Hey guys my name is Eli and I just joined the forum but Ive been lurkin around for the last few weeks just to see what kinda vans were out there and get to know the scene. Good forum here with lots of technical info

Well I bought a 1990 Ram Van B150 V6 with 114k on the clock. About 5 weeks ago when I bought it, the van passed California smog (NEW Cat installed 3 months ago) and I took it to the Dodge dealership for an oil change and a "comprehensive" inspection....only problems were -break pads low and 6/32ths tire thread....no biggie. Aside from that all in the green.

I have been driving the van everyday since that day and it was running smooth BUT in the last 2 weeks the idle quality has been getting worse slowly but surely.....Now its backfiring and chugging and pulling while driving. It now stalls in park as well.

So reading through the forums and yesterday I performed some maintenance hoping to fix the issue...Here is what I did with my day off yesterday:

Cap and Rotor kit with Brass Contacts
Wires
Champion Plugs
Coil
Hall Effect Pick up
PVC Valve
Air Filter

Also installed a new fuel filter

That brought me around to checking the fuel pressure.....I installed a T-fitting/gauge on the inlet to the throttle body, system pressure looks good coming from the pump, ran the van and pressure stays consistent

Sits right at 20 PSI hopefully not too high...The tank is full with 91 octane

With all that being done still runs rough, stalls in park, backfiring...kinda pulls through the rev range


Im going to go get a fuel pressure regulator here in a sec and throw that in while I wait for some feedback hopefully....What could be the problem? Will a bad O2 sensor do it?

Really bothers me as it gradually has gotten worse in the last 2 weeks....The van does go through spurts where it runs smooth and on all cylinders for about 20-30 seconds but its constantly bucking otherwise and backfiring



Ill get some pics of her later as well!

 

Your fuel pressure should be 14-15 PSI with the regulator vacuum hose connected and 18-20 PSI with it disconnected.

 

I'll double check the vacuum hose but I came across something just a bit ago....

Looks like I found the issue
I was looking down into the throttle body without the air filter/cover on and I noticed that fuel injector #1 was NOT consistently pumping fuel down only injector #2 was...

As I revved the engine and continued to look Injector #1 would seldomly fire off.....but Injector #2 was constant and would increase in frequency as the RPMs increased

I went ahead and removed the injectors and inspected them.....Im going to switch them around and see if the problem follows or just check the voltage at the injector cap pins

Does anyone know the voltage to look for? Is there or are there relays/fuses for the injectors?

 

Well I was about to swap injectors around I noticed a small black rubber chunk clogging up the fuel inlet port to injector #1...pulled it out of there but I decided to pull the fuel regulator and inspect it.....

I pulled it and right away noticed small black rubber pieces coming out of the fuel pressure regulator......No Bueno! Sprayed the regulator with some cleaner and chunks came out....thing is done for, time for a new one. I also sprayed out the fuel inlet ports for the injectors and a couple of pieces of rubber came out.....I've cleaned everything out now

Off to get a new regulator....I hope that is why I was getting a 20psi reading instead of a 14.5ish....I just wanna get this beast back on the road!

 

Well pretty much talking to myself here now but:

Replaced the fuel pressure regulator......Ran up immediately and ever soo smoothly....injectors firing off just fine. Closed everything back up...took her for a drive for about 20 mins. came home...running good.

Left it off for about 30 mins and went back for another drive, hit the carwash then when for a short drive on the highway....30 mins later everything was fine and came home.
All smiles, running like a dream, never had she ran soo smoothly.

That was this afternoon......

TONIGHT:

Went to fire her off and she wouldn't hold an idle....couldn't f*cking believe it
Running oddly....erratic idle.....
Felt like driving that piece into a wall with little disregard for my well-being BUT I have to go to work tomorrow so I can pay bills etc


Anyways, Im pretty lost at this point so I'm going to sleep on it and see what happens

 

You not talking to yourself, we appreciate the updates.

It really sounded like you had found the problem.

Is it running exactly like before the FP regulator swap?

You say you found a good amount of loose FP regulator rubber. Perhaps a piece got sucked down the return line to the tank, and is now clogged back at the tank, and the fuel pressure is too high again.

Perhaps one injector got damaged by fuel starvation, or too much pressure from the regulator failure.

The Idle speed actuator motor might be acting up, or have a bad connection, or the injectors.

 

Ditto to that, I thought the same thing.
I also agree that more debris likely moved through the system. Check your fuel pressure again to see if it's back up to 20 PSI.

 

I ran her to work this morning and she was running a little off still. I'm going to try and check the return lines and inspect for further debris as I agree with you guys that's what it must be

No biggie at this point I hope, I really like cruising the van....Here is a picture the day it was delivered to me at work by the previous owner.....It's parked next to my Audi, which I love and still have, but the van is just a different animal and I like it

 

Alright guys.....just finished checking a few things with the van, here is what I found:

Removed all the fuel lines around the throttle body, inspected them, all clear....removed the injectors, shot compressed air and cleaner through the throttle body inlets/outlets....all clear. Reinstalled everything along with the fuel pressure gauge. Ran the van up and I have a steady 14-15 PSI so I was happy to see the fuel pressure stable. Double checked for leaks, especially at the injectors...they look great both firing off identically.

The van still running rough BUT doesnt stall like before just running a tad rough with fluctuating idle.....perhaps I should start looking at some sensors, O2 sensor perhaps...I dont get how yesterday it ran perfectly for a while


Side note: I appreciate the help guys and hopefully some of the things in this thread helps others with future problems

 

You can try disconnecting the battery for a while which resets the computer.

I did not see anywhere in this post if you have check for stored computer codes. Do a search for "key dance" and post any codes you get besides the standard 12 and 55. Do this before unhooking the battery.

There can be codes stored even if the check engine light is not illuminated.

I have found that a vacuum leak will make my idle crusty and a little lopey.

That heated air inlet which collects exhaust manifold air really works to help it run smoother when warming up.

If you decide to swap out the 02 sensor you should consider doing a SeaFoam treatment beforehand. Even though this product claims it will not damage 02 sensors, better safe than sorry. There are different methods for usage. They make an aerosol spray as well as a liquid.

I would dump a full liquid can in a tank with about 12to 15 gallons in it. Then remove the doghouse, and the Aircleaner, and fire the aerosol spray down the throttle body in bursts. I did this while driving up a hill at full throttle and left a huge white cloud behind me enveloping some punks in a rattle can Honda.

I used up half the can doing this, and then attached the straw, inserted it into some different vaccuum lines and let it continue to run, then shut it down and just sprayed the rest of the can into the intake, and let it sit for 20+ minutes.

Afterward I drove it like I stole it, and I do not believe it has ever run smoother.