The engine stalls at idle?

Yes, the rear plugs could have an affect on performance. Are you sure the IAC is working properly? Have you checked for vacuum leaks?

These guides can help us fix it

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/stall-at-idle

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/idle-air-control-valve-service

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-an-engine-vacuum-gauge

Please run down these guides and report back.

Thanks for the reply, How would I check to see if the IAC is working correctly? There are a few skinny vacuum lines that were broken last year, If I could find a exploded view of the vacuum lines and where they route to, I could fix those tho.

Remove the IAC and have someone cycle the key on and off. You should see the plunger move. As far as the vacuum hoses, I have to check if I have a schematic when I get home. Would that be okay?

Yes that would be fine, thank you

Take a look at this and let me know if it helps.

Joe

Yeah, that should help with the vacuum hoses

That's good. Let me know how things go for you.

Will do!

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you until now. The van stopped stalling earlier this year but now its doing it again, I changed all 6 plugs in it a couple weeks ago and it hasn't helped, I have yet to tackle the vacuum issue, I did however find when I had the plenum loose that the hose from the PCV to the rear Valve cover was broken, they may have been triggering a P420 code, as I fixed that hose and that code has not been back on.

I cleaned the IAC and that didn't fix the problem either.

There are no codes, I was wondering if it couldn't be fuel filter clogging or fuel pump trying to fail, but it starts right back up, coil? it doesn't stutter it just dies.

Nice to hear from you. Have you checked fuel pump pressure?

Not yet, I can do that in a little bit, what should the pressure be at?

I checked fuel pressure and it showed 43 psi which sounds about right.

Actually, my book says 43 is the lowest pressure acceptable. It gives a reading between 43 and 53. The pressure you mentioned. Was that with the key on engine off?

yes

It should be okay. Listen, since you have tuned the vehicle up, no vacuum leaks, there are no trouble codes, and the fuel pressure is okay, I have to start questioning the engine itself. Are there 245K miles on this engine? If so, have you checked intake vacuum or engine compression?

250,500 +/- now, no i haven't done either one of those tests

Wow! That's a lot of miles. Do you have a vacuum gauge or a compression gauge? If not, see if a local parts store will lend or rent them to you. Start with vacuum. Basically, all you do is connect a vacuum hose to the gauge from the intake. It should hold steady 18 to 20. Make sure you have a direct port to intake vacuum. Ported or venture vacuum will be much lower.

When you test it, allow the engine to warm up and idle when checking (throttle closed). If the vacuum is low and there are no leaks, that leads me to believe the rings are worn or there is a problem with a valve. and the engine compression is low.

To truly know what the compression is, a compression gauge should be used. However, it takes more time to do and is more involved. Lets start with intake vacuum. Do that and let me know what you find.

We ran by autozone one day it stalled, and they ran some tests on the battery, alternator and I thought a few other things and said everything looked fine, he mentioned maybe the fuel filter may be clogging up or restricted, we went to Walmart and passing back buy i decided to stop back at autozone and pickup the fuel filter since it was cheaper at autozone than at our local Advance Auto, a few weeks ago I released the pressure, supported the tank and removed the strap bolts toward the passenger side, dropped the tank and removed the filter, installed the new one put back together and it seemed to have a few pounds higher fuel pressure, I tried to blow through the old one and it did feel restricted somewhat, however that didn't stop the stalling,

I decided to post on a dodge forum and got a few theories of what it could be, I pondered about the possibility of a bad fuel pressure regulator seeping the pressure back into the tank not allowing optimum pressure because I thought I seen the gauge dropping gradually, my theory was if the regulator was bad maybe it wasn't allowing the pressure to build up to 49lbs. So I purchased a pressure regulator but never installed it because it didn't come with the gaskets from where I bought it. I'll likely return it.

The other thing is the lead end on the ground cable was nearly broken in half on one side, I had a replacement end that clamped on the wires, so I took cutters and snipped the end off, skinned the coating back and put the new end on and fingers crossed hadn't had a stall or stutter since.

I haven't checked the fuel pressure, but was kinda wondering if that cable end could have affected the amperage of the fuel pump causing a lower pressure, but again I haven't checked the fuel pressure since I changed the end, if its still low I'll have to check the regulator, I know there are no leaks at the injector seals because there is no gas smell around the rail, and there is no leaks around the filter either, I double checked since I replaced it.

You nailed it!!! My guess is that was the problem all the time. Keep in mind, without a good ground, nothing works the way it should. My hats off to you. Let me know if it continues running good.

Will do, Thanks

Welp.. Bad news, it stalled once yesterday and 3 times today. Could it be the coil? I read that you can test the coil's resistance with a multi-meter, how do I perform this on the coil?

I have a feeling it is the rear three plugs. However, if you want to check the coil, it is somewhat involved. I will give you the steps as needed and the continue once I hear the results from you.

To begin, we need to make sure the proper voltage is getting to the coil.

First, remove the connector at the coil.

See the attached pic

As you can see, there are 4 pins. One is the B+ and the others are for individual cylinders. First make sure there and no damaged pins in the connector or corrosion. If that checks good, using an ohm meter, check for primary resistance between the B+ terminal and each of the others (one at a time). If primary resistance is more than 2 ohms, the coil is bad.

Get that far and let me know what you find.

Will check tomorrow on the resistance,

About the 3 rear plugs, I did eventually change them, I thought I had mentioned that earlier in the posts.

