94 3.0 stalls from stop

[michaelfriedrich_2]

I have a 1994 Caravan SE 3.0 and it tries to stall only when you accelerate from a stop. It idles fine and highway speeds are fine. It tends to be really bad if you don't let it "warm up" for a few seconds before taking off cold. But, sometimes it will just die when you mash the gas pedal down to take off. I had the engine replaced last year (a 25000 mile engine). Unfortunately, I had to use the complete intake off of the original motor (which had 165000 on it). The original engine was starting to do this before I swapped it out, but now it seems worse. I have replaced the alternator, fuel pump (sending unit), plugs, wires, fuel filter, O2 sensor, coil, and the whole distributor assembly. I did check the engine codes myself and nothing but an O2 sensor code... it never came back after I replaced the O2 sensor. I figured it was a problem related to those old 165000 mile sensors in that intake. But, some people tell me I need to replace the catlytic converter. It sure seems to be flowing good through the tailpipe, but what do I know. I also did the dumb thing of taking it to Dodge and they charged me $200 to do an induction cleaning..........it didn't seem to help much. If you are driving at highway speed, everything is fine. It just seems to do this when you try to take off from a stop. HELP ME..I'm GETTING DESPERATE.

[mobil_12]

Im thinking throttle position sensor (tps). If you have access to a scanner, you can check the voltage map on the tps for dead spots. If you dont have a scanner, you can use a volt meter on dc volts. Check between the ground and signal wire with the key on. Sweep the throttle and watch the voltage for iregularaties. Your voltage should change between about .75V and almost 5V.
Also, something Ive been seeing lately is injectors that stick when they are cold and work fine when warmed up. It it running poorly when you start it up cold? Another possiblity is the coolant temp sensor (ECT). If the engine is say, 45 deg and the ect is telling the pcm that the engine is 220 deg your fuel maping and ignition will be all messed up.
Oh, another thing, Dodge is real bad for the throttle body valve carboning up and sticking. Pull off the intake boot and look at the valve. If it is all black and nasty around the edges, spray some carb cleaner in there and work the throttle back and forth.
Just some things to try. Good luck.

[michaelfriedrich_2]

Well, I Checked And The Throttle Position Sensor Like You Said And It Measures From .6 Vdc Up To 3.5 Vdc And No Dead Spots. The Trouble Does Seem To Happen More When You Have Just Started The Engine, But It Does Happen When It Is Warm, Too. It Usually Doesn't Have Any Pattern, Other Than It Is When You Are Accelerating From A Stop Or A Very Slow Speed. And It Does This Only Occasionally, But Enough To Annoy My Wife (uh Oh!). I'll Keep Checking Things Out, But I'm Open To Suggestions.

[vipergg]

Originally Posted by michaelfriedrich_2

I have a 1994 Caravan SE 3.0 and it tries to stall only when you accelerate from a stop. It idles fine and highway speeds are fine. It tends to be really bad if you don't let it "warm up" for a few seconds before taking off cold. But, sometimes it will just die when you mash the gas pedal down to take off. I had the engine replaced last year (a 25000 mile engine). Unfortunately, I had to use the complete intake off of the original motor (which had 165000 on it). The original engine was starting to do this before I swapped it out, but now it seems worse. I have replaced the alternator, fuel pump (sending unit), plugs, wires, fuel filter, O2 sensor, coil, and the whole distributor assembly. I did check the engine codes myself and nothing but an O2 sensor code... it never came back after I replaced the O2 sensor. I figured it was a problem related to those old 165000 mile sensors in that intake. But, some people tell me I need to replace the catlytic converter. It sure seems to be flowing good through the tailpipe, but what do I know. I also did the dumb thing of taking it to Dodge and they charged me $200 to do an induction cleaning..........it didn't seem to help much. If you are driving at highway speed, everything is fine. It just seems to do this when you try to take off from a stop. HELP ME..I'm GETTING DESPERATE.

try something simple like running a couple of bottles of Techron fuel system cleaner (not injector cleaner) thru your next couple of tankfuls and see if it helps , works even better if you are going to take it on a trip with highway driving .