I had to change the intake manifold gasket to repair a coolant leak in my 2001 Astro and had to tear pretty much everything off the front of the engine! Fan and shroud, hoses, alternator! I found the easiest way to work on the engine was to take the passenger seat right out! Four 18 mm bolts! Makes getting the doghouse out and easy access in the engine compartment! Good luck
Today, I'm am replacing the coil in my 2005 Astro after distributor cap, rotor, plugs/wires. Your video confirmed that all the components up front needed to be removed to get to the front coil bracket bolt. Helpful for sure...thanks.
Don't do it the hard way. The coil only has 2 nuts and bolt studs that need to be removed. From inside the van, the far nut is also used for the throttle bracket. You don't need to remove that entire bracket. Just remove the nut that it shares with your coil bracket and use your hand and pull the bracket up⚠️ Its ok if it bends a little. It doesn't affect anything with the throttle cable. I did it yesterday and i pulled it up and over the bolt to get it off and the same to get it back on. No big deal. I was surprised and thought i needed to remove that entire bracket, but i didn't.😀😀😀😀 No need to remove air box or anything up front at all. Do everything from inside in 5 minutes.
Just watched this again and it helped me greatly. Thank you. Just got my coil out and got the bracket off the coil too. The coil is all back together and so tomorrow everything goes back into the engine bay and put back together. I am expecting that by van is cured of it's crank no start issue after a half hour or so driving. We shall see.
If you need more of that "white paste" its called thermal compound, its the same stuff used in computers. You can get it on amazon and don't buy the cheapest one online, I personally like the brand artic silver ceramique 2.
It's too bad GM engineers didn't make the coil easily removable from its bracket. Why should changing a coil be such a service nightmare? I admire your fortitude.
great job man you did that very well for me I didn't have to take the mass air flow sensor and air box off you should be able to get it without doing that but it's all good I hope that fixed your problem I do wanna say one thing though, that PCV/air breather on the side of the intake snorkel with the zip tie around it looked like it was a bit crusty I would replace that and add a metal hose clamp because it can cause a nasty misfire and vacuum leak mine was dry rotted and causing a vacuum leak also, I want to say if the ICM didn't fix your issue it could also be a bad charcoal canister purge valve there is two of them on the Astros one right next to the ignition coil in the dog house and one underneath next to the actual charcoal canister I replaced the one beside the ignition when I was chasing a misfire a while back and it did seem to run better the function of the canister purge valve is to open when the engine is running to release any extra fuel vapors in the charcoal canister sometimes when that purge valve get old and the seal inside gets worn it can release unwanted gas vapors in the intake which could cause a misfire. also on a hot day when the fuel expands and the pressure builds up over time, it could leak past the valve and cause a misfire just some advice if the ICM didn't work out I've been following your vids and you seemed to have replaced everything except the purge valve I love your channel and I love Astros and safaris I will try my best to help you out as much as possible if anything goes wrong in the future as I am only 16 years old and still learning mechanics and Astros lol cheers,
Ha, ha... Yeah, that breather tube hasn't gone unnoticed, every time I'm under there I think to myself, "shit, I need to replace this hose!" The code/engine light went away after the distributor cap replacement but it seems to run a tad rough but also smooths out - I'll do that hose and look into the purge valve, I wish I knew exactly where it was as I was just under there today - I could win a gold medal at removing and reinstalling the doghouse at this point Thanks again
@@malikchams3932 did it look to you like I did the grease right? It's what came with the part, it's the AC Delco part, I figure they must have it figured out (?)
@@AstroVanTribe you did it perfectly your the package had the perfect amount your not supposed to go heavy with thermal grease or elce it could actually act as an insulation and make the chip hotter your only supposed to add a thin layer and cover the whole chip witch in your case it was perfect
Great video Michael. I see what is in store for me in the very near future. Van sounds great! I have an 04 and I have noticed the stock loom is crumbling aas well. Not sure what to do about that because a lot of it you just cannot take off and replace. Especially the big looms. That is a good tip to ad loom in those areas with exposed wires.
