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Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
#747947 May 03rd 2019 6:17 am
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kursed Offline OP
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Okay folks, I'm not going to bore you to death with this thing, but I thought I would do a "build" thread under the Reader's Rides section just to show any progress or maintenance done that might help.

We picked up this gal yesterday for the new family wagon. 2000 Chevy Astro LS with 85,000 original miles. Garage kept, single owner, and pretty darn clean. She's not perfect, we saw quite a bit of rust scale underneath from the PA salty roads, but mostly scale on the frame and leaf spring perches. Also a bit on the front crossmember. We will be taking care of that very soon. We got this to replace my Wife's 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ as we had it on the lift last week doing the rear shocks and found the floor pans were rusted out from the firewall to the back cargo area on both sides. So needless to say we're a little anxious about rust these days.

The driver front window motor overheats, so the window goes up and down when it feels like it. Usually you can get it about half way, then wait for it to cool off and get a little more. I've ordered a new motor from Amazon along with a lock actuator for the driver door power lock while I have the door panel off. Going to look at some 5.25 speakers for the doors today or sometime this weekend.

Overall I'm very pleased with it. I love how she rides like a full size van instead of your typical modern minivan. The kids (7, 13, and 14) are all super excited to have something with some leg room that they can spread out in for a change (compared to the 2014 Civic or 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport we typically daily drive).

Here she is.
[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]

Last edited by kursed; April 01st 2021 2:20 pm.

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #747948 May 03rd 2019 8:18 am
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Nice score!


Jim & Lucy Newkirk
1965 Chevy Bad Influence
1981 Chevy-the Love Shack
2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van
2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet.
Club Vannerz.
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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
newkirkinc1 #747953 May 03rd 2019 9:07 am
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Originally Posted by newkirkinc1
Nice score!


Thanks bud. Getting the tags and title done right now. Wipers and OBD2 scanner next. Then drive drive drive.

Super comfy and clean ride, but man o man that driver window is bugging me. Can't wait til the new motor gets here.

Last edited by kursed; May 03rd 2019 9:07 am.

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #747975 May 03rd 2019 9:03 pm
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That was a nice buy there. Very nice condition for the age.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #747976 May 03rd 2019 9:14 pm
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Great looking van.


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Arianrhod:2003 Chevy Astro
Black Magic: 1985 Dodge B-250
Serenity:1985 Chevy G-20
The Outcast:1983 Ford club wagon
Luna 1974 VW bay window transporter
Freedom:1990 Ford E-150(parts van)
Outcast Vanners van club
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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #748022 May 05th 2019 8:39 am
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That's a nice one! Love those M/L vans.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #748031 May 05th 2019 10:20 am
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Thanks guys, we are having a good time with her for sure.

Power window motor arrived yesterday. Still waiting on the lock actuator, door panel clips, and Memphis 1" tweeters to arrive.

I stopped in my local audio store and the owner had found some Memphis speakers stashed in a supply room they had forgotten about, so I snagged a pair of 5.25" for the front doors for $20. Ordered a pair of matching 1" tweeters on Amazon.

Took the kids camping at one of our favorite local spots last night. Man it was so nice to have so much room for the kiddos and all the gear. We had a giant cooler, a huge easy up two room cabin tent, everyone's personal gear, myself and three kids, and the back seat was still empty.

I'll post up some pics later today.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #748042 May 05th 2019 3:46 pm
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Waiting for the kids to get off the bus on Friday.
[Linked Image]

Grabbed these 5.25" door speakers for $20 thanks to the local sound shop owner forgetting he had a bunch in the back from a couple years ago. LOL.
[Linked Image]

All loaded up and ready for some camping!
[Linked Image]

Just finished setting the tent up, ready for some fun.
[Linked Image]

Update on parts, the door panel clips and lock actuator just arrived from Amazon. I'll post links to everything after I get things in and can do a proper review. Still waiting on the Memphis Street Reference 1" tweeters for the doors to arrive, then I'll install everything.

Last edited by kursed; May 05th 2019 3:47 pm.

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #748055 May 06th 2019 7:31 am
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Having fun is what its all about.


Jim & Lucy Newkirk
1965 Chevy Bad Influence
1981 Chevy-the Love Shack
2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van
2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet.
Club Vannerz.
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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #748066 May 06th 2019 12:18 pm
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Glad to see you're out enjoying it.

How do you like those Dutch doors on the rear? Always an interesting design, I thought. Nothing else quite like them in the van world.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
Dyno_Dave #748069 May 06th 2019 12:54 pm
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Originally Posted by Dyno_Dave
Glad to see you're out enjoying it.

How do you like those Dutch doors on the rear? Always an interesting design, I thought. Nothing else quite like them in the van world.


I'm loving them so far. It has been handy to just pop the top hatch and drop items in, so you don't have to slam the rear hatch shut to squeeze everything in if that makes sense. Very packing friendly.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #748242 May 10th 2019 6:41 am
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Got the new power window motor and the new door lock actuator installed yesterday. Also got the new speakers in place. I was so cooked from several days in the sun, I forgot to take very many pictures of the progress, but I'll share what I can.

So the Memphis 1" tweeters I ordered from eBay arrived. Darn if that box doesn't look huge for a pair of 1" tweeters right?

[Linked Image]

Yeah, that's a big box because the Amazon seller sent me a whole case of them. lol I just re-read the Amazon description, and there is nothing in there to indicate you are purchasing 10 SETS of 1" tweeters. LMFAO! Oh well, I have extras now.

