- #2174 of 2196
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Re: Temp gauge and tapping in engine [sal72]
by bxd
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Aug 13, 2009 (6:10 am)
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Replying to: sal72 (Aug 12, 2009 7:46 am)
sal72-
Whoever told you this car is "hard to diagnose" is either lying or doesn't know what they are doing. Sorry to be so blunt. The engines in the RDV (both 3.4 and 3.5) have been put into millions of cars/trucks/vans since their initial design came out in the late 1980's. The engine has been tuned, adjusted, enlarged, more controllers, etc., but it started its life back in 1988 as a 2.8 V6. The two fans come on in two stages, at two different temperatures. They can be turned on manually by a tech to test them, at any temperature. It's one of the easiest things to troubleshoot.
Does the fan now come on? Does it appear to spin fast? If "yes" and "yes" and the car still sits at 3/4 on the temp gauge, they didn't test the fan correctly, and just threw parts at your car.  I'd be disappointed too.
Question: if it gets to 3/4 hot and you begin driving at a steady speed, at least 40mph or even take it on the highway, does the temp drop down again? If so, the fans are still part of the problem most likely. If the temp does not drop during steady, higher speed driving, then the cooling system is not working efficiently. Either the radiator needs a cleanout or there might be air in the system. Has any maintenance been done to the car lately? If so perhaps they didn't purge all the air.
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- #2175 of 2196
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Re: sick and tired, of being sick and tired [sal72]
by chuckie2
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Aug 13, 2009 (8:25 am)
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Replying to: sal72 (Aug 13, 2009 5:39 am)
It sounds as if your RDV is functioning properly, however, you neglected to say if the fans are kicking on at the 3/4 point. Also, what is the temperature outside? That has a lot to do with engine operation as well in terms of cooling. Idle the vehicle and let the temp rise to 3/4, then turn on the a/c (low is fine..keep your radio off) now listen for the fans to kick on in a few seconds. If they do, and the temp drops, then you're good. Second test, idle car til temp reaches slightly above 3/4, fans should engage, then drive off, no a/c, temp should drop and fans should disengage. My '04 RDV only has 140,000 miles on it and it does that and never overheated even on 100 degree days.
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- #2176 of 2196
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RDV Thoughts and AC?
by gblanchette
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Aug 13, 2009 (10:47 am)
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Alright I bought my '03 RDV CXL as a totaled vehicle with some front end damage back in 04-05 with 23K miles on it. After I repaired it I have put on about 80K miles and I have replaced the alternator, and both wheel bearings(I chalk this up to the wreck), and tires(God forbid). This car has been a rock solid vehicle that have have taken hunting (nothing truly off-road, but in the middle of alfalfa and wheat fields) and on several 2K+ road trips. I have done all of the oil changes and rotations on time and it has been a great car. So those of you that complain about your car acting up 2 sentences after saying you've ran it with low fluids, its not the car's fault it didn't add or change the oil.
Anyways, my A/C has been leaking refrigerant, I got it checked and filled once and it leaked out in <3 days. The guy that checked it put it under vacuum for 20 minutes and it kept pressure. When I brought it back in he couldn't remember if he put dye in my system(major oversight if he didn't since it obviously wasn't holding pressure) and he couldn't see any evidence of dye leaking in the engine compartment. He brought up that it could be the evaporator, and well I don't feel like tearing my entire dash out. So my question is what are the chances that the evaporator did start leaking? I'm trying to get it into another place with a sniffer to see if they can find the leak with out relying on the dye.
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- #2177 of 2196
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Re: Temp gauge and tapping in engine [bxd]
by sal72
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Aug 13, 2009 (9:34 pm)
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Replying to: bxd (Aug 13, 2009 6:10 am)
the fans in my 03 rdv have been fixed at a garage, not dealer, and i was not satisfied, took it to dealer for a second diagnostics and they found nothing wrong, but it still fluxuates when i idle ,but not when I'm driving i think the fans should come on sooner, temp is past the 1/2 a little , its some improvement, the vehicle gets all its maintenance , I'm just having weird problems that i never or rarely encountered with other vehicles iv owned, I'm not saying all GM products suck, just mine and from what i see few countless others, the one thing i can say good about today was my service was great at the Chevy dealership. in the past i took it to Buick , but was not impressed, i think I'm going to change the thermostat, and i hope that fixes it, oh is it necessary to remove the cross over exhaust manifold to get to thermostat, and is it going to be the same when that comes off, and is put back on(crossover), i swear I'm trying to like my car again and have hope for GM. staying up late to wright this so i hope this all makes sense,
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- #2178 of 2196
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Re: Mad Dad [oneofhismen]
by sal72
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Aug 14, 2009 (8:40 pm)
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Replying to: oneofhismen (Aug 12, 2009 4:37 am)
hey man , i feel the frustration you have, i go through it, i feel I'm becoming a hipocondriaco about my Buick rendezvous, whats going to happen next, or whats that new noise, its always something, isn't it, my advice if your stuck with it look on craigslist for a certified mechanic and let them know you are shopping for the best fit for you, i was lucky i found a certified mechanic that has worked for GM in the past , the best thing about him is he can come to my home, or i can go to his when i need a repair, best thing is i get to see my repair in progress and for example i paid only $70 for a thermostat change , would you believe he didn't take out the crossover exhaust pipe that everyone says you have to take out, how sweet is that, it was one of the best repairs ever, and i saved quite a bit, don't pay over inflated prices on repairs if out of pocket, good luck and keep up your maintenance ahead of schedule.
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- #2179 of 2196
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Re: Temp gauge and tapping in engine [bxd]
by sal72
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Aug 15, 2009 (9:24 pm)
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Replying to: bxd (Aug 13, 2009 6:10 am)
about the rendezvous, like i said we have an 03, I'm not trashing it, they are just facts, trust me i did my homework, even mechanics have allot of things to say, and no they are not trying to get into my pockets, at this time my vehicle is OK and i hope its stays that way ( this is $1500 last month for repairs and maintenance) and yes, vehicle was pampered from day one. good luck
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- #2180 of 2196
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Re: Temp gauge and tapping in engine [sal72]
by bxd
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Aug 16, 2009 (10:50 am)
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Replying to: sal72 (Aug 15, 2009 9:24 pm)
Glad its fixed correctly. I thought based on your last post that even after replacing the fan it was still running hot. So I'm glad its good.
Yes the early years had more problems.
Hope it stays trouble free for a long while!
Brian
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- #2181 of 2196
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RDV Compressor
by gblanchette
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Aug 22, 2009 (7:07 pm)
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I was wondering if an AC compressor from an 03 Aztec fit on a 03 Rendezvous.
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- #2182 of 2196
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Re: How do you remove the BCM [anthonyef]
by jimbo1950
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Sep 01, 2009 (6:19 pm)
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Replying to: anthonyef (Dec 09, 2008 6:28 pm)
I would like the instructions for removing the thermostat without removing the crossover, please. Thank you, Rev. Jones
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- #2183 of 2196
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Re: How do you remove the BCM [jimbo1950]
by anthonyef
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Sep 02, 2009 (4:54 pm)
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Replying to: jimbo1950 (Sep 01, 2009 6:19 pm)
The one bolt that holds the thermostat housing should come off without anything special. The back one is a little harder. I used a wrench on the bolt and a screwdriver to pry up on the wrench coming in from the side. There is not alot of torque on the bolt so if you get a good pry on it, it will loosen. Once broken loose it takes some time but a liitle turn at a time and I got it off. Once the bolts are off, the housing and thermostat will come out.
Good Luck.
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