Astro Mileages

91 conversion 145000 so far. Runs great but smokes I believe from the exhaust valves. Only smokes upon startup.:naughty:

96 Astro conversion van 229,678 miles and going

Have 158k on my 99 but had to do rear end work at 120, as it became a real wining truck at 60mph, the carrier bearing on drivers was totally shot, i sould have done the pinion at the same time but i chickened out, bad for me because its still not as quiet as i would like it to be. But i had it apart before, so its not new anymore.

92 Astro 206,000 miles

Indyhoosier

Hi,
if I read this i am not anry to buy an Astro or an Safari with high Miles here in Germany.

If someone have some Tips for me about this Car please tell me.

Greating from Germany


Marcus

1991......... 212,000 + miles and still cookin'

94 Astro Van EXT. 152,000 miles

What kind of freon does it take? r12 or r134?

thank you

Joy
ur stro should use r134 i also have a 94 ext

91 conversion 145000 so far. Runs great but smokes I believe from the exhaust valves. Only smokes upon startup.:naughty:

A moderate puff of blue (oil) smoke on startup after sitting for several hours is not uncommon. Typically it is due to valve stem seal leakage, which doesn't affect performance a bit. Actually, an argument can be made that the extra upper cylinder lubrication on cold starts is beneficial, although the EPA would probably not agree.

1990 gmc safari cargo 189.000 miles .
Had the heads done at 188.500 miles, valve seals, total clean-up etc.
It was a total mess .I really recommend a valve job around 150.000 miles.
What happend on mine was that a valve got stuck and the pushrod jumped out of place then the lifter hit it and broke it.
The cylinders were looking like new , still lots of life left in it.
It doesn't smoke at all now after the seals were replaced.Before was smoking first time start up for few sec's
Other than that an alternator and starter, nothing else.
Runs like a champ now.

1997 - 168,000 miles

'94 Astro EXT 156k All original except alternator. Bought it brand new in June, 1994.

Jusrt turned 170,000 92 astro

97 with 169k on it. Hauls a family of 7 and still starts each day, (God willing and with help from this forum :grinyes: :grinyes: :grinyes:

I have a 95 astro conversion with 125k on it. All original, luckily just regular maintenance so far! I live in MI and this thing has driven to both the east and west coast several times. Very good piece of machinery! :wink:

88 cargo 3ed owner. 1st was at and t.2ed was a plumber who put a jasper motor in at 150000.when the power stering pump went up he got a ford van.i got it from him for500.00 put a new pump on it and hooked up the things he wired wrong when putting the motor in.i took out the idiot light dash and put in gauges in dash.took off the ladder racks replaced the fuel injectors.and for fun a nos spray kit.lol. so i think i have around 300000.and still going like a time x.when it dies i have another v6.after that its going to a 350.

'98 144k
accellerator stickey, located that link; vaccumn leak- whines but I'll find it with an alernate fuel source, had to have the rear end rebuilt - bad axel seal = bad gear bushings.
This is the real puzzeler - why and/or how did my dip stick burn in two just south of the joint in the dip stick tube. the old tube is still in there and I use the top to sal the tube but to check the oil level I have to get the new tube out of the back of the van and work it past the old stick, read it and then stow it again. sorry to address this here but I didnot see a thread to this problem. One day spring my wife and I tried to leave for work and the van would not start. I had it towed to a trusted mechanic. He found the starter burned out and 1 or 2 of the megga fuses blown. Acouple of weeks later I was having the oil changed and that mechanic started waving the dip stick all over the shop. when they showed it to me I thought he had laid it over the battary, but considering the length of the dip stick and location of the battary and where it was burned that did not work out . I went to a local dealer for a new stick and installed it. While I was siting in their parking lot with the engine running the van shook roughly and then smoothed out. I went inside to visit the body shop manager ( a coustomer of mine) aad when I tried to leave it would not start. I had it towed back to my trusted mechanic and all he could find was a blown fuse. I told him what I had done, so we looked at the new dip stick and found a blue heat mark on it at about the same place the old one was burned in two. So now I follow the routine as outlined above when checkng the oil. On a related note, how the crap do you get the front half of the dip stick tube to separate from the bottom? I think I might be able to get to the bottom part of the stick if I could just get the top ob the tube out.
We bought this van new as a conversion and have had few problems aside from the above and the following.
when we bought the van the dealer had a loca monkey install an alarm with remote controll for the locks. That has been a headache since day one. Shortly after taking delivery fuses started popping in the mirror/dome light circuit. The dealer taped up some bare wires but the I/we just deal with it and leave the fuse blown.