[Linked Image]

So the factory tweeters have a female pigtail you can clip off, but the factory door speakers female socket is soldered directly to the speaker. I have a very nice soldering station, but still didn't want to fiddle with trying to wire to the socket direct, so I stopped back by the stereo shop and he had packages of two female pigtails ready to go. I also mistakenly grabbed 5.25" door speakers, but when I pulled them I realized they were 6.5" speakers. So while I was at the stereo shop, I grabbed some "Power Bass" brand (first I had heard of them) 6.5" speakers for cheap.

Old factory tweeter

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

Notice the disc that the tweeter is mounted in. I couldn't find an easy way of getting it out of that disc without damaging either, so I just used clear packaging tape to hold the new one firmly in it's place. I will say I'm very impressed with the new Power Bass brand speaker, it sounds great.

[Linked Image]

Here is the factory socket attached to the 6.5" speakers.

[Linked Image]

And the new pigtails I got to remedy that issue.

[Linked Image]

I'm satisfied with all the parts I've used for this job, so I'll link them in case anyone else needs some.

DOOR PANEL CLIPS

POWER WINDOW MOTOR

POWER DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR

I also picked up a "Blue Driver" brand bluetooth transmitter for OBDII diagnostics and logging. I'll review it in a separate thread though.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #748689 May 21st 2019 3:13 pm
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Cleaned and painted the Reese hitch receiver. Paint was supposed to be a hammered finish, doesn't look very hammered to me, but I hosed it on anyway. Nice and shiny now, no more crusty rust.

Attached Files
20190521_113540.jpg (379.5 KB, 121 downloads)
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20190521_141610.jpg (409.18 KB, 117 downloads)
Last edited by kursed; May 21st 2019 3:14 pm.

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #749124 May 31st 2019 2:34 pm
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Got the little ladies (Jasmine is 14, Miakota "Mia" for short is 13) out yesterday and worked with them on installing the trailer wiring and hitch receiver. Taught them how to test the wiring from the factory harness, solder and shrink tube the connections, and remove the rear bumper, then lastly install the hitch receiver.

The original inner bumper reinforcement is rotten pretty bad, so we ordered a new one, and will re-install the bumper once it arrives. Broke one Stanley socket wrench in the process, but overall they had a great time learning, and I had a great time teaching. Going to need help getting the wiring bracket mounted to the receiver as my drill just wasn't cutting it today.

Attached Files
20190531_105556.jpg (386.78 KB, 107 downloads)
20190531_111105.jpg (357.68 KB, 106 downloads)
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[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #749152 June 01st 2019 1:35 pm
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Originally Posted by kursed
Got the little ladies (Jasmine is 14, Miakota "Mia" for short is 13) out yesterday and worked with them on installing the trailer wiring and hitch receiver. Taught them how to test the wiring from the factory harness, solder and shrink tube the connections, and remove the rear bumper, then lastly install the hitch receiver.

The original inner bumper reinforcement is rotten pretty bad, so we ordered a new one, and will re-install the bumper once it arrives. Broke one Stanley socket wrench in the process, but overall they had a great time learning, and I had a great time teaching. Going to need help getting the wiring bracket mounted to the receiver as my drill just wasn't cutting it today.



Excellent! Neither you nor they will ever regret the quality time you spent teaching them how to be self sufficient. Good job!


Windows- they're what make a van worth owning!
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
Reed #749162 June 01st 2019 8:12 pm
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Originally Posted by Reed
Excellent! Neither you nor they will ever regret the quality time you spent teaching them how to be self sufficient. Good job!


Thanks man. They are always eager to learn. They love learning all sorts of things. I'm very blessed to have 3 amazing kiddos for sure.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #750405 July 08th 2019 6:33 pm
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Front brake pads and rotors are done. Right side pads were cracked and missing a chunk, probably causing the pedal vibration. Kept the old rotors in case I can find someone local to turn them for me. Driver side has a fairly new caliper and hose already. The girls did a great job on their first brake job (13 & 14). Front and rear shocks tomorrow. Forgot to grab pics of the new rotors and stuff, but they're working great. Might grab pics of that tomorrow while doing the shocks.

Attached Files
20190708_132309.jpg (306.42 KB, 80 downloads)
20190708_164519.jpg (377.89 KB, 80 downloads)
20190708_164540.jpg (333.84 KB, 81 downloads)

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #750455 July 09th 2019 5:44 pm
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Started off the morning teaching the girls how to bleed the brakes, they are nice and solid now. Then removed the old rear shocks and installed a set of Monroe Load Adjust rear coil overs. Hard to tell in the comparison picture, but we gained about 2". Pretty sure the leaf springs are weak as well, so they will be on the short list as well. HUGE improvement in ride as the old shocks were well past garbage. True test will be in a few days with the 6'x12' utility trailer loaded down and all the kiddos in their seats. So far I'm very pleased with the new shocks. Picked up the front shocks today on the way home, will hopefully install those tomorrow.

Attached Files
20190709_144250.jpg (370 KB, 69 downloads)
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20190709_144238.jpg (363.61 KB, 68 downloads)
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692019173252.jpg (343.58 KB, 70 downloads)

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #750519 July 10th 2019 9:55 pm
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Got the front shocks on today. Man what a pain getting to the top nut on the passenger side. Also decided to go ahead and do the passenger side caliper and hose. Seemed like that side was getting a little hotter than the other, figured the caliper was beyond due replacing it, might as well throw a new one on. MAN what a darn difference all the new shocks and brakes made. Feels like a brand new van.

