2000 Chevrolet Venture engine problems

Filed Oct 7, 2022 · Engine · IL

In January 2022, I noticed white smoke coming from the engine and a mechanic said it was the water pump that needed to be replaced, so I have it replaced. Recently, I noticed the same white smoke coming from the engine and took it back to the same mechanic who installed the water pump. The mechanic said it was the intake manifold that caused the white smoke. I decided to take it to another mechanic to see if the first diagnosis was correct and that mechanic confirmed the first mechanic's diagnosis and my previous experience with another GM vehicle (1997 Vhevy Lumina) that had the exact same problem: water pump went out and intake manifold also started to fail until the Lumina's engine was fried.

Filed Apr 14, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 115,000 miles · IA · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2000 chevrolet venture. After being parked for two days, the vehicle suddenly caught fire. The contact mentioned that the fire originated in the engine compartment and caused a garage located next to the vehicle to catch fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 115,000.

Filed Jun 14, 2011 · Engine · 170,000 miles · FL

My 2000 chevy venture van had an overheating problem when the coolant was full. I researched on google and found there to be complaints about this specific van problem on this make and year. Is there a recall or any way that the problem can be fixed for no charge? The repair shop says it has seen this on this vehicle as will and the cost to fix the cracked head gasket is $1200.00 I appreciate any help that you can give me with this matter. I signed up for printout of research but please disregard as this complaint form is what I needed. Thanks.

Filed Nov 12, 2010 · Electrical, Engine · 120,000 miles · OH

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.

Filed Aug 29, 2010 · Engine · 112,765 miles · NH

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?

Filed Jan 18, 2009 · Engine · 63,000 miles · FL

Was loosing coolant a month out of warr.(less than 36k miles in 2003) dealer replaced head gasket (same on a '97 venture I had) and squeaked it under warr. Now 5 years later at 63k mile, the same head gasket, same spot. Dealer said that this is common and replace them all the time with these engines but no recall at all.

Filed Dec 26, 2008 · Engine · 59,000 miles · OH

Material used for head gasket and exhaust manifold gasket were made from material which deteriorated when exposed to coolant. Manufacturer developed new gasket from aluminum to replace, but no recall was ever issued to acknowledge the problem. This has cost me approximately $2500 in repairs, and could have resulted in major engine damage. The dealer service center seemed to be well aware of the issue, as they acted like this wasn't the first one they had seen. The first repair I had was for the exhaust manifold gasket, and it came to $1300. Less than 4 months and 5000 miles later, it was back in the garage with a defective head gasket. Dealer was kind enough to discount the repair, but still came to another $1300. This was on a vehicle that only has 63000 miles on it.

Filed Apr 29, 2008 · Engine · 85,000 miles · OH

I have gotten the same problem fixed on my chevy venture van (2000) this will be the third time...the intake gasket keeps blowing out...I would hope if any other gm vehicle with this same problem would come forward so there can be a recall on this, so we can get it fixed...trust me it is not a "cheap" fix at all. This has been fixed within the last 4 years...3 times...the car starts leaking antifreeze, and over heating the vehicle.

Filed Apr 4, 2008 · Engine · 153,000 miles · NJ

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet venture. While driving 45 MPH, the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle began to stall. The current mileage was 157,300 and failure mileage was 153,000. Update 05/13/08 *bf the consumer took the vehicle back to the repair shop on 4 occasions. Updated

Filed Oct 26, 2007 · Engine · 100,000 miles · KY

I had my radiator flushed and was told that there seemed to have oil in my coolant. I was told by our mechanic that the head gasket had started to disintegrate, which was causing the coolant to leak into the oil. He said this was a common problem with dexcool which is the recommended coolant to be used in our van. If gm recommends that this coolant be used, then they should have to pay for the repairs. Which is going to cost us about $800 or more if our engine blows. When we finally do get the problem fixed we will not be putting the red dexcool back in it, we are switching to the green, it was recommended by our mechanic. We can't afford to fix this problem right now we have to wait for tax refunds, because my husband is a disabled vet and we are on a limited income.. Shame on gm for taking advantage of their consumers like this, and I can see from all the complaints listed here they have known about the problem for quite some time.