urgent..need info on 1999 astro/safari..
May 13th, 2009, 10:45 PM
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urgent..need info on 1999 astro/safari..
Hi everyone, we're looking into a 1999 astro/safari AWD...i need some info on these trucks...any major problems/issues with them? the body seems to be in good shape..it shifts well has good power...the 2 things we noticed was that the main air vents (air towards face) wasn't really blowing any air...the second thing was the ABS light was on and the abs wasn't working...the brake pedal was hard and worked well.
any info would be much appreciated thanks
fab
any info would be much appreciated thanks
fab
May 14th, 2009, 2:43 AM
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Hello welcome to the forum! If you can get a good deal on it i would say go ahead and buy it! As far as the ABS lights i would drive it a little and see if the antilocks come on for no reason. You may have a bad ABS sensor. I pulled the fuse on mine.
May 14th, 2009, 8:36 AM
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Hi Guys thanks for the warm welcome..
GARY..thanks for the info...much appreciated!!! I don't know how similar (if and) this van is to my previous car...i had a 1996 chevy caprice police pack with the L99 4.3L engine...great car and awesome engine!
First...where on the passanger side is the SPID label located? around the front door? sliding side door? What is the code for the gear ratio?
I took a quick look underneith...it looked like the, i think linkage (they make the tires turn l and r) they look new actually.
I will look closely at the oil lines like you mentioned. I will look to see if it has an external oil and tranny cooler. The lady there mentioned that the truck was used for towing a camper i believe...i was a little worried when she told me this...
the van had an oil and tranny fluid change done...
The rear diff looks okay...i did however notice some slight wetness around the front diff...don't know if i need to worry about it.
Driving it, it seemed to drive well, it wasn't lightning fast but picked up okay. It also shifted well...i put it through all the gears and shifted well between drive and reverse...anything else?
thanks
fabs
GARY..thanks for the info...much appreciated!!! I don't know how similar (if and) this van is to my previous car...i had a 1996 chevy caprice police pack with the L99 4.3L engine...great car and awesome engine!
First...where on the passanger side is the SPID label located? around the front door? sliding side door? What is the code for the gear ratio?
I took a quick look underneith...it looked like the, i think linkage (they make the tires turn l and r) they look new actually.
I will look closely at the oil lines like you mentioned. I will look to see if it has an external oil and tranny cooler. The lady there mentioned that the truck was used for towing a camper i believe...i was a little worried when she told me this...
the van had an oil and tranny fluid change done...
The rear diff looks okay...i did however notice some slight wetness around the front diff...don't know if i need to worry about it.
Driving it, it seemed to drive well, it wasn't lightning fast but picked up okay. It also shifted well...i put it through all the gears and shifted well between drive and reverse...anything else?
thanks
fabs
May 15th, 2009, 2:37 PM
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1Gary...thanks again for the info...so we got an update...
The lady called back and told us that for the vent it was a cracked air vent line and was fixed (my guess....duct tape! hahahA)...
as for the ABS...she said it was a bad wheel bearing??? or bearing sensor? something to that effect..it is a sensor..andywho she said it has been fixed...if we go to check it out i'll make sure to try it out again..
Anything else to look out for? would the spid codes be the same maybe as the caprice? I remember G80 is posi diff...W on the vin is the 4.3 and L99 on the spid is the 4.3 as well...if so it's good! i still remember how to desifer some of the codes.
Oh ya,,,is there a tow/drive switch on these trrucks to switch on and off for when you are towing or driving without a trailer? let me know.thanks
fabs
The lady called back and told us that for the vent it was a cracked air vent line and was fixed (my guess....duct tape! hahahA)...
as for the ABS...she said it was a bad wheel bearing??? or bearing sensor? something to that effect..it is a sensor..andywho she said it has been fixed...if we go to check it out i'll make sure to try it out again..
Anything else to look out for? would the spid codes be the same maybe as the caprice? I remember G80 is posi diff...W on the vin is the 4.3 and L99 on the spid is the 4.3 as well...if so it's good! i still remember how to desifer some of the codes.
Oh ya,,,is there a tow/drive switch on these trrucks to switch on and off for when you are towing or driving without a trailer? let me know.thanks
fabs
May 15th, 2009, 8:41 PM
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GARY...ya we might go see it tomorrow...as for the tow switch...where the heck is it located????
thanks again for the info
fabs
p.s. where abouts are you located? i'm up in montreal quebec
thanks again for the info
fabs
p.s. where abouts are you located? i'm up in montreal quebec
May 16th, 2009, 6:51 AM
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GARY...oh you're not that far from here...cool...I think i know your friends' van in question...actually i think he's selling it...i saw an add for an astro with a big block 502 in it!! looks really fierce!
My cousin has one...he suggested to get the 1999 models..something to do with easily finding tires or replacement mags for it....and this year, you could plug and play the enging with a 350 (prob. and LT1) in it....
i will see..maybe we'll go see it today or next week...oh ya...the tow switch...where is it located again?
thanks
fabs
My cousin has one...he suggested to get the 1999 models..something to do with easily finding tires or replacement mags for it....and this year, you could plug and play the enging with a 350 (prob. and LT1) in it....
i will see..maybe we'll go see it today or next week...oh ya...the tow switch...where is it located again?
thanks
fabs
May 19th, 2009, 1:45 PM
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GARY...hows up? well it looks like we're gonna go see it again tomorrow...we'll have it checked out or might make a deal for a longer warranty....I think it'll be a good van for us..my brother is quite set on it...i had come across another contender..a little older mind you. It's a 1992 chevrolet beauville 3/4 tonne van...looks pretty heavy dute...has the 350 engine in it. We'll see how it goes with the astro though..i'll keep you posted.thanks
fabs
fabs
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May 20th, 2009, 12:01 AM
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HEy Gary, what's up? ya my cousine has one too and mentioned that most of the time you see more complaints then good comments on these vans...i actually do like it, it's the perfect size for us actually...not a big econovan and bigger and maybe better then lets say a dodge caravan...i also like the way it drives...like a real van not a minivan....i'll let you know what happens and i'll post some pics...hey did you see the add for your friends van (with the 502)???
ciao
fabs
ciao
fabs
May 20th, 2009, 12:27 AM
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oh ya, as far as ignition goes...does this have a regular distributor car and rotor or does it have the infimous optispark system? man the opti is a pain in the butt!!! what's cool..i even checked for some parts (oil filter) and it's the same as the caprice...good thing i still kept a spare one..i can do the oil changes myself! ciao
fabs
fabs
