1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE Complaints

AT 60,000 MILES MY CHEVROLET VENTURE STARTED TO LEAK COOLANT AND I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THE INTAKE MANIFIOLD GASKET NEEDED REPLACEMENT. COST APPROX. $800.00 INCLUDING COOLING SYSTEM FLUSH AND TAX. DEALER SAID THAT GM WAS NOT PAYING FOR ALL OR PART OF THE REPAIR AND IN FACT THEY HAVE NOT COMMENTED TO IT'S DEALERS ABOUT THE FAILURE OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS AT ALL. OBVIOUSLY GM DOES NOT WANT TO ADMIT A PROBLEM WITH THE 3.4L ENGINE. MY RESEARCH FINDS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON AND COSTLY PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES.

CURRENT PROBLEM IS LEAKING COOLANT WITH TICKING SOUND IN ENGINE AT STARTUP UNTIL ENGINE IS WARM. DIAGNOSED BY DEALER AS BLOWN HEAD AND INTAKE GASKETS. ESTIMATED COST IS $1300 FOR GASKET REPLACEMENT AND ANOTHER $660 IF HEAD IS CRACKED. MILEAGE IS 83350. MANY OTHER REPORTS EXIST OF THIS PROBLEM IN CHEVROLET VENTURES WITH SOME LEADING TO ENGINE FAILURE. 3.4L V6.

DEVELOPED ENGINE COOLANT (DEX-COOL) LEAK AT INTAKE MANIFOLD. DEALER MECHANIC STATED THAT THE REPAIR WILL COST $500.00 TO REPLACE THE $3.00 GASKET. ALSO STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM.

ENGINE COOLANT IS LEAKING INTO ENGINE. SUSPECT BAD INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, AFTER EXHAUSTIVE RESEARCH ON WEB.

SINCE PURCHASING THIS VAN I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS, WITH THE MOST RECENT BEING AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THIS PROBLEM STEMS FROM THE BAD DESIGN OF GM'S INTAKE GASKET WHICH BREAKS DOWN AND CAUSES ANTI-FREEZE TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE CAUSING PREMATURE WEAR AND/OR REPLACEMENT.

GM HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: 03-06-01-010 IN MARCH 2003. THIS BULLETIN AFFECTS MY CHEVROLET VENTURE VAN AND WILL COST ME BETWEEN $600 AND $1500 TO REPAIR. TALKING TO THE DEALER INDICATES TO ME THAT THERE ARE A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF CHEVY'S WITH THIS PROBLEM. *CB

WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF. RACK AND PINION STEERING WAS REPLACED, BUT PROBLEM HAS RECURRED. *AK *MR

HAD TO REPLACE THE RACK AND PINION ON MY 1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE, IT HAS 64,000 MILES ON IT. DOING RESEARCH I SEE THAT MANY VANS OF THIS YEAR ARE RECALLED FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM, BUT GM INSISTS THAT MINE IS NOT ONE OF THEM. I THINK THEY ARE JUST TRYING TO GET OUT OF PAYING FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THIS FAULTY PART. POWER STEERING WOULD STOP WORKING WHILE MAKING LEFT TURNS. AT TIMES I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL AT ALL, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STOP TURNING IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN/INTERSECTION.*AK

1998 CHEVROLET VENTURE MANIFOLD LEAK.*MR THE COOLANT LEVEL WAS DOWN QUITE OFTEN. *JB *NM

POWER STEERING IS FAILING IN MY 1998 CHEVY VENTURE. IT IS DISPLAYING THE SAME SYMPTOMS THAT ARE DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE, HOWEVER, CHEVROLET SAYS THAT MY VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, EVEN THOUGH THE RECALL NOTICES I'VE READ INCLUDE 1998 CHEVY VENTURES. I AM UPSET THAT I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS OUR OF POCKET AND THEN "WAIT" FOR MY VEHICLE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE IT ALREADY IS. *LA