Well, I swapped coils and it still stalled on long drives, different places online mentioned the crank sensor failing could cause it to stall when it gets hot, a guy my dad knows, he works on cars for people as a side job had also mentioned that the Crank Sensors are known to fail on these vans, I bought one off ebay and switched it and it didn't even start, it didn't come with a spacer, I wouldn't think that spacer would have made much difference, I don't know I might try to put a spacer on it and try that one again to make sure its absolutely not working before I send it back or exchange it.

I have noticed since it hasn't been as hot lately (it was mid 80's to 90's when it was stalling regularly) that is hasn't been acting up lately in the 50's to 70's, but if it was an overheating issue the gauge hasn't shown it, always shows about normal. But back to the Crank Sensor, I read (whether or not it can happen, I dont know) that a crank sensor can fail when it gets too hot, Everyone has just been pointing at the Crank Sensor. What do you think? You think it can fail at hot temp and still not fail completely?

Yes, the crank sensor can cause problems. As far as not starting now, it has to be adjusted properly to pick up a signal from the reluctor. Basically, all the sensor is a magnet. When it's magnetic field is broken, it creates a weak electrical pulse. Thus, when the crank is turning, it determines exact locations of all the cylinders in relationship to ignition, fuel injection...

some one mentioned using a cereal box as a spacer sense it didn't come with one, would that be an adequate gap?

Believe it or not, the spacer used is made of paper. Now a cereal box may or may not be the same thickness.

I have 210000 miles on my caravan, some times when you start it, it will die right away. you may have to start it 3 or 4 times. when it starts it runs great. it may go a week and never have a problem.
and then may act up for 3 or 4 starts in a row. I think it happens more after the car has been run a few minutes or more. when it's going to die the RPM's on start never get over 1000. when it starts it will hit 1500 before coming back down.
everything else seems to work fine.

Sounds like a sticky Idle Speed Control Motor. Mounted on the side of the throttle bore. First try cleaning out the throttle bore around the butterfly with some carb spray and a rag

[quote:1606edd5ce="2CarPro Jack"]Sounds like a sticky Idle Speed Control Motor. Mounted on the side of the throttle bore. First try cleaning out the throttle bore around the butterfly with some carb spray and a rag[/quote:1606edd5ce]
Thanks I flushed with carb cleaner, and washed with seafoam. it was dirty.
I think the problem is gone. runs like a brand new caravan with 210000 miles

When I start my van, it will run for a couple seconds then it just dies. After awhile it would start and keep running, but now it doesn't even do that. We have replaced a corroded battery wire, alternator, starter, fuel pump system, and all the filters. It has been hooked up to a diagnostic machine numerous times and it always shows nothing. I cannot figure it out, and neither can any of the mechanics I have talked to can either.

Key on do you have check engine light on you should if not check ASD relay and wiring ,ignition switch
if you do have check engine light on with key on ,crank to start the engine does light go out if not check and suspect crank sensor
if it does check ASD relay ,do a fuel pressure test ,check for spark ,let me know what is missing

No the check engine light does not come on when I crank it. Nothing lights up when I turn it on.

key on engine off (not cranking ) you should have check engine light on if not check fuses and ASD relay ,ignition switch and wiring

Van shuts off when you put it in reverse.

Good morning.

Does it shut off when you put it in drive?

If it does not, there is a good chance the torque converter is locked up and causing it to stall in reverse.

When was the last time you changed the transmission oil/filter?

Roy

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-service-an-automatic-transmission

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/automatic-transmission-problems

Hello!

I'd appreciate any help on this. I planned to sell the van this week, then the trouble started.

The van stalls SOMETIMES at a red light or while making a low-speed turn. It always starts immediately. No trouble with starting, hot or cold. The serpentine belt is less than 6 months old, but does show slight wear in places on the outside edge (passenger side). Occasionally, I'll hear the "power-steering groan" of turning the wheel sharply. Would that be related to the stalling in a turn? However, this wouldn't have anything to do with the van stalling at a light, would it? I replaced the fuel filter yesterday, blindly troubleshooting on a tight budget. Old filter had Chrysler logo on it, making me think it was probably quite old.

What should I try next?

Thanks!
Jeremy

97 Dodge Caravan SE
3.0 V6 engine
185,000 miles

First time I've noticed this. Turned the key (to "on", but didn't start the engine) tonight, and heard a "rumbling" or knocking, almost. Tried it a few more times, with some similar results. Fuel pump? Will a computer diagnostic test tell me accurately?

Thanks!
Jeremy

Hello, I have the sport model.

Recently I have been having an odd intermittent problem, where the van would shut off at random, usually at a stop. Sometimes while driving the van shuts off as well, but only for about a half a second as it gives a quick shudder and the engine light comes on as if it has turned off, but turns back off as the van remains on. At random points, if the key is in the "on" position but the engine is not on for a long period of time, the van will only crank but will not start. This would be solved by unplugging the camshaft position sensor and plugging it back in. I have already replaced this part a few weeks ago, but I am unsure if it is maybe a faulty sensor causing an intermittent problem, or if it might be bad wiring or even a different sensor. How should I go about this problem next?

Thank you so much!

try cleaning the throttle plate on both sides and iac hole with choke cleaner. then scan for codes see if anything gets picked up. it could be the crank sensor or connection as they can go bad as well as cam sensor. finally check fuel pressure with a gauge see if it is in spec. See link.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-fuel-system-pressure-and-regulator