1981 Ram Van -- No power when warm - Page 2

#11

01-19-2011 | 11:49 AM

vicrock

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From: Osaka, Japan

Quote:

Originally Posted by stev

- Does either manifold have a leak? Or cracked? Common problem. Had two like that.

He hasn't checked this yet but I have forwarded the idea to him and he will check it out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stev

- Does the ballast resistor look slightly burnt, discolored, poor contacts, or aged? If warmed up, weird things happen.

I asked him about this too but neither of us are sure what a ballast resistor is or where to find it on the engine. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. (He's going to look in the service manual to see what he can find there as well.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by stev

- Since this did have a CAT at one time, does an O2 sensor still exist?

I'm not sure if the O2 sensor is still there. He's going to check for it and see though. As with the ballast resistor he is going to check the service manual to see where it should be but if you could describe the general location that'd be great too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stev

Now the real question ... Has the EGR gone bad? This is common with the /6 and is known to cut the power when things heat up or cause a very bad idle.
- Since 1976, the /6 came with EGR. The EGR valve on the slant six engine is located in the back of the engine behind the intake manifold. The valve is attached to the engine block with two bolts and replacing the device is a fairly simple job that you can complete in about an hour. The EGR valve is designed to send the engine exhaust fumes back through the motor to be burned a second time, cutting down on the vehicle's emissions.

I mentioned this to him and he's going to check it. I assume that if it's gone bad it will be fairly obvious by removing it and taking a look?

Quote:

Originally Posted by stev

- Have your tried the key dance and are able to count the blinking "engine' light for possible engine codes? This was pre-OBDII and into the 80s back then.

Wow, I didn't know this was possible on cars of this vintage! Looked it up, and this is where you turn the ignition on and off three times and then the Check Engine light blinks, right? He's going to try that and see what it comes up with.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stev

A great resource ... slantsix.org/forum/index.php

Thanks for the link! I will look through the forum tomorrow.

A huge thanks to everyone for your time and help. 20 years ago I did a lot of my own automotive work but these days I don't have the time or space (big city living

) so am very rusty. My father is good at fixing things in general but the Dodge van is fairly new to them and this is the first time something has gone wrong.

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