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I'm Stranded

5K views 113 replies 21 participants last post by  Leeann_93 
#1 ·
my van died on the interstate 100 miles from home. waited two hours for a tow truck and i am at a motel. its below zero here. i am frustrated. was on a round trip 600 miles and did 500 miles great, then dead.

symptoms: it kicked down to third gear going up a hill at 70mph, then started missing violently. slowed it down and it was ok, then it did it again at the slow speed. it was li

ke the engine was shutting off and back on but not stalling, i.e. no dash lights came on until it finally did completely stall. it would restart but run violently and erratic. now it wont start at all.

wasnt able to test much, but here is what i do know:

1. the fuel pump sounds fine and appears to work normally. fuel lines were cold when the engine was hot which means it is pumping fuel. cant test pressure, no tester.

2. it appears to have spark. i pulled the coil wire out a little and cranked, heard arcing. this does not mean i have spark at the plugs. i replaced cap and rotor a month ago due to a no start. cap and rotor were in terrible shape. replaced with echlin copper/brass. still looks good but the rotor is corroded already. not sure if that has any affect.

3, when it was still able to idle, i took the doghouse off and wiggled every wire. no change.

tomorrow i will try and find the lot it got towed to (alien to this town) and spray starting fluid in to see if it sparks. also change cap and rotor again.

i highly suspect the injector isnt firing correctly. this sucks. i have to get myself home and the van too. all my work tools are in it and i dont have my CPAP or any clothes
 
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#103 ·
$500 towing fees
$100 to reverse two spark plug wires that i prompty switched back
$100 for motel room
$50 incidental food/snacks

i dont know how much extra gas. 400 miles of gas for the wifes car

cruise is module and cable based. module lives on firewall behind battery. its the ONLY year that it is there, 96 they moved it to the center of the firewall
 
#105 ·

Fixed, thanks to Big Kid's eagle eye, Thanks!

sixsix said:
Coaster said:
cruise control cable end clip
Was interesting to hear of your "Non-Vacuum" / CPI Fuel Injection vehicle.
And I assumed from the photos that you did not have Cruise Control.

But now - you have mentioned CC a few times. I have not seen it in any photos.
So... by brilliant deduction... I have gathered that you do indeed have CC.

Being a "95", it's a toss up what controls the CC module. Is it the new style for GEN II that's attached to the firewall under the hood by the windshield wiper motor or is it controlled the old way - GEN I?
Yep, like the GEN2 it's all electric but mounted differently. You could convert from the old vacuum controlled system to the much improved newer cruise control. I will have to see what is involved in this.

mattinak said:
I think he meant $750 for all trials and tribulations associated with figuring out the problem. Actual malfunctioning part is about $15
Yes, but he was talking about two different 'clips' at the same time. I was wondering how in the world the cruise control clip would cause his engine to not run, but he was talking about the injector connector. :)
 
#106 ·
every day its run a little better. sunday was like a fawn learning to walk. today is like a wolf on a quest for dinner.

drove it on the interstate today at 65mph. it did fine. i was gun-shy and didnt open it up to 75.

then my tires rubbed in a parking lot exit. thats another thread i havent started, time to trim
 
#109 ·
thanks everyone for letting me vent about this. this was the most stressful thing i have experienced with the van. i do really like the van but i yelled at it real bad last weekend. yelled so bad at it that if it were a dog it might not ever have come home. i dont normally lose my temper but the van heard some might colorful words. and a threat to put it back from whence it came
 
#112 ·
This just keeps getting better and better.....glad to hear you're getting it sorted out. And thanks for keeping us updated; as others have already said here, this will definitely save someone some time and grief down the road!
-M!ke-
 
#113 ·
i hope so. i have read thousands of threads about the 4.3 that just die before the resolution; like they finally fixed it and never went back to the thread so the thread just hangs in limbo forever.

i have done this as well, but i try not to.
 
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