The dipstick is probably coming out through the tube where it is separated- the upper tube will work its way out of the lower tube- right behind the engine manifold- I had this happen to my '94- could not check the oil level- the dipstick was sliding out down by the starter-- so your dipstick has probably actually contacted the battery hot terminal at the starter- and created a dead short which has burnt the dipstick in two-- the other end is probably curled up around the starter contact- not inside the lower dipstick tube.. I had a sister-in-law fill her van over full of oil because she could not get a reading on her dipstick- she put in 4 quarts- and still no reading- was all because the dipstick would protrude out the gap between the upper and lower tube assemblies- listen for it as you slide it down- This is a common problem with the dipstick on this vintage van....

Thanks for the reply. The starter has been replaced since the first occourance with no mention or notice of a dip stick stuck to a terminal. My son and I have inspected the tube and tried to get the two halves apart with no luck. I keep the new dip stick in the back of the van and can get it past the old stick to check the oil. I have never had it fail to register oil on the stick.

1990 287k on original engine and trans.

95 with 287,000 still strong as ell

Just bought a '96 with 104k. Runs great!:2cents:

my brother in law just sold his 1994 it had 398000k on it and it still ran good
the only thing he ever had to do out side of matiance was put an alt. on it .
he has driven it to florida many times 1100 miles each way with no problems.

90 safari, 180,000+
95 astro, 118,000

2000 astro le awd; 254,000mi, 2nd transfer case, smokes a bit, and usual front end looseness--beyond that PURRRRS.

My '95 AWD Tradewinds conversion has 169K and no leaks. It's had a few brakes, struts, and fuel pumps but the motor keeps going.

i have a gmc safari 2001 with 109k

02 used 125K runs ok Miss my Aerostar 96 with 394K

90 Safari Work van 140K, rebuild rear end 2X, no other problems. Changed the plugs Serp belt at 111K. I sold it and bought the GMC passenger version new

98 Safari SE 105K Tranny valve body repair at 60K for high pressure slam shifting, Catalyst failure at 100K mi due to internal antifreeze leak @ the intake manifold, Rear differential leaks a little but seems to come and go so i'm not changing it. 18-19 MPG mixed driving. As high as 25 and as low as 15. Sold it to drive a used 04 Honda Accord - 32MPG

I have a 95 Safari 214,000 stuck in NC right now waiting for a fuel pump, sending unit and harness. I think I get to drive her again next week. Can't kick about the Van yet, I am it's third owner.

Mine Is A 95 With 180,000klm.

hi ! to all you astro people i do not have and astro van anymore.
i have an caravan and it,s got 470000 k m on it and runs like, real smooth. it is a 1992 has an 3.3 in it. if you take care of them and do not drive them to hard they last a long time. have a good day alan

204,000 on my '94 Astro Gladiator Conversion.

I have an '86 safari with 250,000km's. runs great, a little rough idle sometimes , might be some worn vacuums hoses. tuneups and oils changes regularly .

BTW what is a Gladiator conversion?

Just bought a 99 with 114k and it runs really good other than a vacuum leak somewhere

2000 with 227,000 on it. Replaced the alternator, fuel pump, front brake pads. Still has the original plugs, etc, and gets over 19 MPG. Might as well keep it now.......

Just bought mine for $199.00. 2000 Astro LT. Never knew what a pain it is to work on these. 377,000km. I am trying to find the power steering leak and then I should be good to go!

330,000 plus on our old 86 Safari .... maintence? ha...who needs it, we never did hardly anything maintence to it. it was REALLY rough we we sold it, but she ran... origional motor and tranny (no overdrive since about ~310K)

2 rear ends went out
water pump
thats about it...

I just turned 150,000 on a 2002 Astro LS. Bought it new one month after 9-11. Engine and transmission are both excellent. No unusual problems. I drive like Grandpa, tho. Just got 85,000 mi. out of a set of Firestone Destination LEs.

over 230000 on my 95

99 awd 223,000k

94 astro w/115K

Great vehicle...only major repair is a rebuild for the transmission. Just put it in...

