2000 Chevy Venture Humming Noise

I just bought a used 2000 Chevy Venture with 77,864 miles on it. I love it except for the following: humming noise, fuel gauge not working, lights flickering, and electrical message lights flashing on and off.

The humming noise happens usually when started and lasts for 1 to 2 minutes. Sometimes it happens when driving though also but only lasts for 2 to 3 seconds. Does anyone know what this could be? I've heard struts, fuel injectors, and fan but I think that the noise is not normal and I am concerned.

Then, the fuel gauge fluctuates a lot! Not just a normal slight fluctuation, it goes up and down and moves back and forth. I have no idea how much gas I have in there. When I left the dealership on Saturday it said 3/4 of a tank. Last night it said 1/2 a tank. This morning, it said full??? Anyway, I put in $50 worth of gas to fill it up so I am assuming that I was on empty. At least I hope so for that much gas. Does anyone know what could be causing this?

Also, the headlights and interior lights flicker at night. Why?

And finally, the low coolant light and the door ajar light keep flashing on and off even though the coolant is fine and the doors are closed. Why?

Other than that, I love this minivan. There is so much room and it rides so smooth. But my main concern is the humming noise. I have a 3 month or 3000 mile warranty so I want to find out what's wrong before that expires. Thanks so much. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Welcome to the forum!

First, I would suggest that you take it back to where you got it and ask them to fix EVERYTHING that you mentioned above.

Here are some possible causes of your issues.

Humming noise: This one I'm not too sure about. Can you tell where the noise is coming from? Noises are hard to diagnose over the Internet! I would suggest that you start the van and "snoop around" while the noise is happening and try to locate it more precisely.

Gas Gauge Fluctuation: Often the sensor (in the gas tank) gets dirty over time. When this happens, the gauge can jump around quite a bit. Some folks have reported that injector cleaner (or similar) in a few tanks of gas "make it better", but I believe the proper fix is to replace the failing part.

Flickering Lights: I had this problem on my van. There is a TSB (Tech Service Bulletin) that says that the ground screw in the generator (alternator) is/was not making a really good connection. Check out the following page for more information: Flickering Lights (http://www.my-chevy-venture.com/venture-lights-dim-flicker.html)

Low Coolant Indicator: Make sure you check the coolant level at the radiator neck, not the coolant recovery tank (when the engine is cold). The sensor for the coolant level in the radiator on the passenger side.

Door Ajar Indicator: I would suspect dirty connections at the sliding doors. Check the pins & pads on each sliding door and clean them up with steel wool and/or alcohol.

That should get you started. Let us know what you (or the dealer) finds.

Take Care,

Thanks for the tips GregA! I will be sure to try the things that you suggested. I'll let you know how it worked. Thanks again.

I had the same problem wth my old Venture with the fuel guage, It would read everything over a quarter, but once it got below a quarter it would rise up to full. Eventually it kept getting worse to the point where it was always at full. I ended up replacing the sensor. This is a problem with alot of GM vehicles.