Chevy & GMC Vans

I need to get a shop maual for my new ride, 04 Astro AWD. Any suggestions on the best one or combinaton of two?

If you can afford it, get a factory service manual. They are quite a bit more expensive than a basic Chiltons or Haynes but have much more detailed info. I have a 3 volume set for my old 98 and it has everything from wiring schematics to engine/trans rebuilding instructions.

Yep, I agree with Dean above. Get the factory manual set--it's got everything you need inside it.

Check out Ebay. I got my FSM (two volumns) for $28.00. Had to pay a little extra for the Transmission, Transaxle, Transfer case volumn.

And, short of that, my Haynes manual has served me very well.

kings-x59 wrote:And, short of that, my Haynes manual has served me very well.

In retrospect, I should have ask what level of information was needed. I think a Haynes could be all that is needed according to what a person wants to do with his/her van. For me, though, the factory service manuals are the only way to go.

I have both the Haynes and the FSM, altho the FSM contains more info they do not contain photos ( only diagrams, and not the best either ) so if you're the type that needs to look at a photo, then grab a Haynes while you are looking online to find a cheap set of FSM, if you are really thinking of doing all you're own work then having both is the way to go.

Factory service manual for your year, from helminc.com It will be the best $135 you've ever spent on tools. The price is steep, but think of it like this. The Haynes or Chiltons is like 150 pages. But the shop manual (factory service manual) for your year is like 1500 pages--page for page, you're paying less...

OR.... you can always come here....the accumulated knowledge and experience of the members fills in all the gaps imho

kings-x59 wrote:OR.... you can always come here....the accumulated knowledge and experience of the members fills in all the gaps imho

Amen to that!! You guys have saved my butt too many times to count!!!!

trybe13 wrote:

kings-x59 wrote:OR.... you can always come here....the accumulated knowledge and experience of the members fills in all the gaps imho

Amen to that!! You guys have saved my butt too many times to count!!!!

Amen x 2 brother

You know, I haven't even looked at my Haynes manual since I got the factory set-- it's obvious that I don't need it and that it's just occupying bookshelf space. So, does anyone want a lightly used Haynes manual that covers 1985-1998 Astro/Safaris? If so, drop me a PM with your address. No charge. I'll mail it to the first PM I get. Might take me a little bit of time to get it in the mail, though. It'll be good to get this book to someone who needs it.

You can also get manuals at your library and photocopy any parts you need. Some libraries will even let you access them from your home computer.

Thanks, @PhyllisRYeager, for the hyperlink. OnlyPDFManuals.com covers user Manuals for both brands of the 1999-2005 General Motors M-Body mid-van; don't have to extrapolate much to cover my 1997 M11006. Hopefully the Shop Manual covers the engine side of the steering column: My M11006 has a steering-fluid leak at the 'box and I've replaced that last hose, ruling out bad seals for the hoses; suspect therefore a bad wormshaft seal, but don't know how to pull the secondary-shaft cover (which bridges the gap betwixt the column and the 'box) to get at the top of the wormshaft.

@Bret Schmerker
that was a spammer