My 2003 began stumbling/kicking really bad and lacked any amount of power. So last weekend I did the coil/rotor/cap/plugs/wires. I did the coil all from the doghouse end and did not remove anything from the front. Tested it afterwards and it was far worse than ever. Apparently while I was prying the dipstick bracket out of the way I had forced out the vacuum sensor. Popped it back in and she purrs like a kitten. Compression tests range from 170-175 to 185 so I assume that's pretty good. The old plugs were fouled very black.
@@austinspears3248 The coil itself is riveted to its mounting bracket. I think only one bolt has to come out and the other loosened (the one that also supports the dipstick). Do a google image search for it, lots of decent photos showing the bolts etc. There's nothing to it so don't overthink it.
The only thing about having a van you can only reach the front and back not the middle of the engine. I did a full upgrade with Davis unified parts gave it a better spark with a new coil, icm, distributor and blue streak 8mm wires w/ceramic boots she scoots now .
@@AstroVanTribe Well your van is 4wd mine 2wd 2003 180,000mile white w/ built 4l60e I wish I had 4wd but I'm jelly of your van it can go places where mine can't love the content.
Good day Brother,I like watching your videos,but just to let you this may be an easier way to change the coil and ICM on Astro,mine is 2004 and I didn’t remove the bracket,I removed the two screws on the ignition coil and two screws on the ICM and sanded with a sponge block,luckily there wasn’t any rivets to drill out.
I just did this last week trying to chase a no start condition. Ended up being my fuel pump smh. Now I'm thinking I have to go back and replace my ICM. All I did was clean off all the dirt from the heatsinks.
Great job thank you for the play by play. The only question or observation I have is when you thermal paste the aluminum heat sink to the steel engine bracket. I know that's how the factory did it but, it seems that if a rubber gasket was between the two it would stop the heat coming from the engine through the mounting bracket into the heat sink. I'm just thinking how heat is your number one killer when it comes to anything electronic, and any extra may help. Thanks again.
I agree with you and I wish I had thought of that when I was doing this.... I can get the ICM off the bracket from inside the van so maybe I'll get to that or something similar - Thanks for the kick-in-the-ass gear change to my brain
Ive watched multiple videos on this and still cant figure out what bolts Im missing to get this thing out. Ive got the front and back one that have like a screw going through it and the bolt between them. Cant figure out what other bolts are holding it on..
Theres 2 bolts holding the throttle body bracket which is also preventing you from seeing the bolt underneath that bracket to the module you're trying to remove
Sorry to correct you, but you removed it the hard way. The coil only has 2 nuts and bolt studs that need to be removed. From inside the van, the far nut is also used for the throttle bracket. You don't need to remove that entire bracket. Just remove the nut and use your hand and pull the bracket up⚠️ Its ok if it bends a little. It doesn't affect anything with the throttle cable. I did it yesterday and i pulled it up and over the bolt to get it off and the same to get it back on. No big deal. I was surprised and thought i needed to remove that entire bracket, but i didn't.😀😀😀😀
Yours must have been replace before, then, as you can see in my video, mine was riveted together - Did you not notice that? Another thing, I like to clean everything and paint (which I thought I might have to do but didn't) AND I replaced both the ICM and coil.....
It wasn't bad - I wanted to have the shifting points adjusted and I had already done the 32" tires and 4:10 gears so I needed to have it calibrated for the gear and tire change so the speedo/mileage would also be accurate. It was faster to just pay the extra $ to have a replacement re-flashed with all that info then to send mine to him and wait. So now I have a spare (the factory unit) if there are any problems in the future. ewalts auto tuning is the guy
This is the best comment, EVER! Ha, ha, ha..... I have those thoughts often, Of course this is the same van as it will always be the same body and the heart is still in there (the engine) but, yeah, you've got to wonder
I don't remember - I was getting a misfire for a while AND I wanted to replace everything to make the van as new as possible - After replacing everything. all sensors, fuel injection system, updated ECU, etc... I then took it to my shop and had the do a system relearn which made everything jive together. Since then she's running like a top
I was having random misfire issues - Turns out, in the end, I needed to do a computer sync - Brought to a local shop where they did that - No problems since
@@AstroVanTribe my 99 has some random starting failures and can cut off following starting up at times, but after a few tries it starts and will run all day. What do you think ?
