ZombieToast

Hi there, I was hoping for a bit of assistance if someone doesn't mind. I've been trying to find replacements for the sun visors in our Venture, but I'm not having much luck so far. All I can really find are expensive visors that may or may not work properly. Is there an online vendor for these things, preferably with fair prices? Also, is it possible to buy a separate mounting plate? I'm not even sure if that's the proper term for it...basically, it's a little round part with what appear to be anchors where the screws go (see the circled portion of this image). If I can get my hands on one of those, I should only have to replace one of the visors.


I also have a quick question about the A/C. It seems to get fairly cool (although it's hard to tell in this 100°+ weather), but the front vents hardly let out any air. The back seats get plenty, but we're suffering up in the front! Could this be caused by a blockage of some sort? What exactly should I look for?


Finally, I've been having an issue with the stereo for the last few months and I'm not sure what to make of it. When we're driving along, the speakers will suddenly go silent for no apparent reason. Sometimes, they come right back; other times, they'll stay silent for days. One thing I have noticed is that if the front passenger presses their foot in the far-right corner in just the right way, the sound will gradually come back in a matter of 10-15 seconds. My guess is that there might be a loose wire, but I really don't know. I could certainly use some input.


I feel silly asking about these issues because they probably sound so simple, but I really don't know a thing about cars. What goes on under the hood is a complete mystery to me. I hate to reference a meme, but I am basically this lady when it comes to cars, so any input would be appreciated, even if it just means being better prepared if I have to head out to a mechanic.

Tegnus

For visors I would suggest visiting local car junkyard and puling one from there that looks the best.

Is it just cool air or hot air as well. Does your blower changes speeds when you change it from 1-3, is there noticeable difference? It's possible that blower resistor partially burned out. It might be easy fix if you can provide more details we could troubleshoot it more efficiently.

Cheers!

cartek

Visors: wrecking yard for sure!

AC: check and replace the cabin air filter located in the back of the glove box behind a removable panel

Stereo: sounds like you have on or more speakers failing. this is a common thing esp. in the front doors as moisture will cause corrosion and the stereo will shut down its amplifier to protect it from short circuits

ZombieToast

Thanks for the replies so far. And sorry for taking so long to get back here; I had a bit of a health scare (false alarm, thankfully!) so I've been preoccupied for the last few days.

I'll be sure to check out a couple of the local salvage yards. I can't believe I didn't think of that myself! Just by searching online, I can see that the nearby LKQ Corp location has a number of Venture parts available, so I'll give them a call in a few minutes to see if they have sun visors.

My wife has the van right now, so I can't check to confirm until later today, but I do believe the air is also low for the heat. Changing the blower from 1-3 doesn't make a significant difference (you can hear a difference but not feel it), but the difference is definitely noticeable when changing to 4 and 5. I'll be sure to check the filters in a couple of hours when my wife gets home. I honestly have no idea when they were last changed, if ever, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's part of the problem. THESE should work just fine, yes?

As for the stereo...is there a relatively simple way of accessing the speakers to check for corrosion? And if that is indeed the problem, do you have any idea why applying pressure to the passenger side floor would cause them to work again?

Thanks for the help so far!

ZombieToast

Quick update: I headed out to the auto shop a couple of hours ago to pick up some air filters (the same ones I linked to above), which I discovered were very badly needed. I doubt these things have ever been changed in the vehicle's life! As soon as we started the van, we immediately felt a major difference. The A/C works so, so much better now. In fact, we even had to turn it down because we started getting cold! So thanks for making that suggestion, cartek! We just changed the engine's air filter two weeks ago, but I didn't realize that there were filters in the cabin as well and I possibly never would have if I hadn't come here.

Now I just need to track down those visors and hopefully get the stereo fixed!

cartek

Perhaps I misread your question about the stereo. You may have a wiring harness issue. The harness runs along the floor, just in front of the seats, from one side to the other. GM had the brilliant idea of putting splices in there. This as well as using very small gauge wiring, mixed with moisture from the carpet creates a great place for corrosion, and wiring issues. It is repairable, but requires the seats to be removed and the carpet pulled back. Then a thorough inspection of the harness by a qualified tech should reveal the problem(s).

ZombieToast

Yikes. That sounds like a huge pain, but thanks for the info. I'll have to relay all of this to my brother-in-law and see if it sounds like something he can help me with. Just having an idea of what to look for will be a big help!