I have a 2001 2wd Astro in the rust belt. Look for the gap between the front grill and front bumper…. If the gap is tight, the front body to sub frame mounts are rusting out and collapsing..,, not good! I also have rust in the frame near the rear leaf spring mounts…
I like these vans, the 460le transmissions are also known to have issues with shift solenoids, the oil pan gaskets leak, timing cover leaks, same with the power steering gear boxes, notorious for leaks.
While not an issue properly in cali one of the first places where rust will start sneaking up on ya is the core support where the first set of body mounts screw in and it is hard to spot as there is a heavy reinforcement piece that covers it up
My 2001 is stock and impossible to crawl under. My ABS light came on so I just pulled the fuse. And my hood stuck all the time. I cured that with a spray lubricant. The cable, the latch..everything. I got scared when it wouldn’t pop at all. The area around your power steering pump looked clean. Mines soaked cause I have to replace the return line. I bought mine in 2013 for 2 grand. Kelly Bb said I could get 2500 for it in good condition. I’ve only put 30k on her. Now, she’s up to 160,000 miles. Enough already, Ralph! Thanks, Mike!
Just picked up a '01 a few weeks ago and had to replace the steering pump and the starter that came out in 3 pieces. It was previously owned by an AC technician and his son before him who was an elevator technician. I'm making it into a camper.
Thanks so much! Because of Wonderhussy, and you being on her channel, my wife and I are now looking for an Astro van! I really like your channel! I gotta go soon, because Wonderhussy is about to do a live stream I believe.
Bought a 2003 last year with 107k miles and I thought rust free and mechanically sound. It had a football size rust hole behind the lower body panels and is fairly ugly with burnt clear coat and dents. I cleaned up the dirt and fixed the rust hole but some mechanical gremlins still existed. Vacuum leaks, check engine lights, window regulators, blower motor, door lock actuators and more. At times I regrated the purchase but now the mechanical/electrical issues have subsided (for now) and I can focus on cosmetics. I do enjoy driving the Astro and it is not a great driving vehicle. It is slow and rides rough but it fits my bikes, tows my trailer and my dogs love to ride in it, I will say if you ever buy one you better be able to repair yourself because it will cost you. Most of my expense was for tools to help diagnose issues, like fuel pressure test gauges, vacuum leak smoke tester and OBD2 reading codes from the ECU. Oh and lets not forget the horrible parts availability which is terrible. With all that said the Astros or Safaris are great options for a AWD, 4WD van but if 2WD works for you it is not a good option as any minivan should be better. The Astro is special and I wish I bought one when new when I was young. I bought an 04' STI and kept in my garage for 15 year (27k miles) so imagine what an Astro would look like. I bought mine to camp, carry my MTB's, snowboard's and help keep my mileage down on a much nicer car. I paid $3500 and have $1500 into it including maintenance items so I don't feel it is too much yet. I will paint with Raptor Liner, 3" lift, 4WD transfer case, wheels, tires and treat the undercarriage for rust in an attempt to keep for a few years. I have no regrets but I imagine it was a poor investment.
Between Rockauto.com and junk yards you can still get most everything - I replaced close to everything on mine because I knew I was going to keep it There are a few things left to replace and will be dealt with. Mine rides and drives fantastic, like a new car, which is what I was going for - I take my safety on the orad (and off) seriously which is why I went so crazy on this thing....
Such valuable insight but also slightly terrifying haha. I do everything myself and it can be overwhelming but one step at a time and shit gets done. Thanks for this video cheers 🍻
Great video, Michael. You mentioned Jersey in one of your other videos...can you recommend mechanics back East who you would bring an Astro/Safari to? Especially for an engine/suspension lift? Thanks for all of your videos. They are extremely helpful.
thanks for all the info. but just know that it would be impossible to get time for a pre purchase inspection. these vans go instantly now. for more than asking price :( keep up the astro content, love it! Just got a 2002 awd. great shape.
@@AstroVanTribe-Mike: i’ve had an all wheel drive for 20 years and New england so I was really starting to take affect… I found a nice 2 Wheel Dr. that’s the same body style….My question is how difficult is it to turn a 20022 Wheel Dr. into an all wheel drive with my 1997 parts and swap over… Or would it be better and cheaper and easier to go with an overland kid if I wanted to do something more capable than 2 Wheel Dr.?
Any Vehicle that is reaching 20+ years.. You should just check everything....As I can tell you from 40 years of working on them.. Most people don't take care of them.. I seen them with the factory plugs floating in the Transmission pans..While having 200k miles on them.. That tells me they never once change the filter or fluid.. How I got my 1998 so cheap.. They thought the transmission was bad. As it was searching between 3rd and OD at 35mph..It just needed to be serviced.. And most of the factories have upgraded the fluid to fix issues..Even new ones...
