Chevy & GMC Vans

OK, my 2nd post here. YES, I did search for a while but did not find anything, so please be kind. My dad's '99 Astro van has had a lot of problems lately, and new one cropped up which may be related to the others.

First, the intake manifold gasket had to be replaced. It was sucking air, though there were no signs of coolant leaking out. He had a shop do that. Within a week of getting that done, the radiator went south. He replaced that with the help of my nephew, a UTI (Cleveland) grad. Within days of that job, the oil cooler line blew @ the quick-disconnect fitting, and he lost all the oil. He was going slow and pulled right over when the engine started sputtering.

They fixed that, and a few more days later the engine started making a loud knocking sound. I looked under the hood today as he started it, and noticed the belt tensioner moving about a 1/4" to 3/8" (6-10mm). That's a big swing. I assumed the tensioner pulley's bearing had gone, as this is another component that had never been serviced.

Well, it turns out the tensioner is fine, and it's the lower pulley that has the radial run-out. What could cause this? I know, front main bearing...but I really hope that's not it. Could the harmonic balancer have blown up? Any good guesses or experience you want to share?

Thanks!

Ken M.

Have you checked to see if the lower pulley cracked? Is the balancer spinning true or is it wobbly? The fact that he didn't know he was out of oil untill the van sputtered has me worried.

That has me worried too. I asked him if the "OIL" light came on and he said no. That also has me worried. When I arrived at the scene of the Exxon Valdez-like incident, I had a full 5-quart jug of fresh oil with me, and it took 4/5ths of it to fill. However, it did run fine for a full week after fixing that oil cooler line, and there was no oil under the front of the van today when I spotted the wobbly pulley syndrome. That would have been indicative of main bearing failure, because oil surely would have gushed past the front main seal if that bearing failed to this degree.

My nephew drove it the 1/2 mile back to his house today to take it apart and diagnose. Tough working outside today (Dad has no garage) because we're getting the winds that Michigan had yesterday which kept me from getting to my connecting flight home until almost 10PM.

I would think if there are any bearing damage in the engine you would see a huge change in oil pressure.What is the oil pressure???.

Oil pressure had dropped, according to my dad.

The verdict is in....it's toast. My nephew got the van into his garage and dropped the oil pan. He said it was full of metal shavings and it appears the main bearing spun. Sad, because I know people from my motorcycle race photo business that have put over 350,000 miles on their Astro/Safari vans. My dad's pretty distraught about this because being retired and on a very limited income, there's little money to buy something else. His van is not worth saving, plain and simple. The city he lives in has poor roads, especially the hill leading up to his house. It's heavily-traveled by school buses and other traffic associated with having both a middle school and a high school, plus the city had re-piped all the water and sewer services a few years back and never repaved it. That unavoidable road has beaten his van down severely. He has had to rebuild the front suspension, steering and braking systems multiple times, and the van has more squeaks and rattles than vans with 3 times the miles.

We're getting together today to go over his financial situation and see what he can afford to spend. He's leaning toward a compact or mid-size pickup truck now, as he grew up on a farm and has always wanted one. With no kids at home (though there is a grandson there), he doesn't need seats, but wants to be able to cart stuff around. I'm inclined to steer him toward a used Silverado or F-150 full-size truck for the better ride quality of a longer and wider wheelbase. Those trucks tend to get the same (or even better) fuel economy than the S-10/Sonoma or Ford Ranger-based vehicles. My 19 year-old son just got an '02 Mazda B30004x4, so I know.

If the truck had just given him any sign of impending doom via a warning lamp, this van should have gone another 147,000 miles. Who among us would notice just an oil pressure drop as you're driving along and the motor started running rough? By the time he saw it, the damage had been done, apparently. This sucks.

Sorry to hear that.I would guess (given that kind of damage) there is nothing salvageable for that engine.It does speak volumes to how tuff these 4.3's are because it still ran.Maybe if all else fails with the money situation,a low mileage junk yard replacement engine might be a low dollar answer even through as you say this might not be the right van for him.Aleast it will put a set of wheels under him.Here is a link to J/Y's:

http://www.Car-parts.com

It might give you a sense of how much that would cost and I hope it helps in your decisions.

If nothing else get a cheap engine drop it in the van an use it for trade or sale it out right. Getin something for it is better than the $50 you get for it from a j/y right now. =/

Sorry to hear Ken.....where in central Ma. are you?
Don't just scrap the van ....the gladiators are saleable......

I thought about finding a cheap motor to throw in it for trade purposes, but with the overall condition it still wouldn't be worth all the effort. If I had the time the best thing to do is just part out what little we can, and then junk the carcass.

If we were to replace the motor, we'd get perhaps $500 tops as a trade-in, depending upon the cost of the vehicle being bought. If we junk it outright now, we'd get about $150-200. If I part it out, the carcass is worth almost nothing but we might get $200 ~ $300 for things like the cat, the new radiator and various other bits that people here might want. Even that work probably wouldn't be worth our time, so I think the best thing to do is just bin it.

dunedog wrote:Sorry to hear Ken.....where in central Ma. are you?
Don't just scrap the van ....the gladiators are saleable......

My dad lives in Worcester @ the Worcester-Leicester line, I'm in Spencer. What would make a Gladiator "saleable"?

Bear in mind, my dad used this van as a work truck for 8 of the 9 years he's owned it. He was a maintenance man at Lincoln Village, a big housing complex. He had removed (but saved) the rear "bed" to haul around all his tools and appliance/electrical/plumbing repair parts, so it's really pretty trashed. All the more reason a guy like him should have a pickup truck...with rubber mats instead of carpeting. Old habits die hard. For a guy in his late 70's, those habits will be with him for as long as I have him. ;)

Well,....maybe it's not that saleable after all.....

Is it RWD or AWD?

RWD

Sorry to hear about the troubles PixMan but I appreciate you sharing the story, for those who have been watching their leaky oil lines...this underscores the importance of getting the leak looked after or removing the lines altogether because as we have just seen when they go you have very little time before major damage occurs.

astrozam wrote:Sorry to hear about the troubles PixMan but I appreciate you sharing the story, for those who have been watching their leaky oil lines...this underscores the importance of getting the leak looked after or removing the lines altogether because as we have just seen when they go you have very little time before major damage occurs.

Yeah that really sucks! When I picked up the '95(couple weeks ago), I did a quick check.Sure enough you could see oil on the cooler lines! I had to drive it about 500 miles to get it home,believe me I was worried about them going! I was going to take the cooler out like I did on the '94(originally posted by zam way back) when I did the next oil change. The lines are expensive and prone to leak and a overall PITA to change!Got about 900 miles before it hits 100,000.Was going to do a change then,but now I think I'll do it sooner to be on the safe side! Once again,sorry to hear of your troubles and good luck finding your Dad's next ride. Hope you find a bargain!

Sorry to hear about the bad luck. With all of the tools and supplies that your dad needs it might be a good idea to get him into another Astro/Safari. My point being that all of the stuff would be protected from the weather and the sticky fingers. Pickups are a prime target for the thieves because of the easy access to the open bed. It's a quick grab and run. You can lose several thousands in equipment in just seconds. There are lots of Astro/Safari's around. Right now the prices are really good. Good luck.