This issue started before i went on a 100mile trip out of state with the van. detailed post and the problem seems mysterious... first strange symptom- i was sitting in the van after getting home from work, i noticed when i turned the key on i couldnt crank it, so i wiggled my battery cables and that seemed to fix the problem.. the van started right up and ran the whole 100 mile trip. although I noticed engine stress under load when going up a steep hill, like it was struggling to keep engine power and would even stutter / misfire. so any way i made the trip there and back with no problems other than the stutter on steep hills. shortly after, i am driving around town and the van dies after slowly crossing a speed bump. so i go back to electrical, found the red cable was loose so i tightened the connecter and replaced Coil just to rule that out of the equation. So after that repair the van seems to run fine untill i hit another bump in the road/ pothole. then the van acts like its rapidly dying and reviving simultaneously. speedometer will drop and check engine light will come on, as if you put the van in neutral and turned the key off. it does that but jolts back up to speed and the engine light goes OFF.. so imagine that happening simultaneously while driving ( a very nasty hick-up) sometimes it would die and sometimes it would manage to stay running. so today it really crapped out on me and died everytime i let off the gas, plus didnt want to start up without foot on the gas or stay running without foot on gas.....so i pulled into auto store and replaced alternator immediately. van started up no problem and stayed runnning idle with no foot on gas.. so im driving home and hit another bump in the road and the van gave me small symptoms of dying, but it held up much stronger.... what could be causing this? ive checked all battery connections and im getting 12.7 V from battery. little to no corrosion, possible loose terminal? sensors? -

Frustrated Flooring installer. not a mechanic 😂

 

First I would inspect the rest of the battery cable connections, both cables, both ends. If the cables check out fine then the stalling along with the lack of power uphill suggests a failing fuel pump.

 

I get fuel pressure and hear the buzz at rear end. this almost seems like an electrical issue. could a bad ignition be the problem? while the van is running, either in park, drive or neutral, it will randomly loose power. while in park and neutral it will die completely and restart sometimes harsh. but while driving it will rapidly die then revive. as if you were turning the ignition back off(accesory) and forward i on. (starter engage position) so strange I don't know where to start

 

Have you replace the ASD relay?? Your symptoms *might* signs of one that is failing. (it provides power to ignition, and the fuel pump relay.)

 

no I have not. so far I have replaced spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor.. alternator, main coil box. ignition distributor pick up. after replacing all of those the van will run good for a while but then the nasty hick up and loss of power comes back.

 

time for an indy

 

what does this mean?

 

could this be my ignition switch as well?

 

i recently posted about a weird stalling/ total loss of power issue i was having with my 97 dodge B3500 5.9... So in order - here are the parts ive replaced. also keep in mind while i replaced each of these parts, the severe stalling/ total engine (electrical) power loss would subside for 20-30 miles, before returning back to having the severe stall and total engine power loss which led to me replacing a new part each time. always seemed like an electrical short while driving. it would drop speed gauge and illuminate check engine light. as if you turned the key off. rapidly off-on-off-on WHILE DRIVING...(nasty hickup) key still in the run position
Started with spark plugs, wires and coil (blackbox with plug wire leading to middle of distributor cap)
2nd- Alternator
3rd- new cap, rotor
4th- new ignition distributor pick up. (thin black plate that sits under the distributor cap connected to few wires and a plug)

Lastly today i replaced the Ignition switch module. ....i found what may have been the fix to the stalling / engine shut off, but soon ran into a new issue...
Although with the new ignition switch installed, it cranked and started fast but died as soon as i let the key back to run position(no throttle applied).... 2nd crank and started again but kept throttle applied, engine ran until i let off throttle...as if it had no idle power. so i kept it in park and gave it gas for a while,took it for a drive and eventually it smoothed itself out? now it is running fine and giving me no stalls or rapid power outages or gauge drops.....i can go out there now and it will start up quick and idle smooth.. is this something that the computer automatically relearns when installing a new ignition switch module? did it just need a minute to relearn the new ignition switch ?? wonder if its been compensating power from all the worn parts ive recently replaced and relearning new data? also found that my driver door buzzer does not buzz while door is open, compared to before the buzzer would stay on as long as the door was opened. this went out around the time i first started having stall engine power loss issues... now it will only buzz shortly while key is on accesory then goes away after a few seconds. One more thing i noticed is my power locks and unlock doesnt work anymore either. i have a switch on my driver side and passenger doors to unlock all of my doors at once, also have a key fob, suddenly none of these work. Feel like my van had a severe heat stroke. any and all help/ suggestions appreciated.

 

I see you posted another post about this, You should keep it under this post as others may not know the posts here on it. It sounds like you have multiple issues. Get the fuel pressure tested, It wouldn't hurt to drive around with it on there either to see if the pressure drops then comes back up. A bad crank sensor can fail(not giving a signal to the pcm) and will cause the engine to die(while driving). Third the plenum gasket fails on these engines and can cause stumbles/backfires and loss of power. Lastly if all others check out your IAC may be on it's way out. This will cause the engine to die after first start.