Attached Files
20190710_122042.jpg (357.17 KB, 67 downloads)
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[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #750520 July 10th 2019 10:00 pm
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I’ve got shocks ready for mine, excited to see what the difference in ride will be. Looks great. You’re putting in some work!


1987 B250 - Painkiller
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #750527 July 11th 2019 8:27 am
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Excellent work going on there. Nice score on those speakers! lol


Jim & Lucy Newkirk
1965 Chevy Bad Influence
1981 Chevy-the Love Shack
2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van
2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet.
Club Vannerz.
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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
Death or victory #750540 July 11th 2019 4:33 pm
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Originally Posted by Deathorvictory
I’ve got shocks ready for mine, excited to see what the difference in ride will be. Looks great. You’re putting in some work!


I'm SOOOOO stoked on the difference my shocks made. AMAZING!


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #750563 July 12th 2019 5:08 pm
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Lots of good stuff going on there. It's great to see the kids involved too.


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Arianrhod:2003 Chevy Astro
Black Magic: 1985 Dodge B-250
Serenity:1985 Chevy G-20
The Outcast:1983 Ford club wagon
Luna 1974 VW bay window transporter
Freedom:1990 Ford E-150(parts van)
Outcast Vanners van club
Support your local 2%
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
lukester #750573 July 12th 2019 10:33 pm
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Originally Posted by lukester
Lots of good stuff going on there. It's great to see the kids involved too.


Thanks man! I'm super stoked they are always so eager to learn and pitch in. Very blessed indeed.

On a side note, the girls are about to do their very first entire brake job on their own for a friend of ours on her 2007 Honda Odyssey van. She needs all new pads and she has one wheel bearing making a funky noise. Sounds like a 50cc moped stuck in the wheel well above 45mph. LOL!


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #750953 July 25th 2019 6:55 pm
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Nothing major lately, but we did get the rear bumper on today.

Attached Files
20190725_183232.jpg (410.34 KB, 83 downloads)

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #753634 October 25th 2019 1:00 pm
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Still not much time to work on either van, but I put off some plumbing and electrical work in the renovation house to make an MDF cubby box for an old Chevy Blazer console I got with the 82 G10. I like to hold hands with my wife, but it's not so easy with nothing to lay your hands on. I'll see how I like the height for a week or so then clean and paint it.

Attached Files
20191025_115418.jpg (343.38 KB, 95 downloads)
20191025_115538.jpg (402.05 KB, 95 downloads)
Last edited by kursed; March 18th 2021 5:43 pm.

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #753657 October 25th 2019 6:42 pm
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That is pretty good looking console..upholster the lid and have a comfortable hand holding platform.. you are the man. For real kursed.


When in doubt..get the sawzall out..
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #753710 October 27th 2019 7:11 pm
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Thanks man. I usually have a hoodie thrown on the top. It's actually molded to look like vinyl too. I think I may need to cut about an inch off the base cubby thing. Also thinking about converting the base from a cubby to a drawer with some drawer slides.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #755561 January 07th 2020 1:38 pm
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Not a ton going on with the Astro right now. Just turned over 100,000 miles. She's got a tiny coolant leak which I'm suspecting is due to the commonly faulty intake gasket. For now we're just topping off the antifreeze every once in a while and hoping we can limp through until Spring.

I took the center console out for cleaning and spray painting. I cut about 1/2" off the bottom box to lower it just a tad per the wife's request. Haven't cleaned or painted it yet as I got sidetracked with the Queen Anne's Revenge engine swap among other things.

I did manage to score a set of chrome steel wheels in the junkyard yesterday for $100. Knowing we were supposed to be getting snow today, I told them I wasn't in a rush for them. So I'll go back to pick them up in a week or so. I won't put tires on them and mount them until we get the idler arms and steering parts sorted out.

I'm just glad I came across this van and these wheels. It was tucked away in a corner of the yard and I almost walked right past it without noticing it. These rims seem to be pretty hard to come by. I've searched high and low through several local junkyards with no luck until yesterday. They sell for close to $100 each when I find them online, so $25 each was right up my alley. Now I won't have to worry with blasting and polishing the old aluminum rims that I really didn't care for anyway.

Attached Files
20200106_131213.jpg (450.5 KB, 71 downloads)

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #755583 January 08th 2020 9:30 am
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That console turned out nice! Great work so far!


[Linked Image]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
tuner4life #755585 January 08th 2020 10:38 am
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Originally Posted by tuner4life
That console turned out nice! Great work so far!


Thanks man. Hoping to get a little body filler on the bottom box soon and then spray everything so I can put it back in.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #773091 March 18th 2021 5:56 pm
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Realized I haven't posted any updates on this one in a long while.

I did end up pulling the console out and painting it and the pressboard bottom box beige, but apparently I never grabbed any pics of it when I did, so I'll try to grab a few soon. I still want to add a drawer to the bottom box.

I mounted two of the new rims and new tires back at the end of the summer. Got it done at Discount Tire near the house. The van has been sitting all winter because of a slight head/intake leak and I've been so busy around here with the kids and random life stuff, I didn't stress it. Now I'm needing to use it and starting to get things done to it that I've been putting off.

Went to Discount Tire today to have two more tires mounted on the chrome rims. Of course the tires I got last time were discontinued. UGH! I hate not having matched tires. Over the winder the windshield cracked, apparently had a small rock chip I hadn't noticed, got water in it and split right in front of the driver's view. So I started a claim through insurance to get that replaced. Should be out on April 1st to knock that out.

