94 Villager dies when put into drive

Hi all,

I have a 94 Villager that has had a problem for a while. It's had such a bad problem that we have taken it to the Mercury dealer who replaced engine mounts. The Villager ran for a little while (day or two), and it still didn't come out fixed. We even purchased a new Grand Caravan because we couldnt figure out the problem.

Anyways, when the Villager is started it idles all fine and dandy. But when you put it in drive, it bogs down and shuts off. If I remember correctly, there is also some hesitation when it starts to accelerate. Then it just sputters and dies.

Please help!

I can provide more information as necessary. But that's pretty much the jist.

have you done a tune up? air and fuel filters? checked for vacuum leaks? they changed motor mounts because of this problem? also might want to check fuel pressure.

You have so many possiblities that it is hard to determin an exact cause. I can tell you that your mounts would not have caused that problem and they sold you a useless fix, even if you did need them for other reasons. You can start with the basics plugs and cables etc. Try this start the van set the parking brake firmly and then rev and hold the engine idle at about 1100 rpms then with your other foot on brake and shift into drive and see what happens. You may only need your idle adjusted for now. If not then you need to start the process of elimination with visual observations and then by installing the cheapest parts first. Fuel filter,plugs,rotor,air filter a major culprit. Then once you have those done you can move to more expensive possibilities Air flow sensor,IAC valve,TpS etc. I belive you have a simple problem(maintnance) that has caused a bigger problem just solve it in reverse.
One other thing I never understood is why people think its cheaper to pay monthly for a new car than to invest maybe two of those payments into a car that will serve them just as well.

also one other thing..
i dont know if it will change what i've already said but, the car will run fine in drive until it gets up to normal operating temperature. it is then which the van starts to sputter and die.

With that info I would like at all the heating and cooling componenets especially the IAC valve. I would also check the coolant you may run low and that will make you car sputter if the engine gets hot and you ignore it or have a bad temp sensor or guage.

I'll check on that too.

Thanks again. I'll post back later