Gearbox of 60,000 km? ASTRO AWD 2002, Lost Reverse + more

[giorgi.gomelauri]

Dear Sir,

About 2 months ago I bought Chevrolet Astro AWD passanger 4.3 L VAN in Japan:1GNEL19X52B140062. According to the documentation it is build 2002 and has under 60,000 km. In the beginning it showed fuel consumption 16.1 L/100 km and quite quickly the consumption decreased to 15.9 L/100 km that made me quite happy .
Few weeks ago the van suddenly refused to move backward in a simple & standard situation. At the same time there appeared a not very rough and not loud noise in R, N, D & .... My van still moves forward in D mode, but I try not to drive it being afraid to damage it more. I am not sure if it still moves forward in 1,2 or 3 mode (if necessary for the proper diagnostics, I can try). Is it possible to check any fault codes in the board computer? If so, please be so kind as to let me know how this can be done.

From the very beginning one side of the front right tire of my van was worn out more and I decided to show it to the mechanics. He told me that new idler arms are needed. In very clear explanation of Old_Master regarding the idler arms I did not understand (may be because English is not my mother tongue) who are "Moog manufactures".

Do these two problems mean that the van really has much more than 60,000 km?

At the same time the rear heater blows quite well but cold air. Unfortunately the owners manual that I have got with the van is in Japan Language and I am not sure if the engine coolant should travel to the back heater (in this case I am afraid it will be difficult to get rid of air in that part of the system?) or there is an electric heating of the air in the back heater.
I have not tested yet the rear Air Conditioner.

When the front heating/ Air Cond. fan knob is in LO and in the next position it does not seem to blow, but in HI an the previous position the fan blows quite well. Can it be that the Fan lost low speeds but runs still on high speeds?

It seems that other systems work OK, but I had not much time to learn everything well, because of the gearbox problem mentioned above forced me to stop the van.

Before this "NEW" ASTRO AWD, 14 years I have been driving the V6, 3L, EFI, Front Wheel Drive DODGE Grand Caravan, build 1989 (1B4FK4433KX545570), which now is already 21 years old and I never had any problems with the engine or the automatic Gearbox. Because quite often I drive in mountains and snow here in Caucasus Mountains, I really need the AWD van and I expected that ASTRO AWD is really what I need.

Thank you in advance for your help.

With my very best regards,

Giorgi Gomelauri

[old_master]

Welcome to Automotive Forums!
I will try to explain more clearly.

I am not an expert with the automatic gearbox problem . Maybe an expert will help.

Moog makes front suspension and steering parts in the United States.
The design of the Astro steering makes the idler arms wear out quickly, it is a common failure.

The front heating / Air Conditioning blower problem might need a blower motor resistor. Another common failure. Very possible to not have lower speeds.

If you send me your email address in a private message, I will send you an electrical diagram to help you.

[Blue Bowtie]

Giorgi,

Welcome Aboard!

This site was put up just for your problem:

http://www.wwdsltd.com/4L60/4L60ERepairs.html

[CJ0717]

Let me help out if I can. 1st The loss of reverse is a big issue. You may be able to put it in drive but it will drive like it is starting out in 2nd gear. This is a common problem with the transmissions used on this vehicle. The star gear is probably broken and a transmission rebuild is needed. About $1000 - $1400 USD at a respectable transmission shop.
Next is the cold air in the rear vent. Normally these vans came with Rear Air Conditioning but not heat. Heat will only come from the front and the vents on the floor behind the Driver and passenger side front seats. The vent on the ceiling in the rear is A/C only.
Lastly is the fan speed. Another common component failure. This is most definately the resistor pack which is located in the engine compartment just behind the windshield wiper reservoir. It is not that hard to change out but you may go through these about every 6 months to a year. Something with the electrical circuit design is just not right and the resistors just don't last.

[CJ0717]

Oh, forgot about the idler arms. Again this van just like the 2000 Safari I drive is notorious for wearing out these idler arms. You can replace this yourself easily. Don't let it go since you could get into serious trouble if it breaks while driving.