I have been assisting my mother as well as I can by phone (lives in a different state) with her ailing 1997 GC 3.3 L (300K miles!) as I have a 2002 GCS 3.3 L that I have worked on throughout its lifetime. She had been having problems with a no start recently and had the ignition coil changed (indicated by ODB code) which seemed to resolve the problem, although I recommended checking the fuel pressure and probably changing the fuel pump as well since it had never been changed.

Lo-and-behold, she was unable to start her van today after coming out of the grocery store. No CEL. Cranked fine (could hear it over the phone). So she called AAA and the tow shows up. He (kindly?) banged on the bottom of the fuel tank while she cranked and the van started and ran fine - pretty much confirms my suspicion of a failing fuel pump. However, she complained that her brakes felt soft, mushy, etc. while driving it home. Since I cannot tell for sure where the proportioning valve or brake lines are located in relation to the fuel tank on a 97 from the Haynes manual I have (covers 1996-2002), I am wondering if anyone can tell me if its possible the tow truck driver hit the valve and/or bent a line? This is something she has never complained about and that wasn't an issue before she left the store.

Thanks.

 

Doesn't sound likely. Sounds more like bad/old brake fluid or possibly a master cylinder issue. I suppose it's possible there is a ruptured brake line somewhere. Any issue with the car pulling when braking, or losing brake fluid? Do you know when the brake system was last bled?

 

There are also ABS/"wheel speed sensors" sensors on all four wheels that have weird effects on breaks. They only exist for the ABS system to monitor wheel speeds so it can apply fluid equally..

The ones on the rear run from the wheel hubs to a central connector on the axle.

They cost $96-$116 at parts houses and even more at dealerships, each.

I had a '98 3.0 with the front disc and rear drum and ABS, when one sensor went bad the ABS light stayed on except after battery disconnect to reset the BCM, for a while. The break pedal would sometime be super firm, then sometimes the opposite..

SIDE NOTE:300k and you haven't soldered dash clusters, reprogrammed computers, and changed all the transmission parts? wow

 

Thanks for the responses. Had to wait for my sister to drop by her place to take a look. She looked behind the left rear tire (but somewhat forward) and could see a large puddle of fluid. After rubbing her hand through it, she is positive it is brake fluid. Absolutely no brake pedal left as the master cylinder is completely drained. I find it beyond coincidental that the brakes were fine on the way to the store, than go out after the tow driver goes banging around that area with a mallet. I can't believe she made it back to the house without getting in a wreck. Thankfully, I suspect she has learned her lesson: tow truck drivers are just that and repair/diagnosis should be left to the mechanics.

My sister's boyfriend is pretty handy with cars and actually has the equipment to run a new line if necessary and/or replace the proportioning valve. He'll be examining it this weekend, although the tow company was already supposed to come take a look, but never did (after calling my mother a liar!). Funny thing is, he called her half way home to make sure she was ok. A nice gesture? Perhaps. Or perhaps he was worried because he knew he screwed something up and didn't want to confess to it on the spot. We'll probably never know.

As or maintenance, she is a stickler and does everything "by the book" and often at the dealership. I'll just have to wait and see if it's something other than what I suspect it is.

And no: no soldered dash or reprogramming. She is on her 3rd (2nd replacement) tranny, but that is only because the 1st replacement was bad. Still on her original fuel pump AFAIK, that is why I suspect a failing pump, especially since there is no CEL and thus, no code indicating a starting circuit/ignition problem.