She needs brake work again, and hopefully I can round up the money soon to take it to a shop for the head and intake gaskets as I just don't have the darn time for that big of a job right now.

Looks much better with the chrome rims than those old crappy aluminum ones. I can't wait to get the new lug nuts so I can put the center caps on.

[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #773102 March 18th 2021 7:23 pm
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Looking great! I had one back in the 90's


Jim & Lucy Newkirk
1965 Chevy Bad Influence
1981 Chevy-the Love Shack
2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van
2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet.
Club Vannerz.
vanninvanner@comcast.net
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
newkirkinc1 #773110 March 18th 2021 8:58 pm
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Originally Posted by newkirkinc1
Looking great! I had one back in the 90's

Thanks man. I love it. I've been mulling over the possibility of trading her on another fullsize someday, but for the moment she is perfectly suited for what I need.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #773116 March 18th 2021 10:49 pm
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Chrome for the win. shift Looking good.

I miss having an Astro.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
lukester #773117 March 18th 2021 11:02 pm
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Originally Posted by lukester
Chrome for the win. shift Looking good.

I miss having an Astro.

I love this thing, but I keep finding myself looking at full size Express vans and stuff. I'd probably regret selling it, but might some day.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #773119 March 18th 2021 11:13 pm
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I had a '86 Safari and that thing was my little go cart .... 4.3 ran like a champ for yrs till I gave it to the ex and she blew the heads off it .....lol


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
frscke1 #773139 March 19th 2021 1:33 am
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Originally Posted by frscke1
I had a '86 Safari and that thing was my little go cart .... 4.3 ran like a champ for yrs till I gave it to the ex and she blew the heads off it .....lol

You left the door open for so many jokes there I don't even know where to begin! lol


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS
kursed #773189 March 19th 2021 8:31 pm
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Oh I bet you do angel

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #773970 April 01st 2021 2:30 pm
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Well nothing exciting today as it's 40 FREAKING DEGREES outside. YACK!

But the Safelite guy came and installed the new windshield, so that made me quite happy.

Big crack across the driver's view
[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]

If it were a bit warmer, a no-windshield drive would be fun.
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All done
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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #774100 April 03rd 2021 11:08 pm
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Nice!

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #774955 April 22nd 2021 7:47 am
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Well I have a local friend that brought me some external thread lug nuts with caps for putting on my new center caps, but they were too small, UGH!

Talked to a local garage that a friend used to work at and he recommended to me, they are going to do the head and intake gaskets for $1,500 and send the heads to the machine shop to get double checked. I'm sure the heads are fine, but always better to be safe than sorry. I'm going to see if they would mind slapping in the upgraded injector spider while they are in there to save me the time & trouble down the road.

I'll try scouring the junkyards for some lug nuts and caps as most of the online sites I see want $3-5 each. Good grief.

This is the injector spider upgrade I've been looking at:

Motor Man Fuel Injection Link

Last edited by kursed; April 22nd 2021 8:02 am.

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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #775814 May 09th 2021 1:35 pm
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On today's episode of "My Hillbilly Life" we learn that mountain folk like a good fight just as much as any big city boxer.

So yesterday was a bit of a sh#$show and now I have to replace the passenger mirror.

Civic is still in the shop waiting on rocker arm adjustment. Been in the new shop for 2.5 weeks after the Honda dealer tried telling me I needed a new motor because the sound was coming from the bottom end, yet they never even checked the rocker arm clearances which it why I took it in to begin with.

Anyway, as soon as the Civic comes home, I can get the Astro into the shop for head and intake gaskets. I tried ordering the upgraded spider injector from motorman, but they had a few employees get Covid and aren't able to rebuild the injectors at the moment.

So super long story somewhat shorter, we've been having a problem with a handful of early 20 somethings thinking our small suburban street is a nice drag strip and drift practice track for their souped up imports. I've spoken with a couple and gotten them to knock it off, but one of them lives on the street behind me, and likes to argue and get mouthy about the situation.

Our street has about 6 or 7 houses with young kids that like to ride their bikes through the neighborhood, and the kids can't even do it anymore because of all the ridiculous speeding. Seriously doing 65-70 in a 15 zone every single evening and during the days on weekends.

Anyway, I blocked dude's brother into his driveway with the Astro yesterday morning and told him to knock the crap off. About an hour later older brother (early 20s) comes over to my house to apologize. I accepted, shook hands, then his apology turned into a passive aggressive order telling me not to block his brother in anymore. He then proceeded to get really mouthy.

I told him the best thing he could do would be leave my property and go back home. He was being a smart ass about that and not leaving so I shoved him toward the road and told him again to hit the road. He got mad and punched the passenger mirror, shattering the dang glass all over my interior.

Of course breaking things on my property didn't go over very well, so that followed with me forcefully walking him into the street and working on his head for about 5 minutes and brutal and hard. When I realized the kid had bitten off way more than he could handle and I might end up hurting him pretty badly, I got him to pick up his shoe that had fallen off during his beating and limp his way home.

Cops showed up, talked to me and the neighbor that called the cops, then went to talk to the kid. He told the cops "I should have just stayed home and not went over to get my head beaten on" lol Ya think?

Now I have to go to the magistrate and get a warrant for restitution or some such thing to make the kid pay to replace the mirror he broke. Thankfully, this has been the first week of no drag racing on my street or nonsense except for his brother that morning. Kids should be able to ride their bikes again safely soon.

