1994 CHEVROLET ASTRO Complaints

FOR ALL OF YOU 1994 CHEVROLET ASTRO OWNERS AND ANY OTHERS THAT HAVE THE OLDER 4.3L VORTEC ENGINE. I HAVE THE SOLUTION TO YOUR LEGR VALVE CARBON CLOGING PROBLEM. MY 1994 EXT VAN HAS 150,000 MILES AND I HAD BEEN GETTING THE ROUGH IDLE AND STALLING WHEN AT A STOP LIGHT PROBLEM. IT HAS DONE THIS BEFORE TO ME EVERY 6MONTHS OR SO AND I JUST PULLED OFF MY EGR VALVE, KNOCK OUT THE CARBON CHUNK THAT IS STUCK IN IT AND 20 MIN LATER IM ON MY WAY. WELL IT HAS COME BACK BAD AND IT IS CLOGING EVERY 20 MILES WITH LOTS OF CARBON CHUNKS. CHEVY TELLS ME THAT THE LOWER INTAKE NEEDS TO BE EMOVED AND BEAD BLASTED TO REMOVE THE CARBON BUILD UP. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND THERE WAS A EGR RECALL THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF THIS CLEANING IF IT HAPPENED THE 1ST 7 YEARS OR 75,000 MILES OF THE VAN. WELL THEY WONT DO IT FOR ME AND THE DEALER WANTS $500-$1000 TO DO THIS. I FANALY FOUND THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM THAT EVERY CHEVY OWNER THAT HAS THE 4.3L VORTEC ENINGE. THIS IS CALLED THE KLEAN SCREEN. IT IS A REPLACEMENT EGR GASKET THAT HAS A HIGH TEMP SCREEN AT THE EGR INPUT OPENING THAT WILL STOP LARGE CHUNKS OF CARBON FROM ENTERING THE EGR VALVE AND WHEN IT GETS WARMED UP THE SCREEN WILL BREAK THE CHUNKS UP INTO SMALL PEICES THAT WILL PASS THE EGR POPPET. THEY COST ABOUT 13.50 EACH AT AUTO ZONE AND THE COMPANY IS NAMED TOMCO INC. WWW.TOMCO-INC.COM. IT HAS BEEN 1 WEEK SINCE I HAVE INSTALLED THE GASKET ON THE ORIGINAL EGR VALVE THAT CAME WITH THE VAN NEW 150,000 MILES AGO AND IT RUNS GREAT SO FAR. TH GM PART NUMBER FOR THIS GASKET IS 2-1357. I BOUGHT MINE AT THE LOCAL AUTOZONE BY MY HOUSE IN VIRGINIA. YOU CAN ALSO BUY RIGHT FROM THE COMPANY AT 10.50 EACH WITH A 5 ORDER MIN. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE WAYNE JORDAN. *AK

WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECOME INOPERABLE, AND RESULT IN POOR VISIBILITY. DEALER INDICATED WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE NOT RECALLED. *AK

MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED ONLY WHEN THEY FELT LIKE IT. TOOK IN TO A CHEVROLET DEALER AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE MODULE. COST ME $125.71.*AK

WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON AND GO OFF INADVERTENTLY. ALSO, THE DOOR LATCHES DID NOT OPERATE CONSISTENTLY.*AK *JB *NM

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING INTERMITTENTLY DURING A RAIN STORM. SOMETIMES THE WIPERS DID NOT WORK AT ALL. *NLM *SC *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT UNDETERMINED SPEED AND WITH NO WARNING FRONT SUSPENSION COLLAPSED. CONSUMER TOWED VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP. *AK

FAILURE OF WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD CONNECTOR DUE TO FAULTY DESIGN, I.E. INSUFFICIENT SUPPORT OF SOLDERED WIRES, LEADING TO FATIGUE CRACK OF SOLDER JOINTS, THEN FAILURE OF MOTOR OPERATION. TWO OF TWO OTHER OWNERS OF EARLY 90'S ASTROS I SPOKE TO HAD HAD THE SAME COMPLAINT, AND ONE OF THOSE HAD HEARD OF OTHERS. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT 35 MPH ALTERNATOR BRACKET BROKE, AND VEHICLE LOST POWER. *AK

CONSUMER STATED THIS VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AS STATED IN RECALL 03-V-159-000 CONCERNING WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECOMING INOPERABLE OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVER'S VIEW. DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR VEHICLE BECAUSE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. *AK

WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER STATED A RECALL WAS ISSUED, HOWEVER THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK CONSUMER NEVER KNOWS WHEN THE WIPERS WOULD AND WOULDN'T WORK. SHE NOTED THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD ESPECIALLY IN NEW YORK WINTERS. *PH *JB