I'm 14 min in. I just bout an 03 Safari and will have my work cut out.. I haven't heard you say anything about the encoder motor. I suspect mine is stuck in awd. Seller said it is "all-time awd." It had excessive engine whine and wheel tug (?) on dry pavement at low speed. I haven't seen a ton about that, but what I have seen, people are saying put a Dorman encoder moter on. Did you do that?
@@AstroVanTribe I heard you say that in another video just a short while ago. Makes me wonder if that could be a common, unrecognized issue. So, it sounds like I will need to decide between a $100 encoder or a $500 4x4 switch out. I'm thinking the encoder for now. But, my seller said he thought he was getting 14/15 mpg. I'm guessing that was a big cause! Plus, just extra wear on everything else.
I know what you mean lol. I ended up fixing it and all it was was just lubing up the latch and now everytime when pulling to open the hood it pops it open on the 1st try. Been fixing our 96 Astro van for my Dad. Just got to fix the AC and should be perfect after.
When shopping for an Astro, what mileage would you say is too high? I know it doesn’t matter as much if problems are addressed, and has new parts, maybe transmission, etc. I am wondering about engine, differentials, etc. I plan to swap the transfer case if not already done.
I don't know that there is, I guess if it's the original engine then when it's at or over 300K I'd be concerned a new engine will be needed soon - Some have gotten 500K out of these engines - Everything can be replaced
@@AstroVanTribe sounds good, thanks. Most of what I have been looking at in my area seem to be right in the 200,000 mile range. Not too concerned, as I expect to replace everything as I go , with upgraded parts. Thanks for the reply, and hope you have a great weekend!
The ABS unit is under the van directly under the drivers seat, solder joints in the mother board crack - They can be repaired but it's a "thing". Look into it, you'll find info/videos on it
I'm up in the air right now looking at a 2000 two-wheel drive Chevy Astro van body wise and such in good condition, has the standard 6 cylinder automatic but not even one minute into the vehicle running the AC motor was no good and caused a lot of smoke in just about every other gasket was going to need to be replaced then I noticed that the rear differential was Leaking, premier League $3,000 for this van I'm thinking it's a hard pass cuz I'm going to have to invest at least $500 or more I don't care about the AC that can be bypassed, unless that's common for these type of vehicles to go for $3,000
I frequently tell people it's not worth buying one of these unless you can do the work, at least most of it yourself. You have to go into it expecting it's going to cost you time and money, and it's only ever worth it at all if you can find one with no rust. You have to love and/or need this thing because of it's size and capabilities. You need a place to work on it, the tools and the time. They're all so old every one of them needs work.... Mine has had 85% of the parts replaced and runs perfect and I'm still not done.
@@AstroVanTribe yeah I'm pretty fortunate that where I live in Kansas this thing hasn't become a rust bucket, I know I can remove the AC compressor and put a new serpentine belt in and that will fix that problem the fun part is finding a way to degrease the entire engine block in that tight confines LOL that way I can replace gaskets from the intake manifold down, I realize the price of Vans have gone up and the fact that this was a cargo van with only the back barn door windows and the side barn door window and it had the cage and shelving in the back and the dashboard and everything ain't all cracked up and the fact that the wheel wells and the undercarriage all rusted out so that helps but I've been told that for $3,000 it's a good price and a bad price at the same time cuz yeah I do have the capabilities of doing 90% of the work and a place to park it I just don't know a whole lot about Chevys compared to Ford's or Dodges but they're similar and construction when it comes to doing mechanic work to the way it sounds of running and somewhat driving almost 95% rust-free Astro Van for this price is a golden nugget
Piece of useless information: the torsion bar's first use was in the German tanks of WW2. They went clear across from one side of the tank to the other instead of coil, or leaf springs like all other tanks
I owned a 1999 Cargo Astro All Wheel Drive about 23 years ago & it was nothing but an headache.. I had to replace the transfer case, not to mention the bad wiring, heavy duty brake pads & rotors constantly -> ext
I have a 2001 2wd Astro in the rust belt. Look for the gap between the front grill and front bumper…. If the gap is tight, the front body to sub frame mounts are rusting out and collapsing..,, not good! I also have rust in the frame near the rear leaf spring mounts…
Good to know, that may help someone out - Super lucky with mine being a SoCal van, no rust
Update! I actually had to sell it to an auto recycler, too gone to fix!
I like these vans, the 460le transmissions are also known to have issues with shift solenoids, the oil pan gaskets leak, timing cover leaks, same with the power steering gear boxes, notorious for leaks.
