Broken for 4 YEARS? Amazing ASTRO! (Crank No-Start) 

My favorite part of these video's is when the vehicle starts or whatever repair is completed is the Smile on Ivan's face when it fires off! Its like he hit the Jackpot! How can you not Love this guy!

failure is not an option with Ivan. very impressed! much respect

Took me down memory lane Ivan. Owned my Safari van for 25 years. I too ended up replacing the spider injectors and used a heat gun to help with the nylon fuel lines from the new injector assembly.

Those vans were excellent. Almost every plumber/contractor type of person around here had one, or the GMC Safari. I have lost count of how many I’ve worked on with 300+k(seen one with 431k). Most died from rust, not mechanical failure. 😢

"Welcome to Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics! Today we'll be troubleshooting traction control on this all-leg-drive one horsepower Amish buggy."

Fabulous video! This Astro van should last a little while. Really surprised that mouse damage wasn't more prevalent in a vehicle sitting for 4 years.

I'm surprised the brakes still work. I remember that spider injection, the plastic injector hose would break and fill the plenum with fuel and resulting in a fire. as always a good fix

That fuel injection unit is not a "spider", it's an "insect"! Only the v8 has the spider, but the v6 has the insect!!

Common problem on those Astros. Thank God GM came out with a great updated injection system. The old one would leak fuel down in the intake and it had other problems. The Astros with that 4.3L V6 was like a hot rod. Very light van and a powerful engine! I never owned one, but our City Fleet had several of them (1997) and they were great! Good Repair Ivan. With some preventative maintenance fluid changes, I hope the owner gets hundreds of thousands of good miles!

That is the coolest looking auto part I’ve ever seen, I’m glad you got the bugs out of the spider, great work Ivan

This is a REAL common problem, a lot of folks don't know about for some reason. Had to do that on my 98 S10 a few years ago. Southern truck, 228k miles, still runs drives and looks new.

That is an awesome test. I just worked on an 02 s10 with p0300. First thought was spider injection. Fortunately it was nothing more then neglected tune up. Didn't know I could flow test with my scanner. Now I do. Thanks again for your expertise Ivan. You help more than you know.

Well done Ivan! Beats me why the owner waited so long. 50,000 kays (or was it miles?) it's still almost brand new! Nevertheless you cast your magic successfully yet again! 👍👏💪

Those 4.3L engines are very reliable. The ones with the throttle body injection were prone to the the fuel pressure regulator spring rusting and breaking causing a loss of fuel pressure.

The best part for me Ivan is to watch you go through the diagnosis, then the thrill on your face with satisfaction when you scored a big win. If we could see the owner at the same time would put frosting on the cake. Great as always...Pete

Oh the thrill of being $600 deep into a job and having an unrelated problem pop up that renders the vehicle undrivable. Glad to see it was just the critters and not a bad tranny 👍.

Injectors clogged by deterioration of plastic in the fuel line repaired by customer? Another great job on the fix. Thx for the video!

Find someone who looks at you like Ivan looks at a no start Astro Van that finally pops off…..true love.😂😂. Fantastic stuff Ivan.

It’s thoroughly enjoyable watching you work Ivan..a person who loves doing what they do👍😎

Finally a job that I've done before Ivan ever did one, which surprises me given how common this was.

I wish a 95 mustang had the same ability using a scan tool. I had a stuck injector on number 4, I pulled them all and tested them individually, replaced a stuck one, and the biggest problem is my lack of being able to put the clips on holding the injector to the fuel rail. Finding the problem is one this, fixing it is the seconds. Wish I had your talent. Always learning from your videos. Your always impressive!!

I’ve been binge watching your channel for the last two weeks in preparation for my own project. Thank you so much for sharing the knowledge and giving us inspiration, Ivan!

Great to see you repaired an ASTRO Van. I never had any dealings with with the spider system on GM but it looks like the revised version you installed is pretty cool. The ASTRO van with the 4.3V6 is a real workhorse, I had one as a service vehicle and to date that package has not been matched.

We had 7 2003 S-10's with the 4.3 in our fleet and I had to replace distributors in 3 of them because the housing wore out and the rotor would hit the cap. We had 8 AWD Astros and the guys loved them because they did so good in the snow! Really enjoyed the video!!

