Some Things To Look At Before You Purchase An AWD Astro Van

#astrovantribe

[bobsbarnworkshop]

I have a 2001 2wd Astro in the rust belt. Look for the gap between the front grill and front bumper…. If the gap is tight, the front body to sub frame mounts are rusting out and collapsing.., , not good! I also have rust in the frame near the rear leaf spring mounts…

[scottyboy]

Something i always take in during a private sale, is the persons house, yard, other vehicles, etc. Gives you clues as to whether the vehicle was taken care of. if you're lookin at a freshly cleaned Astro, and all their other vehicles look like they're being lived in, it's a major clue

[fuzy]

While not an issue properly in cali one of the first places where rust will start sneaking up on ya is the core support where the first set of body mounts screw in and it is hard to spot as there is a heavy reinforcement piece that covers it up

[ralphpatrick]

My 2001 is stock and impossible to crawl under. My ABS light came on so I just pulled the fuse. And my hood stuck all the time. I cured that with a spray lubricant. The cable, the latch..everything. I got scared when it wouldn’t pop at all.
The area around your power steering pump looked clean. Mines soaked cause I have to replace the return line. I bought mine in 2013 for 2 grand. Kelly Bb said I could get 2500 for it in good condition. I’ve only put 30k on her. Now, she’s up to 160, 000 miles. Enough already, Ralph! Thanks, Mike!

[stevenrobinson]

Hi Pro buttmobile. My bro in law ordered a new 1987 Astro-the odo stopped working at about 400K-it was finally driven to the junk yard about 2016 or so-having succumbed to the tin worm courtesy of Midwestern road salt. Don't even think the heads were ever taken off. I had a 2000 Astro AWD that I bought in 2002-only had 30K on it. Wish You Tube U would have been around then-it had the typical no A/C vents due to the vacuum hose breaking-that cost me a few bucks going to the stealership to get that fixed a few times. Spalled the rear axle diff bearings at about 110K-NOT COOL. Piss poor quality control right there. Slow, heavy, rough riding-but a Godsend on a crappy frozen snow covered road in the Upper Midwest. Tons of room-decent factory sound system-mine had the CD and the remote cassette-I replaced all the speakers though. It needed both front & rear A/C systems-but they did work well. Typical AWD-it ate tires-think the weight of it-5000 lb. had something to do with that. Funny to see all the mods to them now.

[crashedagain]

Bought a 2003 last year with 107k miles and I thought rust free and mechanically sound. It had a football size rust hole behind the lower body panels and is fairly ugly with burnt clear coat and dents. I cleaned up the dirt and fixed the rust hole but some mechanical gremlins still existed. Vacuum leaks, check engine lights, window regulators, blower motor, door lock actuators and more. At times I regrated the purchase but now the mechanical/electrical issues have subsided (for now) and I can focus on cosmetics. I do enjoy driving the Astro and it is not a great driving vehicle. It is slow and rides rough but it fits my bikes, tows my trailer and my dogs love to ride in it, I will say if you ever buy one you better be able to repair yourself because it will cost you. Most of my expense was for tools to help diagnose issues, like fuel pressure test gauges, vacuum leak smoke tester and OBD2 reading codes from the ECU. Oh and lets not forget the horrible parts availability which is terrible. With all that said the Astros or Safaris are great options for a AWD, 4WD van but if 2WD works for you it is not a good option as any minivan should be better. The Astro is special and I wish I bought one when new when I was young. I bought an 04' STI and kept in my garage for 15 year (27k miles) so imagine what an Astro would look like. I bought mine to camp, carry my MTB's, snowboard's and help keep my mileage down on a much nicer car. I paid $3500 and have $1500 into it including maintenance items so I don't feel it is too much yet. I will paint with Raptor Liner, 3" lift, 4WD transfer case, wheels, tires and treat the undercarriage for rust in an attempt to keep for a few years. I have no regrets but I imagine it was a poor investment.

[jeremyc]

Thanks so much! Because of Wonderhussy, and you being on her channel, my wife and I are now looking for an Astro van!
I really like your channel! I gotta go soon, because Wonderhussy is about to do a live stream I believe.

[hamblinhomestead]

Just picked up a '01 a few weeks ago and had to replace the steering pump and the starter that came out in 3 pieces. It was previously owned by an AC technician and his son before him who was an elevator technician. I'm making it into a camper.

[RockymountainRobert]

I like these vans, the 460le transmissions are also known to have issues with shift solenoids, the oil pan gaskets leak, timing cover leaks, same with the power steering gear boxes, notorious for leaks.

[lcurtsinger]

Believe your correct about the quality of steel and drilling out the rivets

[WizzRacing]

Any Vehicle that is reaching 20+ years.. You should just check everything....As I can tell you from 40 years of working on them.. Most people don't take care of them.. I seen them with the factory plugs floating in the Transmission pans..While having 200k miles on them.. That tells me they never once change the filter or fluid.. How I got my 1998 so cheap.. They thought the transmission was bad. As it was searching between 3rd and OD at 35mph..It just needed to be serviced.. And most of the factories have upgraded the fluid to fix issues..Even new ones...

[meninomichael]

Great video, Michael. You mentioned Jersey in one of your other videos...can you recommend mechanics back East who you would bring an Astro/Safari to? Especially for an engine/suspension lift? Thanks for all of your videos. They are extremely helpful.

[kiaheinzz]

thanks for all the info. but just know that it would be impossible to get time for a pre purchase inspection. these vans go instantly now. for more than asking price :(

keep up the astro content, love it! Just got a 2002 awd. great shape.

[sht]

I have a 2000 safari, having braking issues. Had new front brakes put on, brake line was changed out, and still hard to brake when I pressed the pedal the down at times. My ABs light has been on for the past 3 years. Any insight on what the issue could be?

[workingshlub]

check the clearance between the oil pan and the front axle tube....you should have around 1/2 not the motor mounts are gone and gonna need replacing...not a fun job

[davidlynch]

There's a spot on all these if you hit it the hood opens

[patmcd]

I'm 14 min in. I just bout an 03 Safari and will have my work cut out.. I haven't heard you say anything about the encoder motor. I suspect mine is stuck in awd. Seller said it is "all-time awd." It had excessive engine whine and wheel tug (?) on dry pavement at low speed. I haven't seen a ton about that, but what I have seen, people are saying put a Dorman encoder moter on. Did you do that?

[jeremyc]

When shopping for an Astro, what mileage would you say is too high? I know it doesn’t matter as much if problems are addressed, and has new parts, maybe transmission, etc. I am wondering about engine, differentials, etc. I plan to swap the transfer case if not already done.

[jltaco]

What does it mean when both the ABS and the BRAKE light come on at the same time? My astro is also a 2004.

[reinhardtwildschut]

Ehh, Da Fonz! A built in security feature!