Originally Posted By: Number_35
Guys -
A good friend of mine has conditionally agreed to buy a lightly-used (80K km) 2004 Chevy Venture van from a used car dealer with a good reputation.
The van appears to be in good shape, and the price seems good (C$4K with taxes in).
My concern is the 3.4 litre engine, which would have been equipped with Dex-Cool from the factory. I'm not familiar with Dex-Cool personally, but am aware of the horror stories about it eating IM gaskets.
The coolant in the Venture's reservoir is pink. Would that be Dex-Cool? With the low mileage on the van, it's possible the coolant has never been changed.
Is an '04 new enough that the IM gaskets are compatible with the Dex-Cool? If not, are the head gaskets also at risk?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
I have a 2001 Chev Venture with over 300,000 km on it that I still own and use for towing my boat trailer / house work / other such uses. My dad got this van as a company vehicle back in 2001, and he was actually the one that picked it up from the dealer brand new. After 2 years, he was given a new company vehicle and was given the option to either buy or return the van. My mom needed a new car so my folks bought it for $10,000 and it had 75,000 km on it at the time (my dad was the only driver of it, and had it maintained as he pleased during it's ownership by the company). Years later after my mother got tired of the van and got her next new car, I bought the van from my folks for next to nothing to use it for a work/tow vehicle.
This was the work done to it over the years (aside from tires / brakes / oil changes):
110,000 km - lower intake manifold gaskets failed, replaced with Fel-Pro problem solver (still working fine ever since to this day), removed DexCool and filled with Amsoil Universal coolant (60/40 mix, still working fine to this day)
120,000 km - installed auxiliary transmission cooler and Amsoil ATF (original tranny still working very well, shifts perfectly, nothing ever changed or done to it)
150,000 km - spark plugs, thermostat, serpentine belt, front control arm bushings
220,000 km - driver front wheel bearing assembly, upper strut mounts, front struts, rear shocks (also installed heavy duty progressive rear springs for towing)
240,000 km - passenger front wheel bearing assembly
280,000 km - serpentine belt and belt tensioner, front sway bar (due to rust from salt), front sway bar links, fuel pump assembly, front ABS wheel speed sensor harnesses
So all in all, this van has not required a ton of maintenance from us. It really has performed very well throughout all of these years, even with towing a boat trailer and being fully loaded as well. It has over 300,000 km, and the original engine and transmission work very well with no apparent issues. It runs great, starts no problem from -40 C to +40 C, and generally puts up with abuse very well (loaded to the roof with drywall, etc). I've towed almost 5000 lbs of construction waste with many times, well over it's original 3500 lb towing limit, with no issues.
Some things to note to your friend before buying the 04 Venture... The intake manifold gaskets will need to be replaced at some point, and if not caught early enough, coolant leaking into the oil can take out the engine if it continues to be driven like that. I would also get rid of the DexCool and run a quality universal coolant (and change regularly). The safety issue is true, the frontal offset crash test ratings are not great - something to consider. A transmission cooler and fully synthetic fluid are highly recommended for anything but the most gentle use - they go a long way to helping this transmission live forever. There are other minor weak points like rust-prone bodies and underpinnings, water leaks due to rust around the windshield and in wheel wells, fuel pump issues, auto belt tensioner, and in some cases head gaskets (although mine are original and working well).
It's a good vehicle if you take care of the above mentioned weak points and give it proper maintenance. The 3.4 L engine will run forever as long as it doesn't leak coolant into the oil