Tanespimycin, Gemcitabine Hydrochloride, and Cisplatin in Treating Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologic proof of cancer that is now considered clinically unresectable * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1500/uL * Platelets (PLT) \>= 100,000/uL * Total bilirubin =\< 2 x upper limit of normal (ULN) * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) =\< 2.5 x ULN * Creatinine =\< 1.5 x ULN * Alkaline phosphatase =\< 2 x ULN or =\< 5 x ULN if liver involvement * Hemoglobin (Hgb) \>= 9.0 g/dL * Ability to provide informed consent * Willingness to return to Mayo Clinic Rochester for follow up * Life expectancy \>= 12 weeks * Willingness to provide all biologic specimens as required by the protocol; this is the mandatory translational research component * Prior treatment with gemcitabine or cisplatin or both is allowed * Patients who have had prior anthracycline must have a normal ejection fraction on multi gated acquisition scan (MUGA) * Women of childbearing potential only: negative serum pregnancy test done =\< 7 days prior to registration Exclusion Criteria: * Known standard therapy for the patient's disease that is potentially curative or definitely capable of extending life expectancy * ECOG performance status (PS) 2, 3 or 4 * Uncontrolled infection * Any of the following prior therapies: * Chemotherapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry * Mitomycin C/nitrosoureas =\< 6 weeks prior to study entry * Immunotherapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry * Biologic therapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry * Radiation therapy =\< 4 weeks prior to study entry, or any radiation that potentially included the heart in the field (e.g., mantle) * Radiation to \> 25% of bone marrow * Radiopharmaceuticals * Chest radiation * Failure to fully recover from acute, reversible effects of prior chemotherapy regardless of interval since last treatment * Significant cardiac disease including: * Heart failure that meets New York Heart Association classification III or IV * History of myocardial infarction =\< one year of study entry * Uncontrolled dysrhythmias or requiring antiarrhythmic drugs, or * Poorly controlled angina * Active ischemic heart disease =\< 12 months prior to study entry * Congenital long QT syndrome * Left bundle branch block * Central nervous system (CNS) metastases or seizure disorder * Any of the following: * Pregnant women * Nursing women * Men or women of childbearing potential who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception (condoms, diaphragm, injections, intrauterine device \[IUD\], or abstinence, etc.) Note: Concurrent use of oral contraceptives is contraindicated * Other concurrent chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or any ancillary therapy considered investigational (utilized for a non-Food and Drug Administration \[FDA\]-approved indication and in the context of a research investigation) * History of serious allergic reactions to eggs * Concurrent use of drugs known to be inhibitors of the 3A4 enzyme * \>= grade 2 peripheral neuropathy, as defined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) version 2.0 * Significant underlying pulmonary disease as manifested by requirement for oxygen or pulmonary fibrosis on chest x-ray * Use of concomitant medications that prolong or may prolong corrected QT interval (QTc) * History of serious ventricular arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia \[VT\] or ventricular fibrillation \[VF\], \>= 3 beats in a row), QTc \>= 450 msec for men and 470 msec for women, or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) =\< 40% by MUGA * Patients with symptomatic pulmonary disease requiring medication including the following: dyspnea, dyspnea on exertion, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, oxygen requirement and significant pulmonary disease, including chronic obstructive/restrictive pulmonary disease; note: patients that meet the Medicare criteria for home oxygen should be excluded from the protocol * Patients with a prior history of cardiac or pulmonary toxicity after receiving anthracyclines such as doxorubicin, daunorubicin, mitoxantrone, bleomycin or carmustine (BCNU) * Patients with greater or equal to grade 2 pulmonary or cardiac symptoms