Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

Ok, I have had enough of this POS van of mine.....I'm pretty sure we just blew the head in it tonight.......I'm SO SICK of working on that darn thing......We've had it 2 years, and spent more for repairs than we paid for it.......AND, we can't trade it in yet, can't get enough for it!! We still have 2 years to pay on the blasted thing......I'm pretty much up to here with that thing!!!! [:@] [:@][:@]

Ok, I feel a little better......Rob, Greg.....move it if you must.....with my apologies for blatantly disregarding the rules......Perhaps I should hang....:eek:

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

lemme guess...notta chevy?

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

Personally.....I would never ever own a Van :eek:they are a PITA to work on,everything is crammed in there and you either have to drop the engine from the bottom,take off the front clip to work on them or crawl on your belly inside the Van to work on them...did I mention I HATE Vans? [:@][:@][&:]

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

GM....Pontiac

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

you mighta got a lemon.... my papa been driven a pontiac van and its pushen 170,000miles. its like a 98.

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

A....(gulp)......MINIVAN?[&:]

A man drives a MINIVAN?[&:]

(just busting your chops, mobo. Sorry you're having issues)

There's some great deals that CAN be had on a good, used SUV. I bought one a year old and saved a LOT.

Good luck.

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

LOL, actually had to drive one to the concert last night. Did not look good and cramped my sons style.:D

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

mobo if you are considering using it as a target, it is related!!

Sorry to hear that!

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

LOL...yeah, I know.....And when I got over that mental block myself, I'm not sure how we ever got along w/out one. Well, maybe not THIS one......

This could put a SERIOUS damper on my hunting this year......I just don't know what we're gonna do here....guess we'll start by finding out exactly what's wrong with it........But then again, it might be quicker to find out what ISN'T wrong ..........[:@]

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

what happened to it? did it overheat? how many miles on it?

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

It's got a couple things going on. Yes, it overheats, and has water running down the block. It's got 150,000 miles on it, and my first thought was head gasket. No water in the oil......It runs like CRAP at idle.....it sounds like a big block that's overstroked.....BUT, IF you can get it started, and running down the road, it runs perfectly fine. It only runs bad at idle. At idle, the front end shakes, but again, when going down the road it fine. The temp gauge goes up and down at random, so I thought MAYBE the sensor, because the low coolant light comes on as well......Then it overheats, so it's not a sensor.......So I thought thermastat, but that doesn't explain the water running down the block....

So, I think possibly water coming out the back of the water pump.....that would account for the fluctuating temp and low coolant light, and would explain the water down the outside of the block.....But it doesn't explain why it runs poorly.......I just don't know...

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

Just a guess but I am thinking a intake gasket. That may account for it running bad at idle but fine at road speed. Good luck with yer grocery getter mobow. LOL;)

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

Mobow, I also have three kids, gotta either have a van which we do or an suv with third row which im looking at.I had several makes of vans over the years,with probs with them, and now have the Toyota scienna, its simply an awesome van, well built. Ok people go ahead and bash me about the Toyota, in one side and out the other [8D]:D just a recommendation.

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

We just replaced the intake gasket a few months ago, though I suppose it's possible they messed it up.....

I'm kind of leaning toward a head gasket, but we'll see......I've left it in God's hands....

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

Get a Dodge or Chrysler with a lifetime warranty and you wont have to worry about it.

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

Check the freeze plugs forthe waterleakage. 150,000 miles[&:]and 2 years left to pay on it[&:][&:]. How old is this beast and how many mileswere on it when you bought it?

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

everybody i know that has had a mini van has had nothin but trouble,get rid of it

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

I'm no mechanic but it sounds like a freeze plug or the water pump. Both will leak fluid down the side of the motor. Both can be a pain in the a-- also to repair. This might not be all your problems but its a start.

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

wow man Im kind of having similar problems as you- except I dont drive a minivan, lol.I drive a 96 Camaro with 60k on it. Here recently it's been getting very hot, running crappy at idle...almost like its just about to die...the RPMs will kinda bounce up and down and almost feels like its not completely fuel injected or something.

I filled the antifreeze in it multiple times and after about a day she's running hot again. So Ill refill it, get another day, and then shes running hot again. But like you said, runs GREAT going down the road. No problems at all, but once Im done driving and I park it, while its idling it almost gets to where it wants to shut off because the RPMs go low and then pick back up. Of course the cooling fans kick on as well.

Obviously it has to be leaking somewhere but I just can't see where. The way Chevy put the Camaro motors so far back into the car you can't hardly see anything. Oh well...we'll get it worked out I guess.

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

Is the water leaking out near where the pump mounts to the block? a possibility is that it got hot, cooked the gasket, and possibly warped the cylinder enough to allow water to seap into the combustion chamber, causing it to idle poorly. at 150,000 miles though, anything is possible man!

RE: Nothing to do with bowhunting.....But I gotta vent!
 

Mobo,
We all certainly feel your pain. We all get tired of the expenses, stress, andpanicthat ensues withan untimely vehiclebreakdown. I, too, have a minivan with 150,000 miles on it. (For those of you without kids- you might just not understand how practical they are.)

I hope your venting has helped you feel better.

Now, let me offer some encouragement. A few years ago, I got seriously tired of debt, stressing over bills and living check to check. I took the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University --- and it changed my life...really. I learned a few things that are just common sense: 1.) debt is bad- duh...but we almost all have it! 2.) Most emergencies aren't emergencies- i.e. minivans will break down, Christmas comes every December 25, and the kids will always need new clothes especially at the new school year.Air conditioners and heaters will go out. Plan for them. Don't be reactionary- be proactive. 3.) Save. Then you can pay for the repairs and never borrow for a vehicle again (vehicles are NEVER investments. They all depreciate. 4.) Communication with a spouse or significant other will always help in making financial decisions. 5.) Make a plan. Most people wish they could give more away to charities...but they don't plan to. They say that they are stuck with thier bills. Change your bills so that you manage your moeny, not having it manage you.

I can just imagine that if you owned the van, if you had money in an "emercency" account and had the option to sell or repair without having to scrap something together or borrow, you probably wouldn't be so stressed about this.

Make a plan so it doesn't happen again.

Take a fiancial class. I recommend Dave Ramey's FPU (Financial Peace University) or Crown Financial.

Talk to your spouse and make the plan together. You said you are leaving it in God's hands. I think God wants you to be a good steward of your financesso that you can enjoy your life and your money, not stress over it. That means making a plan and praying for direction.

Never borrow for another vehicle. We paid cash for our 1999 minivan two years ago. It has had some repairs, but nothing like a car payment over the same time.

Budget to the penny.

I know...more than you wanted. Sorry...you just hit a hot button for me. I am convinced that most marriage troubles and trouble in the home is linked to miscommunication and poor planning about finances. I could go on and on, but that wouldn't help. I'm just a living example that financial peace is possible. It just takes a lot of work to get there. You didn't get into debt quickly and it is rarely a quick trip out. With sacrifice and determination, you can get out.

Good luck and God bless.