As usual there is no rest for the weary. A Chevy Astro van pulled in to the shop today and i could hear it from my office. IT WAS MISSING BIG TIME. Once again a new customer approached me and asked if i was RENZO? Thats me in the flesh i replied. The customer explained that he started his van this morning and it was running BAD!! With that i got out my scan tool and it verified cylinder 4 was the culprit. With that i explained to the customer these engines pull rocker bolts out and it could be fixed rather easily. With that i got a signed repair order and pulled the valve cover. WOOPS what the HELL. No pulled bolts??? What was up. Well it turns out the valve spring snapped in two. Not uncommon on this engine but never the less RARE. So i got a new spring from the dealer filled the cylinder with air. The air was leaking out rather heavily so i felt the valve was bent. Installed the spring and fired it up after waiting an hour for the lifter to bleed down. NO DICE the little chevy had a bad miss. Turns out the valve was bent according to my leak down tester. So a call to the customer that wants to fix the one head. So off the head comes and off to the chevy store for head bolts gaskets a valve and a full set of new springs. Check out the busted spring. NOT GOOD!!
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I don't know how common that is, but it's rare for a 3.0L pushrod Ford. Never the less, I had one come back 4 days after a tune-up and cam synchro with No.3 (back bank) Exhaust valve spring broken that same way. It was a bit of a strange reach, but I put air on the hole and swapped it. Still ran like balls, pulled it back down again and found I had missed the lifter with the pushrod and bent it. I ended up swapping a valve spring that wasn't my fault and a pushrod that was, but I still made money and it rolled out running like a champ.
Things like that happen now and again. But this guy bent the VALVE. 4 hours tair down. Not fun on this car. But that is LIFE in our business.
Funny FOE i have seen more and more valve spring failures lately. MINI COOPERS also break springs. What is going on with these springs. When i build performance engines i normally use dual springs for this reason other than more pressures DUEL DUTY AND GOOD INSURANCE. Comp Cam springs are notorious for failures. If a spring breaks the inside spring saves the day. On a hydraulic lifter motor the lifter will pump all the way up and bingo piston meets valve. NOT GOOD!!
I have had 6 or 7 astro vans. I love 'em almost as much as I love cougars. I have a 97 right now. I bought it for $450 because it "wouldn't run right". I chopped off the plugged catalytic converter, threw a set of matching plugs in (it had 3 different brands from 3 different attempts to do plugs). Runs perfect now. Pulls the ol' camper around just fine.
I had that happen in a customer's Jeep Liberty 3.7 the other day. Luckily the valve didn't bend, though this may be because the rocker fell right out and was laying in the head. She'd been driving it for a week, after canceling two appointments because she didn't think it was a serious enough issue, with the bad miss and regular popping sound (backfiring through the intake because #2 exhaust valve wasn't opening). I did some research and saw it's a common problem, and Chrysler recommends replacing all of them on the right side head when this happens. Her aftermarket warranty company disagreed and only paid for the one spring, lifter and rocker.
Tom: An Astro with a 3.4? Never saw one, I've only ever seen 4.3's and in older ones 2.5's. Perhaps the 3.4 was never available in Canada? My brother had an '86 Astro with a 2.5 and 4-speed manual. Weirdest thing to drive, you actually had to reach behind you to shift...
Odds are, he uses "Astro Van" as a generic term for a GM minivan. My mom used to do the same thing. From the pic it's clearly a 3.4, but as I am aware, the only vans with 3.4L are the later ones. My In-laws have one of those ugly 'U' vans with one.
The 3.1-3.4 problems are whats been keeping the shop I work at busy. Between doing intake gaskets, to head gaskets, and changing engines for the people that ran them to long, its been crazy!!! Of coarse once in a while we can make a really good bit when they dont want to fix it and just want to get rid of the vehicle, then we swoop in buy it fix it(on our own time) and sell it for profit!!!
You must get them some cheap to make a profit on them - around here you can't give a Venture, Montana or Uplander away, and the Malibu, Impala, GP and all the other "This is why they went bankrupt" aren't worth much more than s either. They're all $500-$1000 winter beaters around here, with the rare expensive exception being the $2500 ones you see at those "poor credit" sleaze-ball dealers where they sell $500 cars for $2500 and then charge 30% interest on top of that...