@@hardtrooth1776 I really don't know, I'm not a mechanic - it's a 24 year old vehicle so there could be all sorts of things going on - I've replaced everything because I wanted mine to be as "new" as possible. I discovered all sorts of issues like wire loom crumbled away, wire shorts, lose or missing fasteners, etc...
@@rohanboswell5408 Nice - Mine was fine, I wanted to adjust my shifting points and needed to reprogram it for the larger tires and 4:10 gears, which is why I went with what I did
Great, thats what I have to look forward to tomorrow. nice. Thanks for the video!
I had to change the intake manifold gasket to repair a coolant leak in my 2001 Astro and had to tear pretty much everything off the front of the engine! Fan and shroud, hoses, alternator! I found the easiest way to work on the engine was to take the passenger seat right out! Four 18 mm bolts! Makes getting the doghouse out and easy access in the engine compartment!
Good luck
Today, I'm am replacing the coil in my 2005 Astro after distributor cap, rotor, plugs/wires. Your video confirmed that all the components up front needed to be removed to get to the front coil bracket bolt. Helpful for sure...thanks.
Don't do it the hard way. The coil only has 2 nuts and bolt studs that need to be removed. From inside the van,
the far nut is also used for the throttle bracket.
You don't need to remove that entire bracket. Just remove the nut that it shares with your coil bracket and use your hand and pull the bracket up⚠️
Its ok if it bends a little. It doesn't affect anything with the throttle cable.
I did it yesterday and i pulled it up and over the bolt to get it off and the same to get it back on. No big deal.
I was surprised and thought i needed to remove that entire bracket, but i didn't.😀😀😀😀 No need to remove air box or anything up front at all. Do everything from inside in 5 minutes.
Just watched this again and it helped me greatly. Thank you. Just got my coil out and got the bracket off the coil too. The coil is all back together and so tomorrow everything goes back into the engine bay and put back together. I am expecting that by van is cured of it's crank no start issue after a half hour or so driving. We shall see.
If you need more of that "white paste" its called thermal compound, its the same stuff used in computers. You can get it on amazon and don't buy the cheapest one online, I personally like the brand artic silver ceramique 2.
That’s exactly what I used to re paste my chip awhile back
It's too bad GM engineers didn't make the coil easily removable from its bracket. Why should changing a coil be such a service nightmare? I admire your fortitude.
I just bought a 96 safari a month ago. I love it!!!
great job man you did that very well for me I didn't have to take the mass air flow sensor and air box off you should be able to get it without doing that but it's all good I hope that fixed your problem I do wanna say one thing though, that PCV/air breather on the side of the intake snorkel with the zip tie around it looked like it was a bit crusty I would replace that and add a metal hose clamp because it can cause a nasty misfire and vacuum leak mine was dry rotted and causing a vacuum leak
also, I want to say if the ICM didn't fix your issue it could also be a bad charcoal canister purge valve there is two of them on the Astros one right next to the ignition coil in the dog house and one underneath next to the actual charcoal canister I replaced the one beside the ignition when I was chasing a misfire a while back and it did seem to run better the function of the canister purge valve is to open when the engine is running to release any extra fuel vapors in the charcoal canister sometimes when that purge valve get old and the seal inside gets worn it can release unwanted gas vapors in the intake which could cause a misfire. also on a hot day when the fuel expands and the pressure builds up over time, it could leak past the valve and cause a misfire
just some advice if the ICM didn't work out I've been following your vids and you seemed to have replaced everything except the purge valve
I love your channel and I love Astros and safaris I will try my best to help you out as much as possible if anything goes wrong in the future as I am only 16 years old and still learning mechanics and Astros lol
cheers,
Ha, ha... Yeah, that breather tube hasn't gone unnoticed, every time I'm under there I think to myself, "shit, I need to replace this hose!"