While not an issue properly in cali one of the first places where rust will start sneaking up on ya is the core support where the first set of body mounts screw in and it is hard to spot as there is a heavy reinforcement piece that covers it up
My 2001 is stock and impossible to crawl under. My ABS light came on so I just pulled the fuse. And my hood stuck all the time. I cured that with a spray lubricant. The cable, the latch..everything. I got scared when it wouldn’t pop at all.
The area around your power steering pump looked clean. Mines soaked cause I have to replace the return line. I bought mine in 2013 for 2 grand. Kelly Bb said I could get 2500 for it in good condition. I’ve only put 30k on her. Now, she’s up to 160,000 miles. Enough already, Ralph! Thanks, Mike!
Just picked up a '01 a few weeks ago and had to replace the steering pump and the starter that came out in 3 pieces. It was previously owned by an AC technician and his son before him who was an elevator technician. I'm making it into a camper.
Thanks so much! Because of Wonderhussy, and you being on her channel, my wife and I are now looking for an Astro van!
I really like your channel! I gotta go soon, because Wonderhussy is about to do a live stream I believe.
Bought a 2003 last year with 107k miles and I thought rust free and mechanically sound. It had a football size rust hole behind the lower body panels and is fairly ugly with burnt clear coat and dents. I cleaned up the dirt and fixed the rust hole but some mechanical gremlins still existed. Vacuum leaks, check engine lights, window regulators, blower motor, door lock actuators and more. At times I regrated the purchase but now the mechanical/electrical issues have subsided (for now) and I can focus on cosmetics. I do enjoy driving the Astro and it is not a great driving vehicle. It is slow and rides rough but it fits my bikes, tows my trailer and my dogs love to ride in it, I will say if you ever buy one you better be able to repair yourself because it will cost you. Most of my expense was for tools to help diagnose issues, like fuel pressure test gauges, vacuum leak smoke tester and OBD2 reading codes from the ECU. Oh and lets not forget the horrible parts availability which is terrible. With all that said the Astros or Safaris are great options for a AWD, 4WD van but if 2WD works for you it is not a good option as any minivan should be better. The Astro is special and I wish I bought one when new when I was young. I bought an 04' STI and kept in my garage for 15 year (27k miles) so imagine what an Astro would look like. I bought mine to camp, carry my MTB's, snowboard's and help keep my mileage down on a much nicer car. I paid $3500 and have $1500 into it including maintenance items so I don't feel it is too much yet. I will paint with Raptor Liner, 3" lift, 4WD transfer case, wheels, tires and treat the undercarriage for rust in an attempt to keep for a few years. I have no regrets but I imagine it was a poor investment.
Between Rockauto.com and junk yards you can still get most everything - I replaced close to everything on mine because I knew I was going to keep it There are a few things left to replace and will be dealt with. Mine rides and drives fantastic, like a new car, which is what I was going for - I take my safety on the orad (and off) seriously which is why I went so crazy on this thing....
Thanks so much! SO appreciated.
Believe your correct about the quality of steel and drilling out the rivets
Such valuable insight but also slightly terrifying haha. I do everything myself and it can be overwhelming but one step at a time and shit gets done. Thanks for this video cheers 🍻
Great video, Michael. You mentioned Jersey in one of your other videos...can you recommend mechanics back East who you would bring an Astro/Safari to? Especially for an engine/suspension lift? Thanks for all of your videos. They are extremely helpful.
Not anymore....
thanks for all the info. but just know that it would be impossible to get time for a pre purchase inspection. these vans go instantly now. for more than asking price :(
keep up the astro content, love it! Just got a 2002 awd. great shape.
I wouldn't want any Astro I couldn't inspect first
@@AstroVanTribe that's why I am thankful for your videos. allowed me to inspect myself with at least some confidence. came out on top
thx again!
@@AstroVanTribe-Mike: i’ve had an all wheel drive for 20 years and New england so I was really starting to take affect… I found a nice 2 Wheel Dr. that’s the same body style….My question is how difficult is it to turn a 20022 Wheel Dr. into an all wheel drive with my 1997 parts and swap over… Or would it be better and cheaper and easier to go with an overland kid if I wanted to do something more capable than 2 Wheel Dr.?
Any Vehicle that is reaching 20+ years.. You should just check everything....As I can tell you from 40 years of working on them.. Most people don't take care of them.. I seen them with the factory plugs floating in the Transmission pans..While having 200k miles on them.. That tells me they never once change the filter or fluid.. How I got my 1998 so cheap.. They thought the transmission was bad. As it was searching between 3rd and OD at 35mph..It just needed to be serviced.. And most of the factories have upgraded the fluid to fix issues..Even new ones...
