Hi there, we used to have a 2001 Venture and were subjected to the awful intake gasket issues with that van. Aside from that we did like the van. We are interested in getting back in to a venture van and have been looking at 2005 models. I was wondering if anyone has information in regards to when the intake gasket issues were fixed by chevrolet so I can avoid this problem if at all possible.

Thanks

 

GM put out a revised intake gasket in July of 2002. I believe it was in time for production of the 2003 model year as I really haven't seen any LIM issues from '03 to '05. I was one of the first in my area to get the new revised gaskets for my van in 2002. Some people have reported replacing their gaskets a second time around (GM gaskets). Others who replaced theirs with Fel Pros didn't have that issue. 2005 should be issue free when it comes to the gasket issue.(In fact it seems the '05 models may be the most "trouble free" compared to previous years. I've always said once GM gets all the bugs out of a model, they discontinue it the next year )

 

I have an '04 Silo and had the IMG replaced under warranty along with the front head gasket. If I were doing the job myslef, I would go with the FelPro kit + green antifreeze.

 

If by green, I hope you don't mean the old standby ethylene glycol coolant. That coolant was made for older engines and does not have the proper additives package for our modern engines. The problem is not with the Dex Cool itself. If properly maintained it is works just fine. The problems people associate with it actually have other root causes such as improper maintenance(letting it go too long before changing it,) air infiltrating the cooling system,(either through a faulty radiator cap or letting the level in the resivoir drop too low)which causes the coolant to gel, and faulty gasket material and poor gasket design,( which caused a majority of the issues with the 3.4s in these vans.)
I have been running Dex Cool in all the GM vehicles I have owned since they started using it in 1996 with no major issues (other than the IMG in one of my Ventures, but that was due to the faulty design and poor materials used which was rectified with the new design/materials). I change it out with a thorough flushing every 2 to 3 years and 35,000 to 40,000 miles using fesh Dex Cool. And I make sure the level remains where it's supposed to in the resivoir.Dex Cool is a 21st century coolant while the old green coolant is 20th century and the technologies involved in both are quite different.