Chrysler Voyager 98 3.3 SE Power Loss

[comtro]

Greetings from Cape Town South Africa!
Purchased 98 Voyager 3.3 SE a couple of months ago. After driving aprox 100 kilometers in 40C weather conditions the van started to lose power, misfire and die. After 10mins "cooling off" the van could be restarted and would run for another few kilometers and the same "losing power" routine would start again. Checked under the bonnet and found the engine compartment to be very hot! (The Temp. guage showed Normal and Water and Oil checked out OK).
The van has been in the workshop for a checkup and no fault has been found. It has been running for 1 week without hassles. (Not in the same weather conditions though). I have been told that the fuel pump is the cause of the "power loss". The replacement fuel pump costs a fortune over here so I'm trying to establish if the pump can cause the abovementioned symptoms!
Could the "power loss" be caused by the fuel pump running too warm?

Regards

Peter

[A. Souphound]

Originally Posted by comtro

Greetings from Cape Town South Africa!
Purchased 98 Voyager 3.3 SE a couple of months ago. After driving aprox 100 kilometers in 40C weather conditions the van started to lose power, misfire and die. After 10mins "cooling off" the van could be restarted and would run for another few kilometers and the same "losing power" routine would start again. Checked under the bonnet and found the engine compartment to be very hot! (The Temp. guage showed Normal and Water and Oil checked out OK).
. It has been running for 1 week without hassles. (Not in the same weather conditions though). I have been told that the fuel pump is the cause of the "power loss". The replacement fuel pump costs a fortune over here so I'm trying to establish if the pump can cause the abovementioned symptoms!
Could the "power loss" be caused by the fuel pump running too warm?

Regards

Peter

Greetings!
I assume no Check Engine Lights appeared on the dash during the engine shut-down. ???
"The van has been in the workshop for a checkup and no fault has been found"
Any kind of diagnostics performed?
IMHO, heat wouldn't be a factor on fuel pump operation since most are located in the fuel tank. (A fuel pressure check can verify adequate pump operaton) If temperature is a factor, the ignition system would be a more likely point to look at.

[comtro]

Originally Posted by A. Souphound

Greetings!
I assume no Check Engine Lights appeared on the dash during the engine shut-down. ???
"The van has been in the workshop for a checkup and no fault has been found"
Any kind of diagnostics performed?
IMHO, heat wouldn't be a factor on fuel pump operation since most are located in the fuel tank. (A fuel pressure check can verify adequate pump operaton) If temperature is a factor, the ignition system would be a more likely point to look at.

Thanks for your response!
I didn't look too carefully at the dash lights - I just assumed that they were just lit due to the engine cut out. (I guess you've sussed out the fact that I've never driven one of these vans before and don't know much about them)!
The workshop that is investigating the fault has taken it to someone with diagnostic tools and consequently informed me that the fuel pump is at fault. The strange thing is that the van has been running OK for a week without any problems - but the garage boys reckon that the fuel pump will get progressively worse. (A known fault?).

[HiRez_L]

40C = 104F, at those temps you might be getting vapor lock, where the fuel in the fuel lines is turning into a vapor before it hits the injectors and causing an interruption in the fuel flow. That's my best guess.

[comtro]

Originally Posted by HiRez_L

40C = 104F, at those temps you might be getting vapor lock, where the fuel in the fuel lines is turning into a vapor before it hits the injectors and causing an interruption in the fuel flow. That's my best guess.

Thanks HiRez - I have given the "go ahead" to replace the fuel pump.
The temperature in the area that I was driving was probably closer to +45C! It sound feasable that the pump wasn't operating properly thus causing a vapour lock. I will let you guys know the outcome. (Hopefully I get a similar hot day to test).

[comtro]

Originally Posted by comtro

Thanks HiRez - I have given the "go ahead" to replace the fuel pump.
The temperature in the area that I was driving was probably closer to +45C! It sound feasable that the pump wasn't operating properly thus causing a vapour lock. I will let you guys know the outcome. (Hopefully I get a similar hot day to test).

Just a note to let you know that the fuel pump has been replaced and there have been no further problems encountered.
Thanks for your info guys

[Cobra_Sam]

Originally Posted by comtro

Just a note to let you know that the fuel pump has been replaced and there have been no further problems encountered.
Thanks for your info guys

Hey COMTRO, where in good old Cape Town are you from ?
That's my home town. I am in Chicago ILLinois now.
What did they hit you on the pump ?