Help! 1997 caravan

[a.karrick]

I have a 1997 caravan. The past couple of weeks, it has been cutting out when i push on the gas(like its running out) and it dies. I drive about 25 miles on the interstate to work and it doesnt seem to cut out until about 10 minutes into the drive to work. Actually, when it first started happening, it didnt die. Just cut out like i was running out of gas. It keeps getting worse with each trip. I got the fuel filter repaced today at lunch, and on the way home i had thought it had fixed the problem, but once again bout half way home it started to cut out and died again. I am about to lose my job from being late to work! Today, it died 4 times on the way to work. Tomorrow i am taking it to autozone to have em check for codes. Please give me any advice you can! HELP! Should I take it to the dealer? I had a similar problem with my 91 voyager and every mechanic said it was something different. I am not ready to put uneccesary money into this van. I cant afford to. Can anyone here tell me what is going on??

[CAMFLIGHTRN]

Simply clean the THROTTLE BODY.

I purcahsed a can of B-12 spray cleaner from Auto Zone (about $2.00) remove the air intake hose and that black box (two clamps and two mounting screws) and with the engine OFF, using the spray straw (careful not to lose it in the throttle body), spray into the THROTTLE BODY for 3-5 seconds. wait a minute and spray again, and watch the crap start pouring out. Repeat till clean, I directed the spray all over and in and around the sensors. I recommend you use a flashlight and look inside before and after each spraying so you can see what is coming off and where to direct your spray.

After doing this I was "Stall Free" . If this resolves your problem even for a short time then I would consider removing the THROTTLE BODY and cleaning thoroughly, however, I suggest you try the $2.00 method first.

WARNING** the fumes from the B 12 are very powerful, avoid breathing the vapors and use ONLY OUTSIDE with good ventilation.

hope this helps.... CAMFLIGHTRN

[yogi_123rd]

Water in the gas from condensation usually makes these engines act up in this way in the winter months. Try a bottle of dry-gas.

[a.karrick]

Thanks for the advice...i am going to autozone a bit later. I'll let you know how it goes! If anyone else has any input, its greatly appreciated! I love this forum!

[a.karrick]

Welp, I decided to go with the water remover first. The only stuff i could find was heet. The guy at autozone also recommended this fuel injection cleaner or something to put in the tank as well. So i did. WE went on a drive afterwards to test it out. After about 15 minutes, it began to cut out again! However it didnt died it just continued to choke for a few minutes and we went on our way. Is this because it was still Unclogging the fuel lines or what? We continued to drive around for about an hour to see if it was going to continue to cut out. It did not. So far it seems to have cured the problem, and hopefully ill make it to work okay tomorrow. I am still going to clean the throttle body, just for safe measure. Thanks again for all of your help!

[BobbiJo3]

I am having the same problem with my 1997 caravan the only difference is mine dies in Drive or Neutral only NOT in Park and even when Im traveling at higher speeds on the highway every 5 min or so it acts as if it wants to cut out..the speedometer drops 20 mph and the tack jumps instantly and the car jerks..It seems since my foot is on the gas it doesnt but when i idle a light in drive or neutral it cuts out almost every time....Any suggestions?

[a.karrick]

okay...problem is getting worse. This is really strange. Yesterday as mentioned above, we drove around for an hour there was a couple of times it cut out but then we drove for an hour no problem. Today on the way to work...cutting out. Didnt die. At lunch it cut out and stalled as i was driving down the road. On the way home, cut out no gas at all to the pedal nothing, then it stalled. This time as soon as i started it it died. I pulled off to the side of the interstate, and was trying to start it. As soon as id get it started it would die. I remember yesterday, when i was driving around, we did not have the radio or lights on. So i turned everything off(dash lights and radio). I dont know if this is a coincidence(i think it may very well be) or what, but i made it all the way home(about 20 miles from where i was), no cutting out or anything. What the heck is going on here!!! I havent tried cleaning the throttle body yet. BUt i am going to do so before work tomorrow. I sure hope it isnt the fuel pump?!! Please help me! I cant take it anymore, and right now i do not have but$50. Payday is friday, dont have a day off for another week(mon). Anybody know what else could be going on here?!!

[caravandrvr]

Couple of things I'd like to know - is it sputtering and stalling or just shutting down like the ignition died?

If it is sputtering like possibly your fuel delivery is intermittent then I'd say check your voltage, especially while idleing with everything electrical on, including the 4-way flashers. See if the voltage drops over 15-20 minutes of idleing - it ~may~ be a funky alternator.

If it is just suddenly dieing out I'd try changing the Crankshaft and Camshaft position sensors.

[a.karrick]

It sputters at first, and then eventually cuts out completely(no gas to pedal at all), and then it stalls. I appreciate your help!

[caravandrvr]

If you have a multi-tester or voltmeter hook it to the battery. Start the van and turn on everything highbeams, flashers, etc. Let it idle for a while and monitor the voltage every few minutes. See if it steadily declines over time idling. It may sound crazy but I've seen a slightly flaky alternators cause exactly the symptoms you are describing. If you have a meter (or can borrow one) it is a no cost check to rule that out. Let it idle for 15-20 minutes and check the voltage every 5 or so. If it starts dropping below 13v then it may be an issue – for that matter if it gets that low let it run a bit longer and see if it stalls when it drops to 12 or less – just be sure to have a battery charger handy!

[HiRez_L]

Could be a fuel pump on it's last gasp, too. Or a wiring problem.

[a.karrick]

oh boy...now when i start it it just dies instantly.
I hate this van. As soon as it starts now, it dies. What the hell? Why cant i just take it somewhere, and find out exactly what is wrong and how much it will be to fix. Is that to much to ask? Everywhere i take it its something different. I remember with the last van(91 voyager) i had the same stuff happened. The mechanic told me it was the fuel pump, so he changed it, and it still didnt resolve the problem. Welp im going to clean the throttle body now. Camflight i sure hope this works for me too. Thnks again.

[a.karrick]

time to try the fuel pump...wish me luck. And just a note to everyone...once you get your caravan fixed....sell it. This is my 2nd one and i just hate these vans, and i just here to many complaints from friends that have had them too. Maybe ill get another 89 oldsmobile that little car lasted forever!

[caravandrvr]

Is it still sputtering and stalling or just cutting out – like drop dead type? If it is the sputter then I would certainly do the voltage check I describe before I went and spent the $$$'s + time on a fuel pump. Even if you had to buy a multi-tester to do the test you can get those for under $20 - plus it's handy for future checks and other uses. If you replace the fuel pump and that isn't it you've wasted that time and money.

If it is just a complete quick “it’s dead” type of thing I’d still bet on a sensor.

Answer this question: When you just turn the key to the on position (without turning it to start) can you hear the fuel pump spin for a second or two? If so, and the van is just dying flat out without sputtering then again I’d probably look elsewhere – and I’d guess electrical.

For what it’s worth we’ve got a Caravan with close to 300,000 miles on it. It’s been through many sensors, several alternators, only one fuel pump and only one transmission. If we had a $50 for every time some yahoo at a garage told us our tranny was junk, and we’d have to spend $1500-$2000 to fix it, then it turned out to only be a sensor or a $200 replacement ECM we’d have a fleet of new vehicles in the yard!

[BobbiJo3]

Any suggestions on the problem I posted with similiar problem (Post #6) Why in the heck would it not stall out in Park but in drive or neutral? Ive done the fuel injector cleaner to no avail and just want to be prepared when I take it in this Friday on what the problems could be so that Im not like many of the rest that get told is something it isnt.