newbie 318 owner - idling problem question

[gramms]

I just bought a 'new' 1988 Dodge van B250 318 (only 61,000 miles) which is converted to a camper. You can see some pics of it by going to

Go to www(dot)lowtechwebs.com/camper You will have to retype the URL. I listed it this way to keep my spam load down.

I need advice about a mechanical problem which developed after I got home. Anybody who has had this happen to a Dodge 318 engine, please help me!

She starts fine, but then dies. She won't hold the idle. I can sit there and carefully give it a bit of gas and after a while she finally warms up enough to run, albeit roughly at first. While she is warming up, she runs rough. Not firing on all eight, I believe. I tried a 'water in the tank' bottle of magic fluid, and a bottle of fuel injection juice. Not much help.

The previous owner had the same problem crop up just before I bought it. He replaced the fuel filter, added a bottle of fuel injection stuff, and it ran ok after that. The outside temperature in Ca was a bit warmer than here right now, say 10 degrees. (42 vs 32) Maybe I just need to set up the idle(?)

I got home from California fine; she didn't get stubborn until I tried to demo my new vehicle for my husband. Help!!

And, does anyone have a used 1988 Dodge B250 318 shop manual for sale cheap? I need to get serious about this, I guess.

Thanks,
gramms
1988 SMB, Dodge 318 B250

[Dodgevanman]

Your particular van uses what is/was called a TBI system or Throttle Body Injection system. While it is fuel injection, it's not the mult-port type used on 99% of today's vehicles...even my 94 B250 has MPI (Multi-port injection). Your TBI utilizes two injectors that sit on top of the throttle body, if the injectors are clogged or going bad, no amount of fuel injection cleaner in the tank is going to help and the engine will run like crap. They do sell rebuild or tune-up kits for throttle bodies that comes with new o-rings, gaskets, and things like that. It doesn't include injectors though.

Another thing that may be the trouble is the coolant temperature sensor. There may be two of them....one for the gauge and one for the computer. The sensor for the computer senses how cold the engine is via coolant temp. and sends the signal to the computer telling it how rich or lean the fuel delivery needs to be. A cold engine requires a richer mixture of fuel and air and once the engine warms, the mixture gets leaner.

Yet another possibility is your IAC motor or Idle Air Control motor. This device allows the engine to idle while your foot is off the accelerator. How it works is that it allows a minimum amout of air into the engine bypassing the throttle plates in the throttle body. Once you press the accelerator the throttle plates open negating the IAC motor. If the IAC motor is failing, it won't allow the air into the engine properly.

Used factory service manuals can be found on Ebay.

[gramms]

Thanks for the detailed answer Nate. I will check all of your alternatives out. I didn't know I had a computer. Good thing I got the van well ahead of our spring-summer-fall vacation season. This might take a while.

gramms

[Dodgevanman]

Did the original owner provide any receipts for tune-ups or anything like that?

[gramms]

Yes, he did everything he thought he needed to do to get it in shape for me. It has a new battery and fuel filter. He had it tuned up and I paid for a compression test which came out very well. The range was between 134 and 144. He had already replaced the radiator core, and there are more items that he had done.

I believe he took it in for serviceand repair whenever he had any problem. And it ran fine for me all the way from Fresno to Seattle without a hiccup.

gramms

[vandude]

If you still want/need a Dodge factory service manual for your van, you can get one in very good condition from books4cars for $39.95. I have dealt with them several times and if you have repair manuals (factory or not) that you no longer need, I know that they will work trades (I got a factory service manual & perfect owners manual for my '77 Dodge van that way).

their web-site is: www.books4cars.com (look in the Dodge truck section).

Their local phone number is (206) 721-3077
Their toll-free phone number is 1-888-380-9277

Their mailing address is:
Books4Cars
4850 37th Ave. South
Seattle, WA 98118 USA

Congrats on the "New" van!

[gramms]

Funny you should suggest them. I ordered one from them last night. Looking forward (?) to taking offthe engine cowling and seeing what I have. Or is it better just to crawl under the vand and look up? That;s the kind of thing the manual should help me with. I do believe the problem is related to temperature somehow.

gramms

[Dodgevanman]

No no, you'll definitely need to remove the cowl (doghouse). That's one thing I like about the vans, you can expose the whole engine.

[SPs 77 Dodge]

I know on my moms 360 she had a similar problem and it turned out being carbon built up under the inside of the intake manifold not allowing her carb to heat up properly. I don't know if this is something the newer vans run into but her's was a '76. But i noticed the same build up in my '81 318 when i swapped it into my '77.

[gramms]

Thanks everyone. I have lots of things to check into, and at least I can speak the language a bit if I take it to a garage. Next week my husband & I will take off the doghouse and get serious. We should have the sevie manual by then.

Gramms

[DANVAN]

As soon as I read gramms first post, carbon build-up was on my mind, but Im also not sure if that is a problem with later model engines as it was on the earlier ones.

Gramms, pull the eng cover off, with a cold eng, start it up and keep touching the intake manifold, it should gradually and evenly warm up, if some area near the throttle body stays cool or cold, carbon build up in the intake could be the problem. It will have to be removed and cleaned out.

Considering the age and low milage of the van it could be the problem. Carbon will build up more on engines that arent driven enough to burn it off.

[Dodgevanman]

Hmmmmm, I don't think fuel injected engines are affected by this problem since there isn't a choke. Even though the '88 engine is a pre-Magnum, it's still has the TBI style fuel injection.

[Dodgevanman]

Gramms,

I just went to the website where your van pics are, and all I can say is WOW! I love it! Check out my RV project in this forum. It's the 69 Xplorer 21 Project thread.

[vandude]

Gramms, if the problem is related to carbon build-up, an easy way to remove it all is to submerge the intake in a large tub of water/T.S.P. and let it soak for a few days. It'll come out looking brand new inside & out.

Also, an additional forum you might find useful is www.vannin.com.

P.S. Sweetie Pie is a cutie!

[DANVAN]

I can get to her web site, but cant find the van or sweetie pie.

[SPs 77 Dodge]

It worked for me. That is one neat set-up.

[gramms]

The manual came today. Lots of pictures for sure. I need them to figure out which part is which.

If you can't get to my camper page by entering the previous link in your browser, you may have to do the whole thing. http://lowtechwebs(dot)com/camper/index(dot)htm

Sorry about having to enter it by hand. It's a nice page.

gramms

[DANVAN]

Got it. Nice camper van, they fit a lot in there. Enjoy it, good luck getting it running right.

[gramms]

Thanks for the link to the 'vannin' forum. I am posting questions there too, and getting some good suggestions.

I took a quick peek under the hood today. The wiring bundle next to the battery seems to be well toasted. Not in good shape at all. That may not be my present problem, but I know it will cause me grief later sometime. In fact all the wiring looks a little tired. Is the bundle hard to replace? IE: if I start unplugging things from it will I break more stuff trying to get them connected to the new wires? I'm ok with soldering, but I need something to start with.

I'm perfectly willing to take her to a professional, but he may give me a ong shopping list. I thought I would try the easy stuff first. Can anyone recommend a mechanic in hte Seattle area?

gramms