My sis in law has an Impala, an '02....biggest hunk of shiznit that ever was. So many problems. I'm not even on an anti-GM rant, but sweet , that car is a lemon and 3/4. The radio still works...and I *think* the power seat(s), and a *maybe* on the trunk release. All the other interior electronics are shiznit. Drive it after dark, with the high beams on, they randomly go off and won't come back on.
She wants another Camry....can't blame her.
Sorry VENTURE VAN.,. OOPS MESSED UP!!!!!
Thunder we had a rash of 3.7 JEEPS come in with cylinder miss fires. I mean brand new ones. Sent them to the dealer as they claim the heads are NG. They are replacing them under warranty in some cases. My parts buddy over at JEEP informs me they have dun 50 of them to date. Whats up with that???
Sorry guys a VENTURE VAN is what i worked on. OOPS!!!
As usual 302 just had to bash the GM line any chance he gets.
Hay 302 care to replace some plugs in the 4.6 5.4 or 6.8 ??? Be my guest!!!
high beams on, they randomly go off and won't come back on. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sounds like a FORD D'OH!!! Just comparing the issues. 302. All cars have issues. None are perfect. Camry NO THANKS!!!!
Yeah, because GM never made an engine that was a flaming hunk of shiznit (LT1, just to be brief).
because GM has perfect electronic issues.
Because ONE family of Ford engines has spark plug issues, you have to come off high and mighty, but yet, look at the subject of the thread...GM engines with issues...am I right?
I'm not bashing GM, as I stated earlier. I have 2 GM vehicles, neither of which move under their own power. I've worked on these issues numerous times. So yeah, I've got a chip on my shoulder. Do I piss and moan about it every chance I get? Not so much.
But I do seem to recall you putting down Ford stuff awhile back in nearly every post you made. Yes, you've lightened up a bit, and I've tried to as well.
I was stating that the newer Impalas have had some serious electrical issues, I don't see how my posting that as a proven fact is bashing in your narrow, black & white view of things mechanical. There's a whole forums' worth of hate, g, moaning, and general dissatisfaction with the cars because of the whole stigma of their shortcomings. I agree that Ford has a problem with the spark plug issues, and I'm not naive enough to believe that Chevy is the only outfit making problematic cars.
From MY personal experience, I've got 5 Ford products that run, or would run with a charged battery....and 2 GM products that won't run at all. Funny, and ironic that the GM stuff has less mileage and better maintenance than the Fords.
As far a Camry, we had one as a loaner, put several thousand miles on it. Oh, I had to replace the front tires, and an axle on the driver's side. But I suppose I can blame that on Toyota.
Why does a headlight switch for an Impala cost so ed much?
/rant.
5.4 is the only one thats ever given me problems, and it was just time consuming. Can do all of them in my sleep!!
How about changing the wires on a certain GM motor. I think most will know which one!!! LOL
I dont want to stare WW3 but anyone boasting on how easy these plugs are to change must be KIDDING. I have broken many in my career and the design is ridiculous. Like i said i bash all cars they are all junk in one way or the other.
Hay 302 will post some photos of my new LT engine if you like. It is outrageous to say the least. Dual fuel rails independent pumps for each bank and should spin out app 780 RWHP. The LT Engines are screamers. Not to compare them to the LT platform but they were good engines. No worry's wont bash anyone. Those days are gone!!
Out with the OLD and soon to be in with the NEW LT engine.
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HINT
The new engine will have this mounted in the front.
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Here is the full setup with the wind machine we chase
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Get rid of the opti, and throw an electric waterpump, and I'd not complain. Still, for a family car that is already replaced by out Mountaineer (also has it's faults, but at least it runs) that's a bit too much money for me to spend.
Show us pics when your done with the Camaro (think it's a camaro? looks like the bumper structure of one, anyway)
Several years ago I had a 3.8 Windstar come in with a miss, after the diag I found that it had a broken valve spring. Replaced the spring and the valve stem seal and it was fixed, thankfully no ptv issues.
Normally that is all that is necessary. I was taken back by the bent valve. But what the heck you cant win them all. But it shocked me as to how many of these springs are breaking. Seems like a tun of these are breaking on a regular bases. Can anyone confirm this. Thanks.