the van runs good cold but when it gets to normal operating temp it spits ,sputters and eventually dies and THEN thats when it at times won’t even start until it cool down again. i put a feul pump,filter tune up and even changed the dist.
LORD help me it’s draining my wallet!
has the van been overheated in its life (or lately)?
any other work been done?
any other repairs?
overheated? not that i can recall
other than a small electrical problem thas has been resolved and the usual oil change,tune up.
It seems to be a common problem from this and other forums.
thanks for your quick reply too
So at the moment you’re not sure if it’s fuel or ignition. Is the check engine light on ?
If it is, get it scanned or try the following:
Turn the key ON and OFF. ON and OFF. Then ON.
Count the engine light flashes.
- BLINK BLINK pause BLINK BLINK BLINK = code 23 etc.
Come back with the codes.
If you have no check engine light on -
Ignition is probably the eastiest to eliminate. Get hold of a set of HT (High Tension) testers, these are very cheap and just plug between the spark plug wires and the spark plugs and have an indicator that lights up when the HT voltage passes down the wire. They usually come in pairs.
Next time it dies, just hook up the testers to a couple of plugs and the wires and spin the engine, if you have spark you know it’s fuel.
If you don’t have spark, check the coil for heat, if it’s hot then that would be my first replacement since coils can exhibit this type of behaviour. But make sure the coil connections are all clean and tight before spending more money.
If it’s fuel - I’d first take a look at the water temp sensor, if you hook up an ammeter between one of the sensor wires and the sensor, you should see a significant resistance change as the engine heats up. If you don’t it’s shot and cheap to replace.
If it’s not that it could be the MAS, but maybe it’s better to come back when you have refined the diagnosis a little.
O.K i have checked the coil for heat and spark , good there.
checked for codes , good there too
I’ll check these things of which you speak of an cross my fingers
thanks
Okay, so you have no check engine light on.
You have confirmed you have a spark at the plugs.
So it’s fuel.
WTS is your next check, you’ll need to use an ammeter for the test.
Are you by any chance in a midwestern state that uses an ethanol blend?
During a recent roadtrip to South Dakota, I had some trouble with a 10% ethanol blend causing vaporlocking.
Have you checked fuel pressure? You could have a bad fuel pressure regulator.
I wouldn’t completely rule out ignition yet…if it’s a bad control module it could be intermittent.
as an alternative, when it does its sputter stop thing, remove a spark plug to see if its wet or not. that would be a pretty obvious way to tell if its getting gas or not.
Is it getting too little fuel? To check, when it stalls, pull a hose from the air intake tube, spray some STARTING FLUID (from Advance auto parts, etc.) into the intake. If it starts for a few seconds, the cause is LACK of fuel. For too much fuel, hold the throttle down while cranking the engine (this will clear a flooded condition). As the engine starts, ease up on the gas. An engine coolant temperature sensor could be misinforming the engine computer — leading it to run the engine rich, which could lead to stalling and hard starting.
DEFINE (WTS)
what is it? ,what does it do? ,and where do i find it?
ok i’ll check it too