You are one hell of an automotive mechanic and does the industry proud.

The Amazing Spider-Repairman! 😀

Another oldie but a goodie.

These GMs were the best years. So simple easy cheap to fix reliable. Fuel pump in tank and small issues usually happens I got 400 k out of a Astro and have a Express 1500 Chevy van now almost 380k runs perfect.

Great job Ivan! Astros are awesome vans. They are known to be very reliable. One with 50,000 miles on it is very rare. 200,000+ is more the norm.

Those GM 4.3 V6 engines are a very good engine.

The best thing about working on old Astro vans was finding the treasure people would lose between the two sections of the engine cover. Everything including dollar bills, lottery tickets, the occasional package of condoms, and missing registrations.

This guy is nothing short of a genius. Love his channel and learning so much.

Another excellent diagnosis! A handyman I know had one of those vans that had over 230k miles on it the last time I heard. Oh, two excellent diagnoses!

Astro…Hmmmm…Cap and rotor, injector spider, or fuel pump? Covers 95% of the No starts on these babies. On to the video! :)

Amazing it ran on fuel that was 4 years old. Well Done Ivan!

Cool, an Astro video. My daily is an 04 cargo van with the company logo and all that. It has 166k on the clock, is derelict, but paid for and all. I was hooking forward to watching the struggle with the intake but you cut that out likely because this is a family channel and we'd still be here watching. Thank you regardless.

I had a '96 Astro, not-so-fondly remembered because it couldn't pass a gas station, let alone many cars on the road. And that "power-packed" 4.3 was in proper tune. I'm thinking the old spider got gunked up from sitting too long, varnish caused the poppets to stick. Here's a system I'm glad was replaced by the ECU firing each injector! As for the wiring, since the mid-90s wiring insulation was soy-based, basically a spaghetti feed for all the little mousies.

I have a 23 year old truck with this motor, I will be doing this job eventually.

I’ve done a few of these spider injectors. Out here in Arizona, those vehicles live forever. It’s almost worth proactively just retrofitting to the new system.

Just retired from a job where I kept after a fleet of these. The all-wheel drive would pull a stump in a foot of snow. Best vans we ever had. That 4.3 also has roller lifters and roller rockers so oil changes are important... and coolant into the oil from a leaking intake manifold can be death to those small parts. The weakest link on the whole vehicle is that half ton rear dif. When my guy overloaded them, they bent the housing. Must have straightened at least 6 in my time there. That said, I also had similar wiring issues, but only when that poly-loom crumbled away from years of heat. I kept a roll of replacement loom in stock. Most of my issues were chaffing on the bell housing, not mice. Most of my vans stayed on the road to well over 250k and a few went well past 300k.... usually on the second trany and second fuel pump. BTW, the intake manifolds are no longer available, so I used JB Weld to build up the areas of aluminum where the coolant etched it away, then filed it flat the next morning. Worked like a champ!

I just completed wiring repairs on my Riviera. Squirrel got my EGR, MAF, horn, o2 sensor, and 2 spark plug wires. I sprayed some repellent on the wires but he may return!

Outstanding! Work & those 4.3 L are good reliable engines! My brother had a 93 GMC safari van yrs ago I helped him put in a new fuel pump in & ran like a top . My dads mom had a 85 Monte Carlo with the 4.3 L with fuel injection! My grandpa bought it new back in 1985 great running car !

Ivan you are so cool. Really enjoy your channel. If you can’t diagnose it and fix it no one can.

Had an AWD for work a few years back missed having it. Was great in the snowy NH winters that is until the clutch packs self destructed. Glad to see that one back up and running. Transformer spider! Careful!😁

I replaced spider injector Chevy 4.3. The nylon hose to injectors split flooding the engine. Nice work my friend.

The owner was on the right track!! Fuel problem.That Central Port injection was shady..our 95 blazer with the 4.3 liter vortec needed 2 of them. I traded that suv away..I heard gm improved them in 1998. The dealer wanted over 400 bucks to repair the cpi in the year 2000..

That was a trip down memory lane for me, have not replaced a spider in a long time, the last one I had failed from water in the fuel system, they drove through a flood and it got water in the tank through the vent. It ran for a little then would not start, none of the injectors would flow, great fix Ivan. Nice bonus rodent damage.