The code/engine light went away after the distributor cap replacement but it seems to run a tad rough but also smooths out - I'll do that hose and look into the purge valve, I wish I knew exactly where it was as I was just under there today - I could win a gold medal at removing and reinstalling the doghouse at this point
Thanks again
@@AstroVanTribe ahaha yeah me and you should have a dog house removal competition on who can remove the fastest 😂😂
@@malikchams3932 did it look to you like I did the grease right? It's what came with the part, it's the AC Delco part, I figure they must have it figured out (?)
@@AstroVanTribe you did it perfectly your the package had the perfect amount your not supposed to go heavy with thermal grease or elce it could actually act as an insulation and make the chip hotter your only supposed to add a thin layer and cover the whole chip witch in your case it was perfect
aaah, not looking forward to that job . but thanks for the insight.
Great video Michael. I see what is in store for me in the very near future. Van sounds great! I have an 04 and I have noticed the stock loom is crumbling aas well. Not sure what to do about that because a lot of it you just cannot take off and replace. Especially the big looms. That is a good tip to ad loom in those areas with exposed wires.
Thank You.
My 2003 began stumbling/kicking really bad and lacked any amount of power. So last weekend I did the coil/rotor/cap/plugs/wires. I did the coil all from the doghouse end and did not remove anything from the front. Tested it afterwards and it was far worse than ever. Apparently while I was prying the dipstick bracket out of the way I had forced out the vacuum sensor. Popped it back in and she purrs like a kitten. Compression tests range from 170-175 to 185 so I assume that's pretty good. The old plugs were fouled very black.
Good job
@@AstroVanTribe Thanks for the videos. I'm so jealous of you guys with rust-free vans.
How many bolts did you remove total to get it out?
@@austinspears3248 The coil itself is riveted to its mounting bracket. I think only one bolt has to come out and the other loosened (the one that also supports the dipstick). Do a google image search for it, lots of decent photos showing the bolts etc. There's nothing to it so don't overthink it.
The only thing about having a van you can only reach the front and back not the middle of the engine. I did a full upgrade with Davis unified parts gave it a better spark with a new coil, icm, distributor and blue streak 8mm wires w/ceramic boots she scoots now .
Shit, I never heard of some of that but now I'm jealous....
Do you have any part numbers
Please
@@lewiswetzel8617 wires part # 10078 summit racing
DAVIS UNIFIED IGNITION
Module #000666
Distributor # 12626
Coil # 31731
@@AstroVanTribe Well your van is 4wd mine 2wd 2003 180,000mile white w/ built 4l60e I wish I had 4wd but I'm jelly of your van it can go places where mine can't love the content.
Good day Brother,I like watching your videos,but just to let you this may be an easier way to change the coil and ICM on Astro,mine is 2004 and I didn’t remove the bracket,I removed the two screws on the ignition coil and two screws on the ICM and sanded with a sponge block,luckily there wasn’t any rivets to drill out.
I just did this last week trying to chase a no start condition. Ended up being my fuel pump smh. Now I'm thinking I have to go back and replace my ICM. All I did was clean off all the dirt from the heatsinks.
the ICM controls the coil...you would think it would be the oppositte ...i had a no start few years back and learned that..
great video thank you.
Great job thank you for the play by play. The only question or observation I have is when you thermal paste the aluminum heat sink to the steel engine bracket. I know that's how the factory did it but, it seems that if a rubber gasket was between the two it would stop the heat coming from the engine through the mounting bracket into the heat sink. I'm just thinking how heat is your number one killer when it comes to anything electronic, and any extra may help. Thanks again.
