Hello. I am new to the forum and looking for guidance. My car for the past few months has occasionally stalled out. I turn it on, and put it in reverse and it's fine, switch to drive once I am out my driveway and it dies/no warning, but starts right up. It's been doing this for months. My mechanic looked at it and could not figure it out. Now it's coming more regularly, and when I am driving occasionally it seems rough, it's an automatic, but reminds me of when I drove a stick and did not shift smoothly.. any ideas I'd welcome. Thanks in advance Have a great night.

 

Welcome to DF
I would check for any stored codes and clean the throttle body and the idle speed motor. And see if that makes it any better.

 

Thank you very much!!!

 

I'm a noob... what/where is the idle speed motor? Because I'm having the same sort of problem but I'm also getting lots of white smoke that smells like gas. The van has never overheated, so I'm pretty sure the smoke has nothing to do with the head gasket...

 

The idle speed motor better known as the Idle Air Control valve (IAC) is mounted on the back of the throttle body below the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) on the 3.3/3.8 ltr engine. You don't have to have overheated the engine to have a blown head gasket. Watch for decreasing coolant level and oil in the coolant. Better yet, have the cooling system pressure checked and keep it off the road till it's verified good.

 

I'm the original poster and after the throttle body and idle speed were cleaned it was great for about 8 months. Now it's back and another cleaning did not fix it. It only acts up in the am, once it's driven a while it is fine for that day. Two different shops have had it for days at a time. No codes are coming up, and it's still occasional stalling usually when either I'm shifting from Reverse to Drive, or pulling out onto a larger road from a parking lot, but always my foot happens to be off the gas. Sometimes I can prevent it with a quick tap on the gas pedal, but not always. Also, in higher speeds it occasionally shifts a bit rough. Also, at times, on a day its having an "off" kind of day, the idle is a bit erratic too when I first start it. One time it stalled slowing down to an intersection.. but that was only once. Any ideas? I hate to just start replacing sensors and such and both mechanics are having trouble diagnosing it. Thanks so much for your time.. and the previous advice worked great for 8 months! I appreciate any help!

 

EGR valve stuck open? block out the EGR port and see if it runs any better. Yes, CEL will be ON, and you can ignore it, EGR valve is just for emission.
I don't think it could be any sensor, because you said it always start right back up.
I doubt it is a trans problem either since u say it died out when you are rolling.

 

Thanks for your response. Yes, thankfully it starts up immediately. Also,some days it runs fine.. which is the problem, the last two shops I took it too, they had it a few days each and it was fine for them, and then the next morning after I get it home, it's doing it again! I will look into the EGR! Thanks for the tips.

 

Steak--when you say "block out" the egr valve. After removing egr, would duck tape be sufficient to block off the portal?

thanks.

 

fuel pump?