1500 mark iii 3.9

[CHIEFBIKERBILL]

Ok seems this is a real problem with these vans, took the van to get gas was at 1/4 tank ran fine on way home started losing power , stepped on pedal and heard t.b. Sucking air hard lost allmost all power,made it home 1~2 mph then put it in park idled fine put it in reverse no power but moved, put it in drive, no power but moved shut it off. That was it now wont start . Has fuel pressure at rail has spark good at wires and have done the following. Has no codes on scanner ,replaced plugs, cap rotor and tps will try n start when ya hold throttle wide open then dies, moved timing around and tries harder when its retarded no difference when ya spray fuel / carb cleaner in t.b.,,,thinking im gonna shoot this thing!!!!! Crank sensor is giving pulse by scanner and cam sensor when unplugged doesnt even allow it ti try n start plug it in it trys but no luck ... Was told to check timing for jumped gears but seems as though it spins to good to have done that, i am a mechanic but on the good old stuff this electronic crap is why i work on bikes... Help!!!!!!

[alloro]

What year is the van?

[CHIEFBIKERBILL]

Its a 1999

[CHIEFBIKERBILL]

New update i decided to move the distributor a little more in rertard and she actually tried to start after a talk with pops he said it sounds like it has jumped time. Not sure if it will do any valve damage but he said usually it doesnt as long as its only a tooth or two tops and the engine would spin over real fast had they bent
so now im off to pull the timing chain cover was told i didnt need to pull all the crap off the top of motor ( alt/ac ... ) but it does look like the bracket is in the way,,, damn more work for it possible not to run

[CHIEFBIKERBILL]

Ok latest update pulled the timing cover n guess what !! ,, nothing wrong looks good marks lined right up!! Wtf!! Now i think im gonna shoot it, so im putting it back together and gonna try from scratch

so far replaced
plugs,cap,rotor and tps

van has good spark and good fuel pressure at the rail
tester says no codes and that crank sensor is giving pulse
when i unplug distibutor plug nothing happeneds when cranked but plug it in and she tries so i guess its doing its job
fittin to lose my mind
year 1999 dodge 1500 ram van with the mark iii conversion 3.9 v6

[alloro]

When you say the van has good spark, where are you testing the spark?
Also, how are you testing the spark?

[CHIEFBIKERBILL]

I am testing the spark at the plug wire using a good plug against the head, bright blue. I also tested it off the coil wire on the cap as well first as i saw in your earlier posts to another thread

thankx allOro for any help

[alloro]

Okay so, carb cleaner doesn't make the engine fire. The timing chain is good, and you've got strong spark. That leaves two possibilities. One is a lack of compression and the second is the ignition timing is wrong.

1. Have you actually removed the cap seen the distributor rotor turn?
2. Done a compression test?
3. Verified the the distributor didn't jump and is now 180 degrees off?

[CHIEFBIKERBILL]

Ooooook finally success!!!!!
Compression was good distibutor was turning and in time

after a call to the local dodge dealer they said drop the exhaust and see if it starts well i tried to drop it a bit and the right side is siezed up as far as the bolts go and the left side one bolt came free and the other came about a 1/2 inch well after damn near shooting it i said ta hell with it and tried to start it ,, and presto it started all the exhaust was leaking out the left side where i got the bolts loose at the manifold but she ran.

So the final verdict is the catalytic converter is plugged will try n change it as soon as i get he money and hopefully she will be all good

thankx for all the help

[alloro]

If you can get it disconnected from the manifolds, use a shop-vac on blow, or a leaf blower and blow air into the tailpipe. Often this will blowout the CC quite a bit and you can drive for a while before replacing it. It can make a mess, so be sure your engine cover is in place before blowing.

[CHIEFBIKERBILL]

Ok appears that what happeneds is that the cat melts itself to death and blocks the thing up so i think i got it squared by doing the cheap fix and unpluggin it, but now she dont want to idle have replaced the tps and when i moved it what little it moves it seemed to have gotten better, as long as i have my foot on the gas just barely it seems to run good plenty of power n what not but let off and she barely runds seems like a miss hard core and will die when ya put it in gear or turn ac on
no check engine light either hmmmmmm
stumped again

[alloro]

Have you cleaned the IAC valve yet?

[CHIEFBIKERBILL]

Iac seems to work if i unplug it it doesnt even try to stay running and i hear a loud hiss when its trying to run at idle

[Mopar_Stev]

My 2001 just had the complete exhaust changed. It was nearly a full plugged CAT. What a difference it makes with a high flow CAT and muffler. The exhaust has a mild roar, but not like a muscle car. The pedal response now is instant and it only takes a fraction of pressing the pedal to get up and go. Thus, less fuel is needed to dump into the engine to make it move, thus saving $$$.

So, is it worth it getting a new CAT. Yes. I even cleaned the O2 sensors with CRC Electronic cleaner that is O2 sensor safe.

Keep us posted on your progress.