I have a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport. I bought it two years ago, the very first thing I had to do was put the aftermarket kit on with new pulleys and a new drivebelt so that I could drive the thing in the rain without it throwing a belt. A few weeks later, the tranny had to be rebuilt. This thing has been nothing but problems for me, but since I spent so much up front on things like the tranny rebuild and other miscellaneous repairs, I felt like I needed to keep fixing it. Sadly, it probably spends more time at the shop than on the road. Alas, that brings me to now.

I started noticing a strong fuel smell outside the van, seemingly at the middle of the van. Additionally, the van became hard to start at times. It would crank and crank and crank before starting. No check engine light was tripped.

Trip #1 to the mechanic -
He said that my fuel injectors were leaking, thus the gas smell. He said that the hard starts were because my engine was trying to fire while essentially flooded.

I took the van away from the shop and home. I took it out two hours later, where it was even harder to start and smelled even more like gas. So......

Trip #2 to the mechanic -
He says that it starts and runs just fine. Now, this problem that I was having was intermittent, so I can see how that could be. So, he says that he can't duplicate any issues even with using it to run errands and such.

I took the van away from the shop and went home. The next day I was driving up a slight hill and the van starting losing steam. It had no power, and by the time I hit the top of the hill was sputtering and even backfired. At a point, it wouldn't go over maybe five mph. That's it. I let it sit for a few minutes, it started right up, and I tried to make it home but failed. I didn't think it safe to make it all the way home, so I had it towed in to the shop.

Trip #3 to the mechanic -
Now he has finally seen it do what it does, but he says that if he gets under the hood and jiggles wires the problem goes away. I guess he's saying that it starts running without the sputtering. BUT, he says that he can't duplicate it long enough to try to trace anything down in the wiring because as soon as he "moves stuff around" it straightens out.

Okay, I'm not a mechanic. HOWEVER, if moving the wires around fixes it, wouldn't moving them around also cause it to act up, thus duplicating the problem and knowing where the issue was?

If a wire was the problem, why would it smell like gas and be hard to start? It also seems to have some measure of white smoke coming out of the tailpipe, whatever that may mean. Not plumes of smoke that fill the entire street, but as you go from a stop you see more and more pump out of the tailpipe and dissipate.

Note: This last time the van DID trip the check engine light, and he said that the code was about a misfire in cylinder 6.

I don't believe that it was the fuel injectors before, as it got worse after he replaced them. I don't believe now that it is as simple as a wire, as jiggling wires doesn't seem like a valid diagnosis to me.

So, what do you guys think? Could it be the fuel pump maybe? Something in the exhaust? The fact that it's a Dodge Caravan? The fact that I have terrible luck and own it?

Again, the problems have been -
Hard to start, cranks for a bit before firing up
Smells like gas when the van is off
Now occasionally starts to bog down and won't go when the gas is pressed, but the engine doesn't rev at all
Error codes show as misfiring cylinders

Any help before I shoot this thing, and my mechanic? I just put $500 worth of new injectors and a new windshield wiper pump in it (which I wouldn't have done had I known that it wouldn't have run after it was "fixed" with the injectors).

 

Welcome to DF
We did have a problem with fuel tanks on the NS body minivans, back in 1996 thru 2000.And since the fuel tank is under the van in the middle,I would start there.

 

Lack of power under load such as up a steep hill, misfire codes, hard starting, backfiring out the intake are signs of a lack of fuel. Could be a pump or a leak. I would think though a leak would be obvious to cause all those problems. That said, it could be leaking on top of the tank and you may not see it. The pump, filter and fuel lines are on top of the tank. You may have to drop the tank and have a look as master tech suggested. You could connect a fuel pressure gauge at the test port on the fuel rail. Should see around 49psi at idle. Should be above 40 psi (maybe higher) in the am after sitting all night. You can sign them out from an Autozone or the like.

It is starting hard because your leak is bleeding the pressure off. All fuel injection systems maintain a given pressure in the system when the car isn't running. If that pressure bleeds off it takes a few seconds to build the pressure back up to the point the van will start. The more or less pressure bled off the longer or shorter it takes to start. A fuel pressure gauge will prove it.

There was a safety recall on early 3rd generation vans (96-00) for a problem with a bolt securing either the pump. Might check on that and see if it applies and if your van has had the bolt replaced.

 

fuel press regulator gettin weak. Maybe rusty lines?? this one shouldnt be too hard

you make no mention if you have done an ignition tuneup (is it hatrd to start cuz it has original plugs) also what sie engine??

 

Maybe it's a cracked flex plate?

 

I had a 97 dodge caravan sport with the same fuel smell. They found the fuel pump seal was broken. The pump was fine the seal needed to be replaced. Once replaced the problem went away.

 

Thanks for your suggestions! I'm looking to take it to a different guy to have it looked at, with your suggestions in mind. The guy I took my van to has been working on my cars for years and has been good, but he has it stuck in his head that this was a fuel injector problem and is now an electrical problem of some sort because he thinks that he can "move stuff around" under the hood and get the problem to go away. The fact is, he never got the problem to go away, he only seems to have made it worse with the new injectors. So, I've got a new mechanic that will look at it soon.

I'll be sure to update when I get it figured out. I hate it when people don't post what fixed the problem and finish the story. I would want to know what it was, so I'll tell you guys whenever I get to that point.

Thanks again!

 

Update:

Took it to another mechanic. They can't get the stupid van to act up. They've ran it, done pressure tests on the fuel system, and everything comes back great. I'm supposed to pick it up tomorrow.

I'm scared to drive the thing, because the first mechanic had it act up on him when he gave it back to me, and told me that whenever it acted up I should let him know. The second mechanic hasn't been able to get it to act up. It starts fine, no gas smell, and runs great.

So, what do I do? Just drive it and wait for it's decision to break down at random? If it does break down on me and start bogging down substantially, is there anything I can do that would help a mechanic diagnose it?

I hate this van, and would sell it in a heartbeat for cheap just to get rid of it, but I'm afraid to pass off my problem on someone else. I'd feel bad if I thought it was fixed, sold it to someone, and then it immediately started breaking down on them, even if I sold it to them relatively cheap. So, I guess I'd just like to get it fixed and drive it until the next thing breaks, and then take a match to it.

 

I had a 1999 grand caravan do the same thing intermittently, I don't know why. because it should have been a constant problem not intermittent, all because of the egr valve may be worth a look

 

I applaud your integrity. Apparently the fuel delivery system has checked out fine. New injectors and pump pressure tests tell that story. That said I wouldn't count out the pump. It may have been working fine when it was tested. So, I'm moving to what regulates fuel delivery and scheduling. That would be the O2 sensors and the MAP sensor among others and I would think the MAP sensor would be more likely. They can often fail without throwing a code. I would make sure it's wiring and connector are in good shape especially since the one mechanic noticed changes when "shaking wires". Sure would be nice to know which ones. There is a wire bundle under the battery that often gets damaged by battery acid causing various electrical problems. Wire bundles running near the exhaust manifolds are often damaged when bundle brackets brake and allow too much movement.