The huge popularity of vanning and overlanding has really given the Astro van a whole new lease on life. It’s hot, as there’s very little else in the category for folks looking for a fairly cheap and compact AWD van. A Mercedes AWD Sprinter is mighty big bucks. I’m seeing more and more of these on the road, out in the boonies, and here in the neighborhood, like this one.
Doing a bit of research indicates that the basic drive train (4.3 V6/4L60e) is of course durable, although certain components like the fuel injection “spider” and other items are likely to need replacement at some point. Apparently the last model years (2002-2005) are the ones to have, as they have improved brakes (disc at the rear) and a few other upgrades. Swapping the fiberglass rear leaf springs for steel ones, and modest 2-4″ lifts are popular. Fuel economy is not so hot (14-17 mpg), which is well below what my much larger Promaster gets. And the Astro van’s AWD system isn’t true 4WD, and is not exactly Rubicon-ready, but it certainly can make the difference between getting stuck in soft sand or snow, or not.
And watch the oil pressure gauge (which is a real gauge and not a dummy) the higher mileage 4.3 V6 sometimes have pump issues.
This would be a situation however where your overlanders parts should be plentiful and cheap – oh and just about any mechanic in any godforsaken place should be very familiar with the greasy bits of your vehicle.
Is the astro awd system just 50/50 split with open diffs?
It was supposed to have been evolved from the Bravada’s SmartTrak system…
I think.
The early ones used a viscous coupling like on the Bravada, but these later ones are a slip then grip electronic 4wd system.
Here is a quote from GM:
The NV136 transfer case is an automatic transfer case with two drive ranges. Shifting from rear wheel drive to four wheel drive is done automatically when the transfer case shift control module receives wheel rotating slip information from the speed sensors. The transfer case shift control module then engages the transfer case motor/encoder to position the transfer case from rear to four wheel drive. When the transfer case shift control module receives information that the wheel rotation is the same on both axles, the transfer case shift control module sends position information to the motor/encoder to put the transfer case back into rear wheel drive.
So when it slips it will engage the transfer case and with the front locked in you get 50/50 split, until it hasn’t slipped for a period of time. The problem is when you get it bound up and/or the shift motor gets weak when it is engaged and then it doesn’t disengage and bad things happen.
Wow, fiberglass rear leaf springs!? That sounds like a bad idea. I did think about buying one of these at one point but the lackluster fuel economy and crash test turned me off.
Fascinating how the Astro has a fanbase in multiple different communities from construction workers, customizers who slam them to the ground, and now overlanders. I remember Cayuga Taxi had a decent fleet of Astros into the early 2010s.
That’s probably why there’s a petition circulating around the net to bring the Astro back.
I remember seeing hordes of them in my old neighbourhood in Manhattan. Granted, the locals in my ‘hood loved pretty much any van, but the Astro seemed to be especially popular with commercial operators. Likely because of its more manageable dimensions than the full-size vans.
The w bodies had a transverse fiberglass leaf spring in the rear till 97. Before that the corvette c3 had one. I had the former, a 94 regal 3800. No problems. It was a solid setup.
They have proven the test of time nearing 40 years since GM first used one on the Corvette.
“The biggest benefit, however, is mass reduction: Composite leaf springs are up to five times more durable than a steel spring, so when General Motors (GM, Detroit, Mich.) switched to a glass-reinforced epoxy composite transverse leaf spring (supplied by Liteflex LLC, Englewood, OH, US) on the 1981 Chevrolet Corvette C4, a mono-leaf composite spring, weighing 8 lb/3.7 kg, replaced a ten-leaf steel system that weighed 41 lb/18.6 kg. “
Very interesting!
See many Delicas out on the trails, Paul?
I have been the proud owner of an ’05 Astro (only 2WD though) for a little over a year now. The wheels & brakes were upgraded in 2003; the wheels were sourced straight from the Silverado & Sierra. The van in the article is really a GMC Safari (zoom in to see the model plaques) but it’s still the same basic vehicle. Several things have needed fixing on mine but it has also gone over 265k miles (thanks to previous owners as well as the durable powertrain) and averaged 20 mpg on my Edisto Beach vacation last year. The key to this is less CITY miles and more HIGHWAY miles.
Plenty of these vans still exist in my area especially in cargo form & there is definitely still fan support for them: astrosafari.com
Let me tell you, that van wouldn’t go cheap anymore. If you mean “cheap” in a relative sense to a new converted Promaster, sure, the latter would cost a lot more…but an AWD Astro conversion like this is now worth VW Westfalia $$$. Regular Astros are not worth anything, but this one represents a highly coveted special breed.
Up until a few moments ago, I didn’t know I wanted one of those…
I ran my GMC Safari for 318,000 at which time it spun a main bearing. Tough little trucks, tightly built and on a full frame. I miss mine.
How did you mount the rack on the topper?