I have a 1995 Dodge Stratus that is in excellent condition. It is the 6 cyl. Mitsibishi(sp?) engine. It has 84,000 miles on it and I bought it last summer from a "grandma" that just babied the car.

I have been having trouble with it stalling at low idle....like at stop lights or slowing through a turn. It will also somtimes "buck" when driving a faster speeds. Both of these problems came at the same time. It has been in and out of the local dealership 5 times now and I still have the problem. Most of the time the "Check engine soon" light does NOT come on. The strange thing is when it is running well, it runs very well. That is why I keep trying to fix it. Here is what we have done so far:

* A complete tune-up. Wires, distributor cap, plugs etc.

* Replaced Crank Censor because it "coded" it.

* Reset and re-programed computer.

* Cleaned throttle body (?)

* Replaced MAP Censor because it "coded" it.

* Reset and re-programed computer.

It is still doing it.

We are stuck. I have already put just under $1,000 into it. What are your opinions out there?

Thank you in advance!

 

If the bucking happened while you are letting up on, or pressing down on, the accelerator, I would look at the TPS. If it happened at a consistent speed, then maybe some areas like fuel pressure (or filters), coil, or possibly intermittent computer.
Stalling at low rpms might have me looking for a vacuum leak too, but I wouldn’t think that would mess with high rpms as much.
Hope you get some better directions than that, but it is all I can think of right now.

Vince

 

Thanks B-52. Although it has been rare, the bucking has only happened when at the same speed even while the cruise control is on.

The biggest problem is the stalling out at low rpm....at a stop light/sign or while in a slow turn. It has never stalled out while my foot is on the gas.

 

Any other suggestions out there? I do not want to believe (like I was warned) that Chrysler products are "throw away" after 80,000 miles....

Thank you in advance.

 

The stalling part is the easy one. My car di the same thing at around the same miles (95,000) and it was the EGR valve. Was told by a Dodge mechanic that it is a very common problem. The diaphram on the vacuum side of the EGR valve goes bad and creates a vacuum leak. To see if this is what is causing your stalling problem find the vacuum line that runs down to the EGR valve and plug it off with a golf tee. Take the car for a ride and I bet the stalling stops. You canrun it like this for a bit but it will eventually turn the check engine light on. If it stops stalling just replace the EGR valve. As for the other problem where it bucks mine has been doing that for a long time and I still can not figure it out and I have 194,000 miles on it now. If you find out what is causeing the bucking let me know. Let me know how you make out with the stalling problem but I bet money it is the EGR valve.