I scraped my knuckles and knees while he was trying his half hearted MMA moves attempting to take me down and put me in some sort of lackluster choke hold. LMAO! Poor fella has to be having a hard time with headaches today though.

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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #775830 May 09th 2021 3:29 pm
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Hopefully it will end their. You have to remember you are not always home. It reminded me of a similar situation many many years ago. My mistake was I lost my temper and the kid was 17.
I spent the night in the pokey; not so much for the fight; but the conversation with his mom and dad of my " future plans " if their kid showed up again on my street.

I know what Rusty would of said : " If you listened to some James Taylor; you wouldn't be in this situation " ! lol

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
SDMickey #775856 May 09th 2021 11:41 pm
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Originally Posted by SDMickey
Hopefully it will end their. You have to remember you are not always home. It reminded me of a similar situation many many years ago. My mistake was I lost my temper and the kid was 17.
I spent the night in the pokey; not so much for the fight; but the conversation with his mom and dad of my " future plans " if their kid showed up again on my street.

I know what Rusty would of said : " If you listened to some James Taylor; you wouldn't be in this situation " ! lol

I kept it professional and to the point until he bashed the mirror on my van in my driveway. On my property destroying my property, not smart. Aside from shoving him toward the road when he didn't take my warning to get home the first time. I admitted that mistake, but I wanted him to carry his nonsense on home and leave us be.

I told the cops I wasn't interested in any further charges, aside from replacing my busted mirror, so long as he and his friends now know to keep the darn speed down in my neighborhood. I'm quite sure after all the knots on his head he will be staying on his property from now on. I honestly felt a bit bad about banging on his head like a bongo, but if you can't have a responsible argument with someone without pitching a fit and smashing their stuff, you deserve a few bumps and bruises.

Word is the kid is on probation and living with mom or grandma for dealing meth or some such garbage and getting busted, so hopefully the heat of the law breathing down his kneck a little more lately will make him settle down a bit.

And yes, I could always use a bit more James Taylor in my life. Spent the rest of the weekend listening to Mr. Taylor and Jim Croce with my kids, doing yard work, and home repair stuff. Great quality family time with all three.

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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #775863 May 10th 2021 12:30 am
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I understand about your property and violating your space. I'm pretty sure I would of lost my lunch as well. I hope is doesn't take long to get your mirror replaced,

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #775875 May 10th 2021 10:32 am
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If you are still looking for a new fuel injector spider I installed this ACDelco 217-3028 in my van. It comes with the new bracket to hold the updated spider and new gaskets.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
tyteric #775888 May 10th 2021 5:46 pm
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Originally Posted by tyteric
If you are still looking for a new fuel injector spider I installed this ACDelco 217-3028 in my van. It comes with the new bracket to hold the updated spider and new gaskets.

Thanks man. At this point I'm not really sure which direction I'm going to go. Just found out our 2014 Civic with 150,000 miles daily driver needs a new motor already, so at this point I'm very tempted to burn all the vehicles to the ground and start from scratch. lol

Thanks for the heads up on the Declo# though. If I decide to throw one in, I'll use that one.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #775916 May 11th 2021 12:37 am
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We have a place out here ; JDM that gets motors from Japan with 50/60K and a 90 day warranty: when I did my 2007 at 329,000 and some change ( sorry ) it cost me $800.00.
With the price of used cars skyrocketing; you may want to consider that option. Good Luck.

Last edited by SDMickey; May 12th 2021 2:34 am.
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #775967 May 12th 2021 12:01 am
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Just picked one up 50k for $600. The fun never stops round here. lol


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #775981 May 12th 2021 2:37 am
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Nice price. Hope you received some type of warranty. JDM in Chula Vista gets a ton of referrals from my shop and normally they give a 90 day exchange warranty and he hooked me up with 120 days charged me $800 instead of the $900 he normally charges for my gen Honda.

Last edited by SDMickey; May 12th 2021 2:38 am.
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #776122 May 14th 2021 8:55 pm
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SO...

I took the Astro into the local Chevy dealer (one of the VERY FEW local dealerships that has not tried to rip me off and is always up-front and honest with me). Had an appointment for an hour long diagnostic at 8:30 this morning. I suspected it will need head and intake gaskets and they wanted to confirm before scheduling the replacement... I didn't get to leave the dealership until 3:30 this afternoon... UGH!

So there was apparently so much oil on the block they couldn't really tell where exactly the leak was coming from, the guys took it to the cleaning bay and scrubbed and sprayed everything. They ended up putting some UV dye in the coolant, asked me to drive it around over the weekend, then bring it back first part of next week and we would see if a backlight will show where exactly the leak is coming from.

While they had it on the lift, the tech noticed what looks like a tie rod broken almost in half. I didn't speak to the tech about it, I have all new steering components to put on as soon as the head and intake mess is out of the way. The service writer's phone took garbage photos, so I think it may have been a drag link or something, but won't know until I crawl under there and have a look myself.

It's obviously leaking oil fairly bad somewhere for the block to be this covered in aged gunk. So I'll be looking into that, unless I get lucky and it turns out to be the valve covers which will be replaced during the head and intake gasket job.

I'm also looking at a rotten radiator core.

