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| | | Re: Marooned 96 Astro Van | Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 7,662 Likes: 2 carpal tunnel | OP carpal tunnel Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 7,662 Likes: 2 | On closer inspection I think the rad is clogged pretty good. I will also drain the oil and look real close at what end up in the drain pan. A new bucket from the dollar store is going to come in handy.
.........Wookee
Its a "Van Thing" A life style you have to LIVE to understand! Vintage Chevy Van Club
| | | Re: Marooned 96 Astro Van | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,695 veteran | veteran Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,695 | I was gonna suggest flushing the coolant, especially if it looks like coffee. A clog could be cleared with a flush, but it is possible the radiator was leaking and the color is from one of those quick-fix "leak sealers", which will also clog the heater core and some of the cooling components. A flush will clear those up, but will also remove the leak sealer, making the original leak come back. I'd do it anyway, but it might get expensive, depending on what was leaking. RipperServing NYC/LI 347-303-7403 | | | Re: Marooned 96 Astro Van | Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 7,662 Likes: 2 carpal tunnel | OP carpal tunnel Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 7,662 Likes: 2 | Some body has eliminated the heater control valve and replaced the core. It is not showing signs of a bad head gasket YET. The engine has all of it's 111,000 miles of grime on it yet.
.......Wookee
Its a "Van Thing" A life style you have to LIVE to understand! Vintage Chevy Van Club
| | | Re: Marooned 96 Astro Van | Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 7,662 Likes: 2 carpal tunnel | OP carpal tunnel Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 7,662 Likes: 2 | I had to go a bit deeper in my now exploratory surgery on this Astro.
Swapped the stat it had a barrs leak mustache. Went to fill up the rad and it only took a 1/2 of a gallon and started barfing up coolant. So I quit for a bit.Went back at it and pulled the bottom hose this morning.Nothing came out of the lower hole. It swallows coolant and has not even started yet? Yes the drain plug is lower than the bottom hose. There is still a 1/2 gallon of green stuff inside of that rad. I think some body put a water pump in here at one points the rad was full of dents and slightly mushed coolant fins. the block is black the pump is rusty color.
I will look a little closer at that once I get the fan clutch off....
the heater control valve looks good I will compare it to a new one tomorrow.
..........Wookee
Its a "Van Thing" A life style you have to LIVE to understand! Vintage Chevy Van Club
| | | Re: Marooned 96 Astro Van | Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 2,038 veteran | veteran Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 2,038 | Good luck! Sucks that it wasn't just a drive and play! Member Shenandoah Valley Vans Van = Party. Party + cool people = Vannin'. Lets go Vannin'!
| | | Re: Marooned 96 Astro Van | Joined: Jun 2011 Posts: 142 member | member Joined: Jun 2011 Posts: 142 | Hey Joe is there any sign that someone had replaced the radiator? Making me wonder if maybe they grabbed a JY rad that had debris in it and thought their problem was elsewhere? | | | Re: Marooned 96 Astro Van | Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 7,662 Likes: 2 carpal tunnel | OP carpal tunnel Joined: Apr 2003 Posts: 7,662 Likes: 2 | The rad looks original. I want to install a new fan clutch. I just need to figure out how to lock up the shaft coming out of the water pump to get the clutch off the end of the pulley.
.....Wookee
Its a "Van Thing" A life style you have to LIVE to understand! Vintage Chevy Van Club
| | | Re: Marooned 96 Astro Van | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 Festerus Vannimus | Festerus Vannimus Joined: May 2007 Posts: 9,854 Likes: 8 | On mine, I put a screw driver over one bolt and under the next, giving a lever to turn against. I hope that makes sense. . . .
My van : 1989 Ford E-150 Econoline, currently named “WOLF-DEN IIâ€
Founder & President of Sooner or Later United Truckers and PROUD TO BE A S.L.U.T. ! !
| | | Re: Marooned 96 Astro Van | Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,051 old hand | old hand Joined: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,051 | They make a tool you can rent from the Zone and other places like that but I usually put my big Crescent wrench on the fan nut and give the handle a good whack, 99% of the time that works as long as the belt is still on it. If the belt is off, you about have to have the fan wrenches. It is standard right hand threads. If you were closer I would hook you up with a radiator and a water pump. I replaced the radiator on mine thinking mine had standard cooling and I bought a HD cooling radiator, turns out they were the same and I put a high volume water pump on it at the same time and the one I took off was about a year old. Not sure why, I guess the system design, but mine also takes anti-freeze slowly. You just about have to start it up and wait til the T-stat opens to finish filling it.
'85 GMC Shorty '98 Suburban K2500 '98 Pontiac G8 GT '77 Pontiac Astre '95 Jeep Wrangler "I thought you weren't allowed to talk to guys with vans??"
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