97 Astro Engine Replace, Repair or Buy Another Van

[shadowdog]

I am new to the forum, but not to Astros. We have had Rosemary since 2002. She has 187K on the original engine and transmission. Recently her engine has developed a coolant leak from the left bank of cylinders. It seems to be coming from the head gasket, although from reading the forums it may also be leaking from the intake gasket. A bottle of stop leak has cured the leak temporarily. My question to you experts is should I replace the engine with a used or overhauled unit, repair the leak or get a different van. List pros and cons of each. I eagerly await your replies.

[92astro]

i would just rebuild the top end which is replace the head gaskets and intake gasket. also while it is apart you could replace the valve guide seals and water pump and hoses. these vans go to 300,000 miles or more so it is worth it.!!

[ihatemybike]

I agree with Bryan. Might as well keep going with it if it's paid off. Grumpy will have 302k miles with no rebuilds on it when I get home from work tomorrow, just to show ya far they'll go. Hell it had 300k on the original cap/rotor/plugs/wiring due to POs neglect.

[GEJ]

I think it is a simple matter of what you are willing to spend.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

If the engine isn't overheating and is running fine, my guess is you have an intake coolant leak. Pull the intake off and throw a new gasket in there and run her for another 100k.

[Smiliesafari]

At a 185,000 I did the intake manifold gaskets for the same reason. Coolant leak. It cured the problem. Do a compression check. That will tell you if the leak is in the head gaskets. Welcome to the site. We're a bunch of Astrosafarian crazies. Lots of good people and more info than you can imagine.

[shadowdog]

I forgot to mention that she burns about a quart of oil in 3000 miles. Does that change the scenario much? Also, how hard is it to get the manifold off? It looks pretty tight in there.

[SSAstro]

take the doghouse off and look at the back of the motor that way and you should be able to tell if its the intake or not and if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself have a shop do it i had mine replaced for like 300.00 with parts so if it is a head gasket you can also tell by checking your oil and seeing if its a milky color

[skippy]

If it were me , i'd do a top end rebuild . redo the heads , new gaskets all the way around etc..... much cheaper than replacing the motor & you'd be good for at least another 100K . if you can afford it clean or replace your injection system while its apart .

[LaGrasta]

My Dad retired from GM and said every new car gets a few pellets before it goes out the door. Here's the exact brand GM uses.
http://www.barsproducts.com/HDC.htm

I had the same "leak" you mentioned awhile back. I actually forgot all about it until you brought it up just now. I stuck some "pellets" in there and haven't had the problem since. If it does creep back, I'll just replace the gasket.

[Jinmajay]

Digging up old posts....

Hey, at least I do searches...

I just got a new to me, a very much previously enjoyed 1999 AWD stro for $2k (140k) but had to put a lot of work into it mechanically. The previous owners drove it.

Done
Shocks
brakes
rear end (swapped out of the 98)
fuel tank (I had a new fuel pump in my 98)
radiator
belt
t-stat
2-idler arms
cd player
door handles
mirror
swapped tires
t-case seal
wiper arm
multiple inside trim pieces
rear door seal
spare tire
installed hitch
timberlands
oil and filter
front diff gear oil
changed rear gear oil


Still broke or needed
radio illumination light
head gasket
timing cover seal
oil lines
main seal
tranny fluid and filter
mirror control
charge a/c
High speed on blower

When I changed the oil, about a half of cup of water came out first. I have noticed that it starts really quick. I haven't ran it much since all the work (today) so I haven't check to see how much coolant is needed. I'm sure that it has a leak on the head gasket and I want to but some stop leak in until spring and then i can install the newly rebuilt 4.3 out of the 98. I found this stuff (from the website above) and I want to know if anyone ever used it? It is for blown head gaskets.

http://www.barsproducts.com/1111.htm

I wanted to drive it back to NY (Gary land) this Christmas with the family but really don't trust it. We have six people and I'm am instead having to use my 2000 Silverado. This is a 17 hour drive and it will be very tight. The two boys are 6 ft plus and it's an extended cab truck (not Crew).

What would you do?

j

[LiftedAWDAstro]

I would not drive the van with a KNOWN head gasket failure. You will be just asking for trouble. Either rent/borrow a bigger vehicle or just drive the truck.

[CaptSquid]

I had the same problem with Klementine. It WASN'T a head gasket problem. The problem was the intake manifold itself! There was a thumbnail sized divot that leaked coolant profusely; so much coolant was lost that it took me 3 litres of water to travel 10 miles! I ended up replacing the manifold with a jy manifold; that was 5 years ago. Of course, at the same time, the water pump went out, too. Ended up setting me back $1400!

[Jinmajay]

I drove the van about 100 miles this far and it looks like it used 1 or 2 pints. It was down around the bottom of the neck of the radiator. The coolant overflow was down some too. I did buy the gasket sealer stuff above ($29.99) and I will put it in after I change the thermostat Saturday. I bought the Dorman oil lines ($54.00) and might tackle this as well. I will try to remember to report how the stuff works (if it does at all).

Yep, I need to let go and just take the truck. I haven't loaded the van down with people to see if it looses power up inclines. It would be my luck to break down on hwy I70 on Christmas eve... We are suposed to be close to our family during the Christmas season anyway.