I just replaced the heads on my 97 ram van 318. It ran great for about 20 minutes then it started stumbling and backfiring. I re-torqued the intake manifold and it ran great...for about 10 minutes. The problem comes and goes. When it's running bad, the air control valve on the throttle body is stuck open and sucking way too much air. If I partially cover the opening from the valve, the engine runs good. I replaced the valve and I still have the same intermittent problem. So it seems like something else is causing the valve to open. Any ideas?

 

Check your distributor cap for cracks or damage.

 

There is a TSB out for our 1994-2003 Ram Vans This page is for the v8, the link at the top is for getting to the V6

 

Distributor cap looks good.

 

Sorry, I didn't get the link for the TSB. Another odd thing is that when it starts coughing and backfiring, I don't get a check engine light. Shouldn't I be getting one? The code would be a big help.

 

Stev
the link does not work


jac11
replace the cap for $10...
you can't go with a visual inspection of the cap... bad caps look good
go with one with the gold colored metal instead of aluminum
replace the cap rotor too