My Montana

Thanks. Its not so much a project, just a winter DD that was in horrible shape when I got it. Still has a lot of issues but its much better than it was.
 
Just a quick update on this.
Its getting warmer out and I can't wait to stop driving it. Battery issue is worse now, out of 10 times that I needed it to start this week I had to jump it 9 times.
 
I would get a volt meter and with the car on put the black lead on the neg post and the red lead to the pos..the volt meter should read between 13-14 volts..if it's higher or lower then you alt is bad..
 
now if it is all good, then you could have a drain or bad battery..I would take the car to a auto parts store and have the bettery checked..also your starter solinoid could have went bad, and is putting a drain on the battery..I would also take it to a parts store and have them run a test on it..sometimes you have to test it 10 times in a row to make sure the starter is good
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Yeah I don't have time to do any of that. The alternator and battery were changed before winter. Did not make a difference. Maybe it is the starter solenoid but I don't really care. I doubt that it will snow again until next winter, and at most I will be driving this thing for maybe another 2-3 weeks. This will be my last week depending on temps. I just can't believe how horrible this thing is. Lots of little issues. Most of them common issues across the range.
 
That's gm for you. Pretty well every car they make blows. I am surprised the intake manifold gasket or timing cover gaskets aren't pissing fluid out on you either.

If you do want to fix it I can walk you through fixing all the issues pretty cheap. I bet I know the issue on the voltage drain, but the best way to do it is with a volt meter. You'd need two people mostly. Just disconnect the negative battery cable, put a volt meter between the battery and the disconnected cable, and start pulling fuses untill the voltage draw stops. Then troubleshoot the system with the draw.

Headlights aren't too tough. Best and cheapest option is swapping 9007 bulbs. Same plugs, just need to swap two wires per side. And modify the base of the plug.
 
Thanks for info. I think my dad will just let it sit until he needs to move something.
On a side note, I took the van out last Saturday for its first rally. It did well (7th out of 14 cars). It was a navigational rally though and it felt fairly good on gravel. At this point I`m in search of a real rally project car (beater). Next rally is in June and if I don`t find anything by then I will use this thing again.
 
I have a Chevy Venture 2001. From the time I got it,,,,I found out that the battery was moving AROUND and going into the drive belt and sparking. Check for a loose battery as there is no way to keep it from moving around. I used Cable ties any way I could to stop it from moving. Also,,,the negative cable is too close to the drive line so Cover it by cutting a big piece of Rubber hose and clamping it over the cable with cable ties somehow to keep it from moving also.
If you can secure the battery from moving,,,,it might solve some of your other problems,,,try it and watch. Good luck!
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Charging check

As far as the charging issue, check the wiring that connects the battery, alternator and starter. They all junction together on the starter motor itself.
I had a similar problem, it turned out that these connections were corroded and not making proper electrical contact.
I took the bolt off, cleaned the four ring terminals with a wire brush and then reassembled using dielectric grease.
Worked like a champ.
If that doesn't work, check the fusable links.
 
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