So needless to say, depending on what all these repairs are going to cost me as I really do not have time to work on it myself lately, I will have to determine whether I will take a big hit in the wallet by repairing all of this, or adjusting fire with another vehicle. We have two 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ that run great. One was totaled while parked on my street, but sold back to me with a clean title. Mostly body damage, had front left corner crushed in, and the control arm bracket on the left from axle was crushed. So axle work and extensive sheetmetal repair (which I've already begun). The other Cherokee we bought with the insurance money, but two years later the floor pans started rotting really bad, or at least becoming evident that they were rotten. So that one will need new floor pans and some serious steering work, probably tie rods, ball joints, etc. Lots of sloppy steering, especially when hitting bumps.

We'll see how things go at the beginning of next week and I'll update here when I have news. I have got to get the old house fixed up and sold while the market is good though, so time is crucial.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #776158 May 15th 2021 7:02 pm
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Sorry to hear that.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #776163 May 15th 2021 8:20 pm
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It's alright. I've got a guy wanting to buy her, but I hate to sell it. He says money isn't an issue. I sent him all the info and told him $5,000 as it sits. Doubt I will hear from him again, but if it does sell I'll just fix up one of the Cherokees I have until I can get the old house fixed and sold.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #776497 May 20th 2021 10:29 am
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Well Francine is currently at the local Chevy dealer awaiting new intake gasket. As much as I love the little Astro, it's time for her to go. The dealer cleaned the heck out of the engine (113,000 miles worth of oil and road gunk) then installed some UV dye in the coolant to see if they could find out exactly where the coolant leak was coming from and hopefully rule out head gaskets, sure enough the head gaskets were fine. So I'm going ahead with the intake gasket repair and then I will be putting her up for sale.

I was explaining to a close friend what all was going on with my vehicles and just life in general while he was giving me a ride home from the dealership the other day. He offered me the 2005 Silverado Z71 crew cab for $4,000 and I am going to take him up on that offer as it would suit the family's needs a little better right now, and I REALLY want a 2014/15 Silverado crew cab in green, so this is a bit closer to that end goal.

Sad to see her go, but it is what it is, I need to focus more on my 82 G10 and 72 Chevelle anyway. One less distraction I suppose.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #776526 May 20th 2021 4:22 pm
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I grew up the the back of a 72 chevelle! A family of 6 and my mom refused to seek the chevelle! A dream car of mine

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
SafariTim #776533 May 20th 2021 5:54 pm
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Originally Posted by SafariTim
I grew up the the back of a 72 chevelle! A family of 6 and my mom refused to seek the chevelle! A dream car of mine

My grandpa bought this one new. Sold it to my pop, pop passed it to me. It'll eventually go to the kiddo who shows most interest in mechanics.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #777456 June 11th 2021 11:31 am
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Well I have decided to sell the little Astro that could, but I thought it would probably sell easier after having a dealer fix the coolant leak. Boy was that a freaking mistake and a half. mad

I dropped her off with my local Chevy dealer on 5/19 after they determined it was only intake gasket leaking, and get a text from them that afternoon saying they recommend replacing plugs and wires as one of the wires is torn. They quote me $230 for plugs and wires, so I passed on that since she was running great other than the coolant leak.

They text me on 5/26 saying the van is ready for pickup. When I get there, they tell me they went ahead and put plugs and wires on at no cost to me. Sounds fishy, why would the dealer throw on $230 worth of plugs and wires at no cost to me unless they are the ones that damaged them in the first place and had to when they couldn't scam me out of the cash for a new set.

I grab the keys and go out to fire her up and head home, HOLY FREAKING MISFIRE! The thing was shaking, stuttering, and jumping all over the place. Irate I take the keys back in and sit them on the service writer's desk saying "No way man!" He asks what's wrong, I told him she won't even make it out of the parking lot, much less the 20 miles to get me home. I honestly can't believe the tech tried to pass that off as done.

So he tells me the tech recommended replacing the cap and rotor as well since they looked original, says they will go ahead and replace those and see if that fixes it up.

I get another text on the morning of 6/8 saying the following "Good morning. All of our work has been double checked. There is no issue with our repairs, we have done the distributor cap and rotor, it has helped some, but there is still a misfire. The only thing I can do would be to start tearing down items. I will need your approval for that."

My response "I don't understand how it has a misfire now, but it didn't when I brought it in. I want it back in the same running condition it was in when I dropped it off. Maybe another technician might be able to find what went wrong."

Dealer response "I have had my shop foreman double check the work that was performed. There is no issue with the plugs, there is no issue with the gaskets replaced."

My response "There has to be something they are missing. There wasn't a misfire when I brought it in."

That was this past Tuesday, as of today (Friday) I have yet to hear back from them. So I just got off the phone with GM customer service, and the lady seemed quite pissed that they would try to dump this off on me twice now. She said I should hear back from her by Monday. UGH!


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #777480 June 11th 2021 8:41 pm
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Wow, what a pain in the arse. At least the pissed GM lady is in your corner.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #777481 June 11th 2021 8:48 pm
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That sucks man. Hope they make it right for you.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #777542 June 12th 2021 5:06 pm
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Sorry to hear that. Hope it works out for you UNreal bad service and communication.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #777711 June 16th 2021 10:04 am
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They need to make it right. My buddy took his jeep in to have transmission rebuilt and when they were done it wouldn't start. They tried to say that they did their job and it wasn't their concern and he kept saying that it ran when he brought it in. They messed with it for about 3 weeks until a mechanic finally noticed that when they dropped the transmission they yanked some wires and it fried the computer. The transmission shop ended up buying a new computer and paying all the mechanics fee.
Stay on them....it was running good when you took it in.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #777741 June 16th 2021 1:30 pm
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Thanks guys. I am so beyond P***ED right now. mad

Just got off the phone with the lady from GM, she basically said since it's a 2000 and not within warranty, there is basically nothing GM can do to help out since the dealerships are all independently owned. What a freaking waste of time that was.

