Hey All,

I have a 2002 Dodge Caravan and after we got back from a long rode trip my van all of a sudden just shuts off randomly while driving. I took it to a shade tree mechanic and he could figure it out, so then I called my local Dodge dealer, they had no idea whats causing the problems. So it's not been sitting in the shop for a week and no one knows the root cause.

Driving normals speeds or idling van starts to sputter then shuts off. The first time it did this I noted it was running hotter than normal, but nothing out of the ordinary for the South. All dashboard lights flash and then shut down. Some times I can put it in Neutral and it will come right back on, then other times its a long while before it will come back on. Doesnt happen every time I drive it. Infact I let it sit in my driveway and run for a few hours to see if it would shut off, ran with out a problem.

Anyway, I'm very confused. has anyone else had a problem like this? Please let me know. Thanks.

 

does it sputter like it's running out of gas?? It's possible you have a fuel pump going bad.

 

Well, the Dodge dealer called me back and said they checked fuel pressure and the fuel pump is not the problem. They seem to think that there is a short near the steering wheel because when he turned the wheel the check engine lights goes dim. Any thoughts on that?

 

They checked the fuel pressure and had the vehicle die?? Unless you can turn the steering wheel and get it to die, I'm not spending alot of time on it.

 

Good point. I'll ask tomorrow when they open back up. Anything else I can test?

 

Lots of things can make a van die, but most leave codes. You could have a problem with the power feeds to the PCM or a ground issue. I'm just starting with the most common issue.