2001 Dodge caravan issue

[vanessa92]

Hi everyone , so I've just bought a 2001 Dodge caravan , drove it home had to fix the throttle postion sensor , van ran perfect drove to work , did a bit of running around, went to start my van up and it was idealing werid and acting like it was going to stall , check engine light came on and the battery light came on. New fuel pump and new fuel filter has been done still with no change at first it would always start up but