Stalling problem as well as running problem 1997 Grand Caravan

[semperfi1977]

The problem is while idling the van runs fine but if I put in in gear is starts to back fire, studder and the airbag light comes on. If i keep it at 20mph, it seems to go okay but as soon as i gas it, the really starts to run rough and jerk allot. Friend said it might be the EVAP purge solenoid? Any help would be great! Thanks in advance!

[RIP]

I would suspect a timing or fuel issue first. Fuel problems would be the easiest to determine. Connect a fuel pressure gauge at the fuel rail. Should see 49 PSI. If it's lower you may need a new pump. Timing is tougher, especially if you have the 3.3 or 3.8 ltr engine. Are you seeing a service engine light? In any cause I would go to AutoZone and have them check for fault codes using a scanner. It's free. You could have a failing sensor or a more serious valve train issue.

[semperfi1977]

Thanks RIP. A friend pulled the code and they were 401 & 403 and he said the third one was the Air bag code. He told me to change the EGR value assembly( which I knew was bad for a long time) as well as the Purge Solenoid. He said a friend of his had the same problem and the solenoid fixed the problem. Will let you know. Thanks again

Semper Fi

[RIP]

Well I never say never. Keep in touch.

http://www.obd-codes.com/p0401

[semperfi1977]

Are saying that you don't think my way will solve the problem?

Semper Fi

[RIP]

Maybe the EGR valve but, I can't see the purge solenoid causing your problem. Just my experience and what I've read on the net. I've read of purge solenoids suspected in cases of stalling and hesitation but no confirmed fixes. 401 and 403 are both EGR related. If your friend is a certified mechanic (I am not) I'd give his recommendation a little more weight. Which engine do you have?

My father-in-law is a decorated Marine. Saipan, Tinian, Roi Namur, and on the first wave at IWO, wounded on day 9. He's 84, a recent cancer survivor, and has the stamina of 10 men. I hope I have half his energy when I'm 84.

[madmanmapper]

Yes, what engine do you have? You know this could be as simple as having low oil. But then again... it would never be that easy, would it?

[Bear]

Before you go too far troubleshooting, buy a couple of bottles of dry gas, water out, HEET, etc and drop the contents in the fuel tank. Condensation in the fuel can cause the symptoms you describe, it has happened to me more than once.

[semperfi1977]

First of all I want to say THANK YOU to RIP's father-in-law. A real Marines Marine. I could never imagine want he went though.

I did change to purge solenoid. The van turned over once then nothing at all. I disconnected the solenoid and reconnected it and the van turned over once then nothing at all. I then put the old solenoid back in and the van idled fine and i test drove it for about a mile and all was fine. I put the new one in and it turned over once then nothing at all. This time I unplugged it and the van idled fine. I reconnected it and the van idled and i drove it about a mile and it just died. Lucky for me i was just in front of where i needed to go. I will try the dry gas. Thanks everyone!!

And Semper Fi to RIP's father-in-law!!!!!!!!!!

[madmanmapper]

LOL dry gas/heet/etc... did you ever read the bottle?? It's just an expensive bottle of alcohol... and get this: the yellow bottle ones, including HEET, are METHANOL, aka Methyl Alcohol, aka Wood Alcohol... extremely poisonous and extremely CORROSIVE... Why would you put this in your car? Especially an older car that most likely has rotting fuel lines already? Though, technically, all cars from about 1980 and up are designed to withstand up to 10% methanol in the gas, which is a lot more than one bottle of HEET would be. But still, why risk it???

There are some in red bottles, but just read the back of the bottle, that are Isopropyl Alcohol, much safer than Methanol. ***Use these instead***

Or you could do like I do, and just fill up your car with E85. And if you're afraid of E85, which you should NOT be, you could just pump 1 gallon of it into your car. It would be like $3.80 for a gallon of ETHANOL instead of $5.00 for half a pint of HEET. Beat that.

By the way, if you ask pretty much anybody about ethanol for fuel, they will tell you that back in the '70s, gas stations started selling "ethanol" and a lot of people pumped it into their cars and it rotted out their fuel lines. The fact is that it was not ethanol at all, it was Methanol, M85, and like I said, it's highly corrosive. Unfortunately, methanol has given a bad reputation to ethanol, because both words sound similar. And so, many people are scared to put Ethanol (E85) in their cars unless it has a "Flex-Fuel" badge on it. Guess what's different on a flex-fuel car... the gas cap says "Unleaded or E85" that's the only real difference. Ethanol is actually a very mild solvent, gasoline is more corrosive than ethanol. Ethanol burns cooler, and has less (if any) junk in it than gasoline. Try E85, if you engine runs crappy on it, then don't use it, otherwise, you can "go green" with no worries.

[Bear]

Correct it is alcohol, (I thought Isopropyl ) but it does homogenize the water and allow it to burn and pass through the system. I am 72 years old, have been using dry gas for at least 50 years and I have yet to corrorde a fuel line or ingest enough to give me cancer or emphysema. Your call.