Need some help here guys.I have a 95 Gran Caravan for about a year and a half now and I have been trying to solve 2 mysteries on it.It has a 3.3L engine with 130k miles.
1) I have a no power situation under full acceleration any time,but it gets worse when hot.It bogs under full throttle.Almost feels like cat is clogged,or restricted intake.I replaced cat,muffler,resonator,plugs,wires,air filter,fuel filter.Fuel pump was replaced less than a year ago.
This has also happened 2 or 3 times under city driving conditions.Stop at a light,when I'm ready to take off,it bogs down to the point of stalling.No throttle respose and engine popping thru intake.I have to pull over,shut it down,let it sit for a few minutes and then restart.Then it rolls the same way as usual.As long as i increase acceleration a little at a time,I can accelerate to any speed I want.
2) Driving on highway around 65mph it will intermittently give me a shudder;almost if the car would of stalled.Not a pop nor a misfire.Just a jolt like.I aslo replaced the coil pack.
Any ideas before I junk the dang thing?
doobiess
04-12-2009, 05:32 PM
ok well check your distributor cap and rotor... make sure plug wires are good and the plugs are ok. Then check the intake manifold for buildup but odds are it isnt. If your saying when its hot... make sure all vaccum lines are good and no splits as they will go bad in that time... after that when you start the van from cold check the pressure out the tailpipe if it feels normal... wait until it warms.. if you barely feel the talepipe pressure look underneath at your catalytic converter and see if it is red hot.. if so replace... also if not check the exhaust and check if it has a funny smell out the tailpipe if so it could be running too lean... and also as a maintence issue look into your o2 sensors... if still does the same your temp sender are usually easy to replace and cheap.. they can go faulty without giving a code to the computer... then give us an update and go from there
WANAGO
04-12-2009, 07:53 PM
I replaced cat,muffler,resonator,plugs,wires,air filter,fuel filter 2 weeks ago.Fuel pump was replaced less than a year ago. I also replaced the coil pack.
No distribuitor on this engine.Cam and crank sensors.But I will replace the O2 cause I do have white residue on the new plugs,telling me its lean.
dlm4ut
04-12-2009, 09:18 PM
Check connection to battery. Also, check for corroded wires near battery.
dlm4ut
WANAGO
04-21-2009, 12:30 PM
Update: 95 Gran Caravan 3.3L engine
Replaced o2 sensor.Same crap.
Now it got more interesting. Now after running for around 2 hours on a stop and go basis (We deliver yellow books door to door for the extra cash),it starts misfiring,then it starts popping thru intake and I loose all power.I mean this thing does not move.The truck stalled on me and it wouldn't restart.I had to spray ether in the intake to get it going. So I figured I have a bad fuel pump.I start driving home with all the popping,misfire and no power condition.I hit the highway(well,the service road)and I managed to get the van to do 40mph,5 minutes into driving the misfire is gone and the van just takes off.Now all I have is an ocasional pop from the intake when I try to push it.By the time I got home it was back to normal.
WTF!
Can't be the fuel pump.Can it? Thru all this i dont get a check engine light.
I cant keep throwing parts at it and taking her to the dealer is not worth the effort or money.
doobiess
04-21-2009, 03:23 PM
well your fuel pump can go in less than a year if you ever let the engine run out of gas completly.. but assuming the time a year ago they cleaned out your tank so no debris was in there.. then odds are less but it can happen.. You can check your fuel pressue as a test on the fuel rail can check that.. but i wouldnt think its your pump...
so your engine light isnt on.. can you park your car in a dark place... or in a garage.. turn the light out.. darker the better open your hood start the car and look for arching from the plug wires... as your wires could be grounding out somewhere..
acton mike
04-21-2009, 10:12 PM
I would do a fuel pressure and volume test; you need adequate pressure and volume for the beast to run correctly- And low fuel pressure or low fuel volume will not set a code on the engine management system that was in a '95 vehicle; I am not even sure if they would set a code in a 2009 vehicle
in my opinion, it sounds like you have a fuel problem
a bad coolant temp sensor can cause grief as well; bad coolant temperature sensors tell lies to the computer; the lies being that the engine is cold all the time and the computer is asked for more fuel; hence a perpetually rich condition
But your symptoms sound like a lean condition so do the volume and pressure test
FAAATC
09-06-2009, 06:51 PM
I have an 03 caravan with an eerily similar condtion. Did you ever find ananswer to your problem?
Here's my situation