I agree with you and I wish I had thought of that when I was doing this.... I can get the ICM off the bracket from inside the van so maybe I'll get to that or something similar - Thanks for the kick-in-the-ass gear change to my brain
25:38 its probably dielectric grease.
Ive watched multiple videos on this and still cant figure out what bolts Im missing to get this thing out. Ive got the front and back one that have like a screw going through it and the bolt between them. Cant figure out what other bolts are holding it on..
I can't help you, I barely remember even doing this - But if I could figure it out then I can tell you it's not brain surgery....
Theres 2 bolts holding the throttle body bracket which is also preventing you from seeing the bolt underneath that bracket to the module you're trying to remove
One you have to take out the other just loosen it but remember to tighten it back up
Should you ever see this I ll post a picture I literally just did it to my 99 Astro
Sorry to correct you, but you removed it the hard way. The coil only has 2 nuts and bolt studs that need to be removed. From inside the van,
the far nut is also used for the throttle bracket.
You don't need to remove that entire bracket. Just remove the nut and use your hand and pull the bracket up⚠️
Its ok if it bends a little. It doesn't affect anything with the throttle cable.
I did it yesterday and i pulled it up and over the bolt to get it off and the same to get it back on. No big deal.
I was surprised and thought i needed to remove that entire bracket, but i didn't.😀😀😀😀
Yours must have been replace before, then, as you can see in my video, mine was riveted together - Did you not notice that? Another thing, I like to clean everything and paint (which I thought I might have to do but didn't) AND I replaced both the ICM and coil.....
Hi Mike , how did u know the ICM was bad ? Did u get a code?
It wasn't bad - I wanted to have the shifting points adjusted and I had already done the 32" tires and 4:10 gears so I needed to have it calibrated for the gear and tire change so the speedo/mileage would also be accurate. It was faster to just pay the extra $ to have a replacement re-flashed with all that info then to send mine to him and wait. So now I have a spare (the factory unit) if there are any problems in the future. ewalts auto tuning is the guy
@ oh ok , good luck with that thanks for the info
Where did you buy those pieces?
rockauto.com
Are you starting to consider the ship of theseus yet 🤔
This is the best comment, EVER! Ha, ha, ha..... I have those thoughts often, Of course this is the same van as it will always be the same body and the heart is still in there (the engine) but, yeah, you've got to wonder
@@AstroVanTribe don't feel alone I'm putting engine number two in
We’re you getting a PO300 code?
I don't remember - I was getting a misfire for a while AND I wanted to replace everything to make the van as new as possible - After replacing everything. all sensors, fuel injection system, updated ECU, etc... I then took it to my shop and had the do a system relearn which made everything jive together. Since then she's running like a top
What made you change the module and the icm was installing
I was having random misfire issues - Turns out, in the end, I needed to do a computer sync - Brought to a local shop where they did that - No problems since
@@AstroVanTribe my 99 has some random starting failures and can cut off following starting up at times, but after a few tries it starts and will run all day. What do you think ?
@@hardtrooth1776 I really don't know, I'm not a mechanic - it's a 24 year old vehicle so there could be all sorts of things going on - I've replaced everything because I wanted mine to be as "new" as possible. I discovered all sorts of issues like wire loom crumbled away, wire shorts, lose or missing fasteners, etc...
@@AstroVanTribe I'll never try to bring back another astro from the grave. Too much headache.
@@AstroVanTribe thanks for replying though
How do u test the icm with a multi meter
I don't know, I've never done that
@@AstroVanTribe I put a junkyard one it started right up
@@rohanboswell5408 Nice - Mine was fine, I wanted to adjust my shifting points and needed to reprogram it for the larger tires and 4:10 gears, which is why I went with what I did
I did everything from the inside.
Can't see where the bolts are.
you'll figure it out... This isn't a "how to" video, It's just me figuring it out