I pick up tidbits of knowledge with every video you put up. Thanks !!

Ivan, you do a great service for your fellow man. Thank you.

Thank you for making that video I have a 1999 service Van I'm in the hvac business and I think that's what my van needs.

I never fail to be impressed by you. Thanks for sharing your knowledge & experience. I too have a 2002 Astro.

those are super rare up here now (the great white north)...but when i do see one its almost always an awd version...seems like the awd owners really loved them and kept them in good shape

My 96 s10 had a similar problem many years ago between 50k and 70k miles. I put in the updated spider and that lasted about 250k (300k total) miles when 1 injector died. Replaced the spider with another updated one and all is still good with 500k miles. These 4.3 are long lasting when you take care of them.

Nice work Ivan. Another happy customer!👍👍🇺🇸

Ivan, I don't think checked that vehicle enough. I think you should pack up your Wife and head to Florida. Maybe soak up some rays for 7 to 10 days just to be sure its fixed. Van sounds really good. Great diagnosis. Thanks for Sharing!

The popper style injectors stick from poor cleaning gas and we’re used in 49 state emission engines the newer style injectors at end were California emission engines

I built a twin cam Nissan RB30 engine for my Holden VL Commodore since they were only fitted into the Australian built Nissan R31 Skyline & GM Holden VL Commodore in SOHC form,I bolted a twin cam cylinder head off an imported Nissan R33 Skyline GTS RB25DE engine onto it. Well,it was sitting for 4 years without being started & the Nippon Denso side feed injectors were gummed up with varnish so I pulsed them with battery voltage to free them up because the engine wouldn't start. The same thing could be the case with that spider injection system !

24 hour Astro road trip not long ago. These are more trucks than minivans. They don't feel or look special but on the other hand the exterior has some cool factor. Inside, they feel and sound more agrarian, but they have so much useful interior space. Overall, I think the Astra was close to being incredible.

amazing diagnosis....... this is my favorite new channel to watch !!!

Nice (i)Van! That thing must of had a few days under cover and needs some exercise. Thank you for the revival of a worthy vehicle. The Think Tool barely woke up for this early obd2.

Interesting to see some early injection solutions & where I live I have never seen rodent damage so that is also nice to see.Great video as always your commitment to repairs is also rewarding (rain & wet grass)Cheers.

I've done a number of these back in the day. Commonly, you would have misfire issues where a hose would pop off, or a clip break off a poppet. Sometimes have long crank times or rich run condition from a failed fuel pressure regulator. But this "updated" system looks pretty cool. That is what GM should have done from the beginning IMO. Cool stuff Ivan.

Great video as always Ivan! I'm also blown away that you can still by an original service part for a 1999 vehicle!

The Astro van was a great vehicle. Simple and reliable. We had a few work vehicles all had over 300K + before they died .

Nice one Ivan .you have worked wonders again 👍👍👍

Awesome sauce Ivan! Another great fix!!!

U must Train the killer spiders to attack the rodents, before they can chew up the wires.....easy, peasy! GREAT VIDEO....runs super!!!!!!

One of the best vehicles built by Chevy. My 2004 AWD had 300,000 miles on it after 7 years and everything worked on it. I went through one fuel pump and one ignition module. I finally gave it to a friend who drove it for another six years. I miss that vehicle. It looks like the spider has a pressure regulator attached to it. Maybe that’s the problem. Not sure if that comes separately.

Okay, nice fix Ivan. i recall you might have worked on a "spyder" EFI GM vehicle long ago. My guess, the old gas got his problems started. The AstroVan could use a complete fluids change and fill the gas tank up to the brim or drain it or a dose of ethanol gas treatment if its almost full of old gas. Oil and filter, tranmission fluid/filter change in the least but a 4 year vacation would tell me to get the fluids changed and lube her up where needed if he wants to drive it much. Being AWD, its going up the wet grass hill NO problem.

