Chevy Express Info Needed

Howdy,

I am looking at getting 96-2001 Chevy 1 ton passenger van.
I would like to know what year models to avoid if there are any.
If you could change something about your van what would it be?
What year van do you have and how many miles does it have?
Have you had to do any major repairs?
How hard is it to change the spark plugs and do normal maintenance on these vans?
What size engine do you have and do you think it's powerful enough to get the job done? Also what's your fuel mileage?
I am thinking about getting ether the 12 pass or the 15 pass and taking all the bench seats out and only have 4 captains chairs and maybe 1 bench. The rest of the van would be for everyday gear, pets and groceries and other stuff. Also I would haul a trailer with it every now and then, so I was wondering what it's towing capacity is?
Any and all specs are welcome, I don't know much about these vans right now, but hopefully with your help I can learn a lot.


Thanks for any help,
Gr8ride :sunglasse

I have a 1974 chevy cheyenne p/u and my brakes are going out. I bought new brake pads and need to put them on. I dont have the money to pay a mechanic to do it. I need instructions on how to do it myself. I have done brakes before, using a book, but it has been years. Someone please help!! he he he hey beavis check it out. werds..... Thanx abunch butt-head

This is my wifes van. It is a family hauler, as we have 6 children, 2 golden retrievers, and lots of gear. We really like the van alot. It has the 5.7L motor that produces more than enough power. The CD / Cass. upgrade stereo is very worth having as it sounds excellent. Ours is a 8 passenger and we have thought about getting another bench for our kids friends who always come with us. The gas mileage is pretty good considering its a very big van. We drive it to Florida every year from Indiana and it does great!! We have not pulled anything with it, but, with all the power this 350 produces, it feels like it could pull my house off its foundation!! I kinda wish it had the super big gas tank, but hen it would be $70 every several weeks, I guess its all relative. We have not had any problem up untill just the day before yesterday. Going down the Interstate at 70mph, I noticed the rpm's starting to get quite high and I was losing speed. I had it checked at the auto parts store and the code said it was a trans sensor. I am hoping that all it is!!
Overall, we really love our van. We put several TV / VCP's in the van when we travel so the kids can watch movies and not be super bored during our longer trips.
I hope this helped you out a little, have a great day!! Ron

It sounds as if your specifications are fine. Perhaps get a 3/4 ton version, unless your trailer is huge. The one ton certainly has heavier springs, axle, brakes etc, but the ride is horrible, unless you have very heavy loads in it. It will be much more pleasant with a 3/4 ton.
Also, all of the one tons I have ever seen were strictly commercial cargo vehicles with unfinished interiors
I have a 3/4 ton passenger van, which pulls my trailer and holds people very nicely, with an excellent ride, considering its a truck.

two more things:
I think these vans can pull 10,000 lbs max, with the right hitch. (1 ton) and easlily 5000 lbs with a half ton.
Normal maitenance is okay, it just takes 5 minutes to remove the dog house inside. Once its off, spark plugs, wires etc are easy to get to.
All fluids and the air filter are accessable from under the hood.

Howdy,

I am looking at getting 96-2001 Chevy 1 ton passenger van.
I would like to know what year models to avoid if there are any.
If you could change something about your van what would it be?
What year van do you have and how many miles does it have?
Have you had to do any major repairs?
How hard is it to change the spark plugs and do normal maintenance on these vans?
What size engine do you have and do you think it's powerful enough to get the job done? Also what's your fuel mileage?
I am thinking about getting ether the 12 pass or the 15 pass and taking all the bench seats out and only have 4 captains chairs and maybe 1 bench. The rest of the van would be for everyday gear, pets and groceries and other stuff. Also I would haul a trailer with it every now and then, so I was wondering what it's towing capacity is?
Any and all specs are welcome, I don't know much about these vans right now, but hopefully with your help I can learn a lot.




Thanks for any help,
Gr8ride :sunglasse

Mine's an '02 cargo, and has 180k. I've done a fuel pump at 115k, and a distributor at 130k. Nothing besides. 6 spark plugs from the inside, 2 from underneath. Put on 265 tires, instead of 245's - I went there at the third set - 140k, and went from 14.7 mpg to 16.1. Remember, speedo and odo will show less than actual too!

I'm pretty happy with my 1999 express van its roomier, fast, and comfortable for short or long trips has a very good handling and veri good fuel economy but it's been some bumps meanwhile, first a month after (im 1st owner) the cd player broke and the passenger power window switch was popping of it's place after that no problem at all till 80000 miles when starting to shift abruptly from 2nd to 3rd gear i take to 2 different dealers and 3 shops but neither of them give me a solution also the passengers lock switch broke and cause a shortcircuit with the power locks now im dealing with the transmision problem by turning of the engine or shift manualy between 2nd and 3rd and the problems solve but if tou are lucky you may get a good unit that you will love forever

I own a 1999 Chevrolet express van now its 120k miles but when was about 80k miles its started to abruptly shif up from 1st to 2nd gear, it happens when after a long ride over 50mph or a fast acceleration (full) when go back to lower speed and accelerates again its shift abruptly to the next gear either 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd and at the begining of the problem the "service engine soon" lamp went on and from them numerous times i made checked with the dealer an at diferent shops but the problem persist because here in mexico they are not well trained according to gm mexico, in february after a long trip (1000 miles), in the way back the tranny burned up and overheated my radiator that broke up due this, I took it to the shop they changed the cluth, disc, belts inside of it (supposedly a kit that its sells to reapir a tranny) and the torque converter the problem dimished but not gone at all the light and the codes 161 and P1870 still go on. I visited other shop I was told to put a new valve or a valve presure regulator, It will fix the problem. Has anyone done any of this? Is this a good solution?

You are crossposting all over the forums look for your answer in the GMC forum!

Your other 11 identical posts have been removed. Cross posting is not allowed, posting in outdated threads is not allowed, and hijacking other people's threads is also not allowed. I see that you've made a habit of doing this in the past, as well. You've made a mess of a lot of people's threads. I have more than enough reasons to ban you permanently from this site. However, I'm going to give you another chance because you need help. maxwedge has answered your questions several times, in several different threads dating back to December of last year, I suggest that you read what he has written, because the man knows what he's talking about. Before you make another post read the Community Participation Guidelines (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/guidelines.html) carefully, if you can't follow the rules, you and all your posts will be removed.