What have you done to/with your van today?

[bratliff]

Went down and helped my brother finish assembling my transmission, seems someone upgraded it to a V8 version. Now hopefully I can get it installed this coming week. Maybe find some wheels too.

[ccookie66]

Today I drove to the ocean with my Astro, at first it was running bad...stalling and such. On the way home, it ran like a dream! Here is a quick story. At the ocean, there is a sand road. There is a sign that says "4X4 ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT" and there is some guy stuck with his front wheel drive car! He had to get out and push while his wife drove. They got out fine. I laughed as I drove through the sand without even spinning a wheel! No problem at all! Gotta love AWD. The sand was so deep, the frame of my van was dragging. Anyways, it was a nice drive. (On the way back at least )

[JuneauCabbie]

Thursday was a day off from taxi duties, and for running errands. Since the Safari's battery would only charge at 1.2 amps, I bought a new max duty Interstate at the LPS. Since it has both top & side posts, I bought a pair of top post clamps & boots.

It was raining when I got home, so I figured I could tough out one more day on Friday with a failing battery, but had to use my jump box 3 times on my first trip! So took 2 hrs to change the battery at the busiest time on Friday morning. Changing to the clamps required the 3rd hand of my next door neighbor, but finally shoehorned the battery in, put the boots on the clamps, refastened the fuse box to the firewall, and went back to work.

Saturday no problems as I went garage saling (no tools, dammit!). Today I had the battery light come on again as it had with the bad battery after a couple of miles at 60mph/1920-1950 rpm with the cruise control.

Now I'm thinking that it wasn't just the battery... maybe the alternator/voltage regulator too? Arrgh, just what I don't need, still trying to make enough to pay for the labor to replace the intake manifold gasket and still pay household bills.

Any ideas?

[chevymaher]

Thursday was a day off from taxi duties, and for running errands. Since the Safari's battery would only charge at 1.2 amps, I bought a new max duty Interstate at the LPS. Since it has both top & side posts, I bought a pair of top post clamps & boots.

It was raining when I got home, so I figured I could tough out one more day on Friday with a failing battery, but had to use my jump box 3 times on my first trip! So took 2 hrs to change the battery at the busiest time on Friday morning. Changing to the clamps required the 3rd hand of my next door neighbor, but finally shoehorned the battery in, put the boots on the clamps, refastened the fuse box to the firewall, and went back to work.

Saturday no problems as I went garage saling (no tools, dammit!). Today I had the battery light come on again as it had with the bad battery after a couple of miles at 60mph/1920-1950 rpm with the cruise control.

Now I'm thinking that it wasn't just the battery... maybe the alternator/voltage regulator too? Arrgh, just what I don't need, still trying to make enough to pay for the labor to replace the intake manifold gasket and still pay household bills.

Any ideas?

Go to a LAPS and have the alternator tested it only takes a few minutes.

[Corsemoto]

Check the connector on the alternator wiring, can cause intermittent problems. Make sure it is well connected, wiggle it around and press down on it with van running and see if the bat light goes off. With van off disconnect and check the pins making sure they are all well seated.

[bratliff]

Reinstalled my transmission with the help of a few good friends. One stayed till after midnight, but it's back together. Need to rebleed the rear brakes but the trans is done! Now to find some wheels since the others are sold, van runs but can't get off the Jack stands.. lol

[overdrive75]

Ordered a transmission cooler and fittings from Amazon. It will be here Thursday just in time for the weekend.

[sadglad]

Flushed the transmission. Pretty black! Ugh. It was dark when I bought the van. I checked the fluid with flashlight and saw a hint of color and thought it was just the lighting. Very little material in the pan and on the magnet so hoping there is life left in it. It shifts smooth as butter.

Welded on a drain plug while the pan was off for filter change. I worry a bit that it sticks down too far. Put on a Hayden 679 cooler. Don't plan to tow anything, just trying to maximize lifespan of this van.

[Jasen]

Tossed my tools in it, slid the door closed and slogged through downtown road construction traffic and road closures for 20 mins just trying to get to the hiway which is maybe 2 miles away from the job.

