Chevrolet Astro

Chevrolet Astro

The Chevrolet Astro (Chevy Astro or GMC Safari) is a mid-sized van made from 1985-2005. The Astro/Safari have a cult following due to their mid-size and available AWD.

Channel featuring Chevrolet Astro

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• Van Life P.R. Camperos Sin Rumbo

Alternator

See this thread on upgrading The Big Three.

All wheel drive

Past '96 (I think) they're all e-clutch t-cases, but they all swap easily to the venerable NP/NV241 found in anything from Jeeps to Cummins RAMs to Silverados.

If you get one you should drain the transfer case fluid and replace it with Dextron-III as there was a service notice from Chevy about this. It originally came with something else in it which would cause binding at low speeds and cause shuddering when turning.

Known issues

• steering knuckles that cut ball joint boots
• door handles break off
• 1998-1999 particularly hard hit by transmission valve body failures "Less common problems are the failures of the transmission's fluid pressure (TFP) switch, failure of the transmission's "reaction sun shell" and failure of the transfer case shift motor."
• power locks fail: "grease them once a year with lithium spray in grease. The rear door lock may be fixed by drilling a hole through the piece of zinc to repair the piece that broke off."
• power windows fail - switch failure?
• ABS controller failure
• rough idle or misfires: "problems with the spark plugs, ignition systems and poor vacuum seals have been implicated in some cases" "Get a good [distributor] cap with brass contacts."
• idler/pitman arm failure
• transmission output seal failures
• intake manifold gasket leaking oil or coolant
• 1984-early 1985 models may have oil pressure idiot light incorrectly wired to CHOKE indicator
• fuel pump failure – earlier than normal fuel filter changes may help alleviate
• P1870 This can be caused by wear of the bore for the TCC isolator and regulator valves in the valve body.
• alternator failures
• plastic radiator tank leaks

Resources

	Resource	Description
	Astro Safari Forum	23k members, since 2008. A forum dedicated to Chevy Astro and GMC Safari owners and enthusiasts.
	Chevrolet Astro	Wikipedia article
	Repair Pal	Reliability and maintenance costs
	Consumer Reports	Reliability and vehicle tests
	IIHS safety ratings	Vehicle crash safety information
	Manual-Directory.com	Owner's manuals
	Charm.li	Repair manuals through 2013
	"living in Chevrolet Astro" "Chevrolet Astro build" "Chevrolet Astro conversion"	YouTube searches
	Search forums and groups	Search van life discussion groups for "chevrolet astro"
	Search related sites	Search van life sites for "chevrolet astro"
	Search NomadLife.wiki	Search other pages on this wiki for "chevrolet astro"

Some or all of the content on this page was originally sourced from this page on RVWiki