Hi, I just purchased a 1998 Conversion van. Runs and drives Beautiful... most of the time. Heres the problem, I know the issue but im unaware on how i should go about fixing it. The computer on the fire wall has Three big plugs, probably 2 inches across. The one on the far left has a little bit of play to it. When I get it started there is not an issue, but if it vibrated on the ride to the store when i come out the thing wont start. No huge deal, just jiggle the cord and off I go. But I would like to fix it. Has any one had this problem? If so what should I do?

The Engine Is the 3.9 v6 with 105 thousand miles.

Thanks

 

sounds like the internal circuit board has a cold soldier joint. Just open that up and touch up the soldier (use flux) and it'll be good as new. The stresses on the connections on these boards are huge and eventually, the soldier can fail, leaving a "loose" or intermittent connection.

Steve

 

Why can't it just be a loose connector? Start with the simple stuff. Get yourself a can of electrical contact cleaner. Disconnect the battery, remove the connector, spray everything with the contact cleaner, then repeatedly plug and unplug the connector several times. Make sure everything is dry, plug the connector in, and then reconnect the battery.

 

Good point. It's simple to try this. I read that one had play in it and then jumped to a conclusion. It could be dirty or loose.

 

This is a good product and I've used it already on the PCM contacts too.

 

Hey guys thanks for the replies. So I ended up taking it to a shop to have the check engine light looked at. I figured two birds one stone deal. Turns out the computer is bad. A bad solder. The mechanic said he ran it for one minute and it mis fired on cylinder 1 86 times. So a new computer looks like the answer. When I get it I'll put it in and let you guys know.

 

You *could* try to repair the computer's bad soldier. It may be simple and cheap.

 

True. Just use a sharp etching tool to break the PCB coating and lay in a fresh solder bead. My son did that for his 95 V6 Camaro. It worked well.