So I called the dealership and spoke with the service manager. He is supposed to be getting with the shop foreman and giving me a call back soon to see what they can do.

They told GM "We put new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor on with no cost to the customer" like they did that crap out of the kindness of their heart. When I mentioned that to the service manager, and asked what dealership would put on $230 worth of plugs and wires just for the heck of it? He responded, "Well sir, actually we did. The old plug wires literally fell apart in the technicians hands." I told him "Man I've been working on cars for 30+ years. I have a vehicle that has literally been sitting for 20 years now and the plug wires haven't disintegrated like that. They fell apart because the tech grabbed them by the wire instead of the boot, not from age." So that's when he said he would talk to the shop foreman and see what they could work out.

OMFG what a freaking nightmare! I will never step foot on a dealership lot so long as I live. They are all a bunch of crooks.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #777999 June 21st 2021 3:13 pm
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Well the saga continues.

Got a text Last Thursday saying that they found the problem. 2 wires crossed on the fuel injection. So I picked it up Friday and it ran great. Only one problem, no more cruise control. Not sure if the tech missed hooking up a cable or what, but back in the shop it went. Dropped it off this morning. On my way in had the A/C cranked and I was barely getting any air as well, so I'm starting to wonder if the vacuum lines are messed up somewhere.

If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any at all. I will be so glad when this ordeal is over.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778041 June 22nd 2021 11:11 am
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When they get it running good are you still letting it go?

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
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What a mess, I feel your pain . I hope you can get this resolved soon.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
SDMickey #778097 June 23rd 2021 11:35 am
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Originally Posted by SafariTim
When they get it running good are you still letting it go?

Actually when we pulled up to pick it up the last time, my youngest daughter Mia asked if we could keep it for her instead of the 2005 Carolla I inherited from my dad that she was going to take, so we are going to keep it for now.

Originally Posted by SDMickey
What a mess, I feel your pain . I hope you can get this resolved soon.

Me too. I don't need them to do a bunch of extras, I just want the darn thing to run the same as it did when I dropped it off.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778238 June 26th 2021 1:45 am
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How many miles is on the Astro ? ( Those Corolla's go forever ) No doubt a more economical vehicle for your daughter.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
SDMickey #778260 June 26th 2021 1:33 pm
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Originally Posted by SDMickey
How many miles is on the Astro ? ( Those Corolla's go forever ) No doubt a more economical vehicle for your daughter.

113,000 on the Astro, 200+ on the Corolla. She'll get better mileage with the Corolla, but I have no doubts the Astro will be capable of 200+ as well.

The Corolla needs paint work, brakes, tires, battery, etc. It would be a fine vehicle, but it is pretty high mileage and hasn't been taken care of by my father the way I and the previous owner have with the Astro. It's also short on hauling room, and VERY uncomfortable to drive. Hard to tell what I will find wrong with it once we get it running.

If you've never driven one from around the 2005 year range, you don't know what you're missing out on. If you get the seat adjusted where your legs are comfortable, you have to bend way forward to reach the wheel. If you get the seat adjusted where your arms are comfortable on the wheel, your damn knees are crammed into the dash. Every bit as uncomfortable as driving an old Vietnam era Deuce and a Half. My pop was 6'2" and I have no idea how in the hell he drove that thing for so long, I despise it.

The Astro needs brakes and steering work, but I already have all the steering parts. She has a couple small oil leaks, but otherwise no major issues with the engine or trans. It has a ton more cargo area and is a lot more comfortable to drive.

They just got their learner permits the other day, so they've got a little time before they get their regular licenses. We'll get it sorted before then.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778319 June 27th 2021 9:25 am
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Good luck my friend, Hope the Astro is smooth sailing.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778921 July 14th 2021 7:00 pm
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I finally got tired of dickering around with the dealership and picked up the Astro and brought it home tonight. They've had it for almost two months. I have been trying to get an answer from someone on it all week, finally heard back from the service writer yesterday and he's saying the cruise control module is bad and it would cost me $900 to install. When I asked why the cruise control module would have magically went bad while it was at their shop when it was working fine before, he had no answer. I finally broke to anger and said screw it and brought it home. So I'll be checking over the cruise control and A/C now when I find time. The A/C is blowing cold air, but hardly any air at all coming out of the top dash vents up front, so I'm assuming they messed up a vacuum line there. We'll see what I find when I get time to dig into it. What a mess. NEVER AGAIN! Dealerships are no longer an option, I'm so fed up with them.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778926 July 14th 2021 8:09 pm
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Dealerships suck. Good luck with it.


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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778935 July 14th 2021 9:59 pm
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Beyond frustrated now. When I took it back to them a few weeks ago, I told them the cruise control was no longer working and the A/C was putting out cold air, but barely blowing in the dash vents. I even mentioned it was probable a vacuum line, cable, or wire that wasn't hooked back up.

I took a few minutes to look at a vacuum diagram this evening. Went out to look at the van, find the main engine vacuum line missing at the front near the A/C accumulator. Look back near the throttle body and spot the other end to it. It's cut in half with electrical tape wrapped around the end.