[Shad0wXCalibur]

Put on a Hayden 679 cooler. Don't plan to tow anything, just trying to maximize lifespan of this van.

Coolers are good even if you don't tow. Don't have to change the fluid as often. I run the 679 and do a drain and refill every 10,000 miles instead of a complete flush. More than I need to with a big cooler? Maybe... but these 4L60Es are finicky it seems.

[BBSig]

Fixed the rear wiper arm. The place that did the crappy paint job before I bought it didn't put the arm or sprayer on right. 2 min fix due to changing the blade at the same time.

[sadglad]

Coolers are good even if you don't tow....

My first experience driving a van was a mid 80's full size Chevy belonging to an older guy with much more experience than me. He told me to take it easy on a 50 mile climb. Me being young and dumb assumed it would be like the heavier duty trucks I was used to. After about 45 minutes I had smoke billowing from the transmission. There was only two people and about 100 pounds of cargo in it.

[pcengine92]

Replaced the stock dash speakers with 6 1/2" pioneer speakers.

[chevymaher]

With all the talk of restoring paint on older vans. I broke down and got out the buffer yesterday. It been 2 years since it was painted. Got the benches out. Buffed the whole thing with the Wizards final cut I was rambling about. Don't look different but it obviously needed it. Turned the pad blue. And the paint feels different. Squeaky clean when you run your finger across it now. Shame that stuff cant fix rock chips. Reckon next I will mix a taste of my paint. And touch up the bumper. And I got 6 spots in the hood I could do without being there.

[ccookie66]

I drove to Pepboys to pick up some oil and an oil filter. I got some RainX while I was there. I'm about to change the oil. Here is something I saw at GoodWill!
Thats right! Another Astro! I parked right next to it.

[DRZ]

Spent the whole day removing the old rocker area and prepping the replacement.
http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm17 ... ?start=all

[Leeann_93]

Stopped ignoring it. Well, some anyway.

Opened her up to air her out (it's been hades hot here all week) and got the doghouse off so we can get the stethoscope everywhere and see where it's tapping. Keep your fingers and toes crossed that it is the flexplate...that's hard enough, I don't want to deal with a cracked piston or piston skirt.

I had to change the oil and air filter in a friend's '04 Chrysler Sebring convertible first thing (2.7L V6). Boy was that fun...not. Some monkey had put the drain plug in, either with a breaker bar or with an impact wrench. With the 24" breaker bar and all my weight out on the end, I just barely got the thing to start moving. The plug has an integrated rubber gasket on it, for crying out loud! And the air filter was fun, too...not generally user-serviceable. Good thing it's big. I did win that fight.

[JuneauCabbie]

Installed a driver side visor pulled out of the '99 parts van at the taxi company shop. Whatever the screw for the clip near the mirror that held the inside end of the visor screwed into disappeared in the headliner, so I cut a piece of 1/4 in plywood the same size as the plastic part inside the headliner that apparently had a fiber nut or metal screw clip or something, and drilled a small pilot hole in it, and that worked.

No sagging visor hanging in my eyes any more...

Pulled my shiny mylar windshield heat deflector out of storage today. Finally, right after the solstice it sunshines here in SE Alaska, after 6 weeks of rain & drizzle. 86 here today.

I hope it holds. No one wants to go on tours if it's raining.

[Jasen]

Oiled the lug nuts, aside from R&Ring the lug nuts, I had to jack it up 4 times with my scissor jack




Oh, I did a front to back tire rotation to. It only made sense seeing I was oiling the lug nuts anyway

[AWDASTROVAN1999]

I gave my van the whole weekend off ,,, She has been chilling in the shade ,,, Im going to use my wifes Subaru Outback for work this week.... IF I can work outta it ,, I may sell my Van , Buy my wife a new Tribeca and sell my Astro... But I have a problem... Im attached to that van.. I talk to it ,, I trust it ,, I know what I have and too me its priceless .. The value of it now is about 3 grand , but to me It would be like giving it away .. Since they are no longer made I just might keep her too ..I just dont know ..Im so Confused .. The Govmt can fix this problem real easy .. Just lower the price of gas ... even $2 a gallon is ok ...