I have a 96 caravan. last summer when it was hot out side I could start it right up and drive forever with no problem. if I just ran to the store and shut it off, when I would start it it would idle rough and the if I gave it a lot of pedal it would just choke. I had to feather the pedal to get the rpms up while in park. I would rev it up real high and then when I put it in drive it would do a little better but still weak and chokey.


one day I came home from work and jumped in the shower. I went back out to go get my kid from daycare and the damn thing wouldn't start. finally it started and died. I couldn't feather the pedal at all it just died out on me. I ran to the gas station and bought some starting spray. I sprayed it in the air filter and it started right up. so I carried the spray with me the rest of the summer and used it when I needed it which was anytime I shut it off and started it back up within the hour.


as the weather cooled it quit doing it. then as it got cold it was really hard to start. there were really cold days where I turned it over so much I thought the battery would die before it finally started but once it started it was okay.


so now the weather is getting better and it starts easier but we had a 70 degree day the other day and sure enough I come out of the store and it starts up and rough idles again. had to feather the pedal to get the rpms up. it feels like if I get it rev up real high its like im "blowing it out" and then I can drive it but its still a little chokey and week power.


im broke and a single dad with two kids. I really hope these symptoms stick out to someone and I can be pointed in the right direction. thanks for reading.

 

What engine does your caravan have?

I had almost the exact same issues with my '99 caravan 3.0. Turned out to be a combination of 2 things:

1) Worn spark plugs. I changed the plugs and conditions improved, but were not gone completely.

2) This was the big one: A bad connection between the MAP sensor and the wiring. The connector itself was not making a reliable connection at the sensor. I could not find a direct replacement for the connector, so I hit the local junk yards. At the third one I tried, I found the needed connector. I removed it from the junked van, brought it to the office. The yard told me "Merry Christmas" and did not even charge me for it. I also replaced the sensor, just to be sure. Since I did the swap, I have not had any issues.


As an aside: before I did this, my wife had the van out. She called me and said the van just quit and she was sitting on the side of the road. While we were talking on the phone, I asked her to wiggle the connector / wiring at the MAP sensor. She did this and the van started right up and ran fine, for a while. When it died again, further down the road, she got out and wiggled the wires again, and it started right up and ran fine again.