I've done a bunch of those, had some of them. Had some go faulty on me. Not fun sometimes it's not easy to get that thing back in the clip again that's why He didn't show it! Great diagnosis that's a real tricky one! Great work. All the best from Canada

For these older auto reanimation projects. There is a distinct pattern. First, if this is winter time in the snow belt, move the vehicle into a heated work shop and let it thaw out before cranking, this will take some time like 24 hours, but you can start with the other tasks while its thawing out. Next, is there liquid in the tank? If so, is the tank leaking or weeping? If there are no tank leaks then pump out what is in the tank and dry the tank out, this will take time. This usually includes changing the fuel pump module (module in this sense meaning the fuel pump and sender stalk and all the hoses and wiring. If the fuel module is off of the tank it is easier to dry out. Then inspect the inside of the tank. If the tank is okay, then reinstall the tank and replace the fuel filter, add about 5 gallons of new fuel and prime to see if you get rail (or fuel manifold) pressure, but don't crank the engine. Just see if you can build pressure. If so, then bleed old fuel out of the lines and the rail and fill the new filter. This may take time with cycling the key to prime the system. Once this is done now you can check to see if there is anything else obviously wrong before cranking the engine. Like checking the engine oil. If the engine oil is old or has water in it you should change the oil. Then check the transmission fluid for color and level. If okay, then you can move on to checking the electrical system starting with the battery, which will most likely need to be replaced. Then check the starting system which includes the battery cables. Many times these will need to be replaced. Then inspect the wiring for the dreaded rodent damage. Once confident that the harnesses are un-chewed and that the engine can crank, you can go key on, and if OBD-II you can do a scan to see what is talking on the bus(es). Although on these older vehicles how effective the scan tool can talk and identify modules on the bus via the DLC is really hit or miss. Once the engine cranks, you can see if it starts and continue with your repairs. As you can see the preliminary work on these older vehicles can be very time consuming. But, if you do this a lot there is a definite pattern to resurrecting the dead. Just as a side note, I have had rodent damage where the critter chewed several wires for a good 6 inches of length. The rodents seem to like to sit on the transmission and chew the nearest harness.

That was awesome Ivan !!!

First class work Ivan.

Nice job Ivan as always great channel!!!

Great vehicle, no idea why GM discontinued them. Tough, solid, rear wheel drive, relatively easy to maintain. Loved my 99, drove it to hell and back.

The updated part modernises the fuel injection system by having each injector electronically controlled. I think you said the original one had a popit that opened the injector to let fuel flow when the pressure built up similar to old time diesel injectors.

nice fix now i will work on that type of setup. nice to see the upgrade!!! i hated that injection system!!!

Another genius diagnostic.

L35 Engine was Replaced by LU3 in 2003. There is a True Fuel Rail MPFI Marine Intake for the LU3, probably works on the L35 too

Awesome diag and repair. Keep up the good work.👍🇺🇦👍🇺🇦

Speaking of further diagnosis: Patient coming back today because the glasses he bought(online) "aren't right". Well, if the online place screwed things up or you entered the info wrong, you're getting charged for a visit. Trying to save a buck will cost you. Like buying Chinese parts.

Those engine views bring back memories, I had an Astro work van that had some issues and it seems that the doghouse was frequently being removed. That was not fun.

Nice work Ivan!!!!

I can't believe that the brakes weren't locked up and tires still aired up after sitting so long. Great job Ivan!

Great stuff Ivan. Fantastic work. Pro, what can you say. Thank you

Cool feature being about to pulse each injector.

It's ALIVE ! Nice one Ivan :-)

Very fine job Motoyam

Very nice work sir!

Well done Ivan!

dont you just love it when a plan comes together

It made sense to do the upgrade, but I wonder if the old spider injector could have been freed up by running some kind of fuel system cleaner additive through it for a while? I guess once it was blocked it would have not allowed fuel through anyway, but maybe the problem could have been prevented by regular use of this kind of additive?

Fantastic work!

I love my Astro, 250,000 and going strong

I can’t tell you how many of these I replaced. GM also had us trying to blast them open with nitrogen some times it worked other time not so much. I had my customers add fuel injector cleaner every 3K and it seemed to work. IMO it should have been a recall. Nice job Ivan

Haven’t seen one these vans on the road in decades, keep her going

Excellent work as usual

good job Ivan, keep up the good work

I love that little 4.3 v6 motors. So reliable and stout! Now I'm thinking of replacing that spider injectors in mine!! As of now it runs great lol. Nice fix! Great job Ivan on those wire fix! Easy peasy job lol. Great video!

Great video, Ivan.