I'm 14 min in. I just bout an 03 Safari and will have my work cut out.. I haven't heard you say anything about the encoder motor. I suspect mine is stuck in awd. Seller said it is "all-time awd." It had excessive engine whine and wheel tug (?) on dry pavement at low speed. I haven't seen a ton about that, but what I have seen, people are saying put a Dorman encoder moter on. Did you do that?
Mine was stuck in AWD - I replaced the transfer case with a 4x4 S10 - I'm not in 2wd all the time and have 4H and 4L
@@AstroVanTribe I heard you say that in another video just a short while ago. Makes me wonder if that could be a common, unrecognized issue. So, it sounds like I will need to decide between a $100 encoder or a $500 4x4 switch out. I'm thinking the encoder for now. But, my seller said he thought he was getting 14/15 mpg. I'm guessing that was a big cause! Plus, just extra wear on everything else.
Those cookies sure looked gooood!!
Thanks
There's a spot on all these if you hit it the hood opens
I know what you mean lol. I ended up fixing it and all it was was just lubing up the latch and now everytime when pulling to open the hood it pops it open on the 1st try. Been fixing our 96 Astro van for my Dad. Just got to fix the AC and should be perfect after.
When shopping for an Astro, what mileage would you say is too high? I know it doesn’t matter as much if problems are addressed, and has new parts, maybe transmission, etc. I am wondering about engine, differentials, etc. I plan to swap the transfer case if not already done.
I don't know that there is, I guess if it's the original engine then when it's at or over 300K I'd be concerned a new engine will be needed soon - Some have gotten 500K out of these engines - Everything can be replaced
@@AstroVanTribe sounds good, thanks. Most of what I have been looking at in my area seem to be right in the 200,000 mile range. Not too concerned, as I expect to replace everything as I go , with upgraded parts. Thanks for the reply, and hope you have a great weekend!
What does it mean when both the ABS and the BRAKE light come on at the same time? My astro is also a 2004.
The ABS unit is under the van directly under the drivers seat, solder joints in the mother board crack - They can be repaired but it's a "thing". Look into it, you'll find info/videos on it
@@AstroVanTribe Thanks for replying, I'll definitely look into it.
I'm up in the air right now looking at a 2000 two-wheel drive Chevy Astro van body wise and such in good condition, has the standard 6 cylinder automatic but not even one minute into the vehicle running the AC motor was no good and caused a lot of smoke in just about every other gasket was going to need to be replaced then I noticed that the rear differential was Leaking, premier League $3,000 for this van I'm thinking it's a hard pass cuz I'm going to have to invest at least $500 or more I don't care about the AC that can be bypassed, unless that's common for these type of vehicles to go for $3,000
I frequently tell people it's not worth buying one of these unless you can do the work, at least most of it yourself. You have to go into it expecting it's going to cost you time and money, and it's only ever worth it at all if you can find one with no rust. You have to love and/or need this thing because of it's size and capabilities. You need a place to work on it, the tools and the time. They're all so old every one of them needs work.... Mine has had 85% of the parts replaced and runs perfect and I'm still not done.
@@AstroVanTribe yeah I'm pretty fortunate that where I live in Kansas this thing hasn't become a rust bucket, I know I can remove the AC compressor and put a new serpentine belt in and that will fix that problem the fun part is finding a way to degrease the entire engine block in that tight confines LOL that way I can replace gaskets from the intake manifold down, I realize the price of Vans have gone up and the fact that this was a cargo van with only the back barn door windows and the side barn door window and it had the cage and shelving in the back and the dashboard and everything ain't all cracked up and the fact that the wheel wells and the undercarriage all rusted out so that helps but I've been told that for $3,000 it's a good price and a bad price at the same time cuz yeah I do have the capabilities of doing 90% of the work and a place to park it I just don't know a whole lot about Chevys compared to Ford's or Dodges but they're similar and construction when it comes to doing mechanic work to the way it sounds of running and somewhat driving almost 95% rust-free Astro Van for this price is a golden nugget
@@michaelmyers3892 It's my first Chevy, too.... You learn fast when you have to
@@AstroVanTribe right
You know of any where you can get replacement fender well liners?
junk yards
My thoughts exactly. At an lkq yesterday and they were all picked clean.
Ehh, Da Fonz! A built in security feature!
Piece of useless information: the torsion bar's first use was in the German tanks of WW2. They went clear across from one side of the tank to the other instead of coil, or leaf springs like all other tanks
those are still available for sale ?
all the time
Dont do it.. astro vans are death traps
I owned a 1999 Cargo Astro All Wheel Drive about 23 years ago & it was nothing but an headache.. I had to replace the transfer case, not to mention the bad wiring, heavy duty brake pads & rotors constantly -> ext
You need an anti aircraft battery in the back yard😅 just kidding i fly ultralights
FIRST! lose the FUCKING CCP licenses plate!!! Love the van and info