Not sure if the cruise control has any vacuum parts, I believe it's all electrical on these, but I'm looking into that now. On top of the half missing vacuum line, I find all of the screws in the top of the grill are missing. What the actual F@#$! OMG this whole ordeal has been ridiculously frustrating. I don't see how a person can maintain a job as a mechanic with this piss poor quality, much less work at a dealership.

curse

Missing part of the vacuum line goes on this stem.
[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]

One of the locations across the top of the grill that are missing screws. They are all missing.
[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]

This is the vacuum diagram I was looking at. The blue line labeled "Engine Vacuum Supply" is the one that is missing the forward half.
[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778960 July 15th 2021 1:18 pm
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Dude, that's ridiculous. I know it would be opening up a family sized worms but what about yanking the chain of anyone higher up at the dealership, or even the owner? Or take them to small claims.....it looks like you might have a case and at least some evidence (but it may be just a he said-she said situation at this point). Does your local news have one of those consumer advocate ambulance chaser guys? Lol.

Chevy corporate was zero help right?

I hope you get satisfaction somehow.

Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
cornfarmer #778965 July 15th 2021 3:45 pm
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Originally Posted by cornfarmer
Dude, that's ridiculous. I know it would be opening up a family sized worms but what about yanking the chain of anyone higher up at the dealership, or even the owner? Or take them to small claims.....it looks like you might have a case and at least some evidence (but it may be just a he said-she said situation at this point). Does your local news have one of those consumer advocate ambulance chaser guys? Lol.

Chevy corporate was zero help right?

I hope you get satisfaction somehow.

Corporate was zero help. They said since the van is a 2000 model, out of warranty, and all dealerships are privately owned; there wasn't anything they could do to help.

I did hit the junkyard this morning and pulled a CCM with cable off as well as two screws for the grill (3rd was missing from the donor), and the vacuum line I needed. The hard line was broken as always seems the case, so I just spliced some rubber line in place and BAM! I've got wonderful A/C again.

I also grabbed all the fuses and relays from under the hood, a clean air filter, and the donor van is fairly unmolested if I need anything else. Thank goodness I have the most amazing junkyard around, the whole bucket of parts only set me back $20.

I did check my cruise cable, and it is connected and looks brand new. I'll get back out there and start checking over everything else when the engine cools back down from my test drive. Freaking hot as heck outside today.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778973 July 15th 2021 9:11 pm
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So I swapped on the new CCM and it didn't do anything. I have been having the ABS & Brake lights come on in the cluster completely randomly and very briefly over the past 6 months. So I grabbed a new brake light switch from Autozone since they were only $8 and minimal headache to install. Still no cruise control.

So I hooked up my BlueDriver OBD scanner and got codes C0222 & C0223 which are the front right & left speed sensors and that would explain the random ABS & Brake warning lights, as well as possibly the cruise control. She needs a complete brake job anyway, so I'll throw on some new hubs with speed sensors when we do the brakes. I'll update here when we get more knocked out.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778982 July 15th 2021 9:33 pm
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My Brake light has been on for 18yrs also cause of the speed sensors .... when they made this van a 4X they didnt put on hubs that had them. Every mech said they could fix that with out new hubs .... not 1 ever did it ... they put on new hubs and when it didnt fix it they put back the originals... your on and off with the ABS light maybe a sticky proportion valve may be the cause of that. Fluid not getting some where fast enough and trips the sensor.

My ABS light comes on now N then usually after running the hyway and getting into town and after 2 pumps of the peddle it goes out.


SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO
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Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
frscke1 #778984 July 15th 2021 9:43 pm
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Originally Posted by frscke1
My Brake light has been on for 18yrs also cause of the speed sensors .... when they made this van a 4X they didnt put on hubs that had them. Every mech said they could fix that with out new hubs .... not 1 ever did it ... they put on new hubs and when it didnt fix it they put back the originals... your on and off with the ABS light maybe a sticky proportion valve may be the cause of that. Fluid not getting some where fast enough and trips the sensor.

My ABS light comes on now N then usually after running the hyway and getting into town and after 2 pumps of the peddle it goes out.

I did a bunch of reading up on the Astro-Safari forums after getting those C0222 & C0223 codes and seems to be a common problem with the Astro front wheel speed sensors and kicking the ABS & Brake lights. Mine won't go off by hitting the pedal, but once I shut the van off and restart it's gone for a good long while.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
kursed #778986 July 15th 2021 10:02 pm
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Yes turning it off always clears ABS light but brake light still on cause there are no speed sensors up ft ... I think the peddle thing is low pressure in the system ??? Never happened long enough to get a reader on it to get any codes.

Machines are quirky like the Ghost A/C thing. They say they came off a assy line and there all the same ... NOT !


SUNSHINE VANS-VAN DIEGO
ADRENALIN BY THE GALLON & CHASIN RACIN
ONE FOR THE DIRT & ONE FOR THE STREETS
'93 CHEVY G30 454 4X4 SPORTVAN EXT 146" WB
'92 CHEVY G30 454 BEAUVILLE EXT 146" WB
Re: Clean Francine - 2000 Astro LS AWD
frscke1 #778996 July 16th 2021 11:37 am
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Originally Posted by frscke1
Yes turning it off always clears ABS light but brake light still on cause there are no speed sensors up ft ... I think the peddle thing is low pressure in the system ??? Never happened long enough to get a reader on it to get any codes.

Machines are quirky like the Ghost A/C thing. They say they came off a assy line and there all the same ... NOT !

True, they each have their own personality for sure.


[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]
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