2000 Chevrolet Venture engine and engine cooling problems

“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. *TR”

“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…”

“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…”

“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. *TR”

“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. *TR”

“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. *TR”