I recently bought a '93 Dodge b250 van and it started turning off while I was driving, I’d be driving down the road and it would just die on me. At first it would start back up right away but then it quit starting back up right away and I’d have to let it sit for a while before it’d start back up again (makes for exciting car rides pushing my van across the highway with strangers kind enough to help me, bless their hearts). Anyway, someone told me it either has a clogged fuel filter or a bad fuel pump. I know nothing about cars but was hoping I could somehow learn how to fix this myself since I’m on a very tight budget. Does anyone have a tutorial they can suggest to help me fix my van? Any and all help is very much appreciated!
When there’s a problem with the fuel system, the engine will spit and sputter before it stalls.
If the engine just shuts off, it usually points to a problem with an ignition sensor problem.
And one of the things that can cause the problem you describe is a faulty Crankshaft Position sensor.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=7615468&cc=1073764&jsn=428
One of the many things the crank sensor does is informs the computer if the engine is rotating or not.
If the computer loses the signal from the crank sensor, the computer see’s no reason to operate the ignition/fuel systems and the engine shuts off.
Tester
A restricted fuel filter will overwork the fuel pump and cause it to fail. A restricted fuel filter generally won’t cause an engine to stall, the restricted fuel supply would slow acceleration, a restricted filter will kill a fuel pump before you notice the filter is restricted.
You will need to identify if this is a fuel or ignition problem. I replaced many of those pumps in the 1990’s, that may be the problem.
When this happens and it won’t start, that’s a good time to test for spark. As posted above, replacing parts on a guess isn’t where to start. You’ll likely run out of money before you run out of guesses. First task is to determine if the problem is fuel or ignition. Testing for spark is pretty easy using a spare spark plug and a helper to crank the engine while you look for spark. Google will likely show you some vdos how to do it. If that looks too difficult or dangerous for you to do, tow it to a shop when this happens. They’ll figure out the ignition vs fuel question in no time. Once they tell you what the problem is you can decide if you’d like to try to fix it yourself or not.
With the engine cold remove both fuel lines to the rail. One is the in and one is the return. Turn the key but don’t start. If no no fuel comes out it’s either a filter, pump, relay, or eec. If fuel does come out then you move to ignition. Either way change the fuel filter. Mine just did the same. I have no fuel coming out. I changed the pump last year. I hope my filters clogged or it the relay. I haven’t looked at it yet. I had the van towed to my house. I will give an update once I got it running again. Stick the fuel lines in a mason jar or bag so fuel doesn’t go everywhere when you turn the key to full power. You should also hear the relay. The relays are right in front of the driver under the hood. There are two of them side by side. On the fire wall. One is fuel and one is auto shutdown. You can jump the fuel too to see if that’s the problem. Not sure which wires though. Put a meter on it to see.
Fuel pump sounds good