlier this year. It leaked anti-freeze into the oil. It appears that the anti-freeze leaking into the engine oil has caused failures in the strength of the crankshaft. And since this site does not combine similar problems, it may appear that there are just a few problems with the cooling system, gaskets and crankshaft on the 1998-2000 venture vans. You need to look at all the cooling system problem reports. Now the crank shaft has broken. We have learned that of others have had the same problem with this van. The local dealership has told us it will cost over $5,000.00 to repair/replace the engine. I have had many different types of cars in the past, one nissan maxima we have now has almost 200,000 miles, with no engine repairs like this. I believe gm has had a major defect with the manifold gasket and cooling system on this van and has avoided a recall for this defect. We were just told to "have a nice day" by rose uhl and christy hardcastle of "gm customer service". I think a $5,000.00 repair bill is something to make complaints about on a van that cost $23,000.00.
1998 chevrolet venture with 41,000 miles taken for oil change where low coolant condition was noted. Gm dealership replaced lower intake gasket. This is the second gasket put on this car. The original gasket was replaced at approximately 15,000 miles.
I bought my 1998 venture in nov. Of 2001. It had 66000 on it. It seemed to have the smell of antifreeze. In december of 2002 someone told us that the gaskets were noted for leaking. My husband replaced it, and gave it an oil change in feb. It was thick and dark orange in color. It started knocking when you accelerated. So once again my husband has it torn apart and found the crank shaft is coming apart due to the antifreeze leaking into the engine. Now I am paying on a dead horse. We can't afford to get it repaired. It would be nice if gm would recall this.
1998 chevrolet venture. Intake manifold gasket went bad and got coolant in my engine. Had to replace water pump also. Cost 927.35 to replace. I feel gm should make this item a recall as I have found numerous web sites with people that have the same problem with all sorts of gm vehicles.
The consumer noticed that his vehicle was leaking antifreeze, and when he turned his vehicle off there was no pressure in the radiator. The consumer took his vehicle to the dealer and was told that the vehicle had a leaking intake manifold gasket. After testing the vehicle the dealer indicated that the repair would cost $678.00 plus tax.
Intake gasket leak of coolant. On web research this is a common problem known to gm usually with serious engine repairs being necessary. Dealership mechanic acknowledged it was a, "common problem".
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