1997 chevy venture stalling after short distances

[kravven21661]

i have a 1997 chevy venture van that seems to run good for short distances...maybe a 15 minute drive then it stalls. it will start again after about 5 or 10 minutes but will only go about 20 feet then stalls again...after about an hour or two it will run for about 15 minute....took it and had the codes read....said it was failed canister purge solenoid or fuel tank pressure sensor.....could this cause this problem or could it be something else...also how expensive are these to replace and how hard....

any help would be greatly appreciated thanks

[danielsatur]

You need plenty of Air, Fuel, ignition, and exhaust for a engine to perform right.
1) Replace air + fuel filter
2) Do a fuel pressure test
3) Do a Catalytic converter test, a blockage will cause to stall.

The purge solenoid could have a blown fuse.

I heard of a dude spending $3.5k, on a bad fuel filter.

Also look at similar threads at the bottom of yours!

[lesterl]

Loosen/ remove the gas cap. Will it run then?

If not, check your fuel pressure, should be a schrader port just towards the front engine side of the alternator pulley on the end of the rear fuel rail. What is the pressure at prime? At engine idle?

Could be a bad ICM. Does it loose spark when it acts up? Will it start with some starting fluid when it is non starting?

Also will it start with the MAF unplugged? If so the MAF could be bad (I JUST found a loose connection on my connector for mine - of course I have a scantool with a live data mode so I saw it jump.)

[dewaynep]

None of what you posted in your first post should cause stalling. Unless the fuel tank is being sucked into a vacuum state because the vent valve isn't opening. Lesterl hit tha nail on the head. Borrow a fuel pressure gage from Autozone and leave it taped to the windsheild so you can see what the fuel pressure is when it stalls. Post back your findings and we will go from there.

[kravven21661]

ok will try that fule presure thing....but also going to replace the solinoid....it only cost 29 bux....so wouldn't hurt

[ctwright]

You said it would start again after about 5 or 10 minutes then go a short distance, then later on said it would start about an hour later and run for about 15 minutes, you need to also check for spark after it dies when it doesn't want to crank, you may have a bad ignition module or crank sensor maybe, Does your vehicle has distributor or coil packs? You said it seems to run fine when it does so it may not be a clogged cat. Does it give you trouble when trying to crank it those 5/10 minutes later or hour later or does it fire right up after it's cooled down?

[merc81]

I wouldn't spend a dime on anything until you have a better idea what's causing your problem. We can all offer suggestions, but you need to be systematic in determining why its stalling. Since you say the purge canister error comes up, I suspect the connector block under the floor behind the driver's seat. The fuel pump wires and the canister purge wiring runs through that along with the fuel gauge.
Like the man said, put a fuel pressure meter on the engine and watch what it does when you try to start the car and when it stalls. That will rule out (maybe) the connector being the culprit. Don't buy the solenoid--you can remove both the valve behind the engine and the valve under the car and test them on the bench before you decide to replace. Both of those need to function to avoid the error, and neither will cause your engine to stall.