1995 cmfi safari 155,000miles, just replaced spider fuel injector. I was going to trash it due to clanging exhaust, window switches out, a/c died, & paint fading. But, the motor just wouldn't die, so I decided to do my part on recycling/saving the environment & let her live and pull the boat. I wonder how much of the earths resourses are used to make a new car/van. Yep, I'm a helping save the planet with my clunker.

Hi, I have a 1995 Chevy Astro Van LT with 162,500. I have owned it for 4 years now. I am about to work on the intake to replace the fuel lines and fuel pressure regulator. I just changed the spark plugs. I had autolites in there and was told by my cousin, he's a Certified Mechanic, he said never to use any other plugs in my van, to use the Ac-Delco cause that is what it requires. I put the Ac-Delco Platinums in it which will give me better fuel mileage and more power. It runs like a champ now and is ready for a long trip.

I have a 2002 with 98k and a 1991 with over 215k original engine and trans. New water pump in 96, new ABS module in 2000, new power steering pump last year, still runs strong.

'93 Astro Extended, 222,000 mi. - runs strong, uses very little oil.

Engine original, four speed auto tran original as far as I know and runs good. Replaced alternator, rear brakes, exhaust, all pretty normal stuff!

Love being able to remove all rear seats to haul cargo, great capacity!

Rear door, inside handle broke recently, but was cheap fix with aftermarket part.

Van had wiring issues when I got it (pass window not working) and required repairing wiring harness running from inside body to passenger door. After fix, all wiring was good and window works now!

1998 297000kilometers, all original, and running well. (maintained regularly)

1992 w/origional engine and trans...299,000 miles.Um 1 water pump,1 battery,2 alternators,too many sets of tires and brakes.:popcorn:

1997 Astro AWD - 191,000

New - Alternator, tires, intake gasket, injectors, speed sensor, AC compressor, fuel pump, misc. hoses and clamps, brakes, - over the years.

I like the over-all feel and look of the van, it's great for my job, but man they do have their issues.

Will be 195,000 by the end of this week for sure.

I had a 94 utility van I bought second hand--I lowered it, painted it candy blue--nice rims, headers, and put a full interior in it to show off the stereo systems I was a rep for (Rockford Fosgate) This poor van always had lots of weight in it, and I ran it hard!. Changed oil regularly--at 297000 it went better than the 96 I bought to replace it. Took everything out and got $2500 for it

Im on my 3rd Safari and wish GM would bring them back to Canada

PEZ

As requested:

2000 LS AWD with 133,000 miles.

I bought it in Dec 2007 and I'm just starting to go through it.

harryevan

hit the 170k mark last week.
224,500 Now, and another bad fuel pump... only drove the van 55k miles in last 4 years.

99 with 90590

'93 AstroEXT, Z engine, 2WD, 267,200 ticks (Probably worn rocker arm) Replaced starter and alternator, Dist. cap, plugs, wires, & oil every 3000 or less.

New Astro van, well sort of. it is a 93 Astro van, 4.3 v6 with a rebuild engine and tranny. the odo Says
391,000.00 km

Some issues with my instrument cluster and steering column, but the van runs like a dream.
Just need to upgrade the suspension and exhaust and a new paint job. i'll post a picture of it later on.

1998 Safari = 290,000 miles: engine, transmission, & rear axle have never been apart.

2002 Astro = 330,000 miles: engine, transmission, & rear axle have never been apart. Sees 350 miles a day, 5 days a week. Oil & filter every other weekend.

Both run perfectly.

2004 cargo 340,000 KM (212,500 miles) original transmission, engine, and rear axle. I bought it new in 2004, maintained regularly, oil change every 7,000 km; transmission fluid every 50,000km, it still runs great, however, its rear universal join has been replaced in every 2 years, replaced its alternator at 220,000km(137,500miles).

94 Safari, 203k miles. All original except water pump and alt.
Me too. I have 290k miles and put two water pumps on and an alternator. change oil every 3,000 miles faithfully with the cheapest oil and filter I can buy.

1992 Vin Z with 199,333.

I've had Astro vans for years. My current '98 has 190k and still running great. Had the trans replaced at 120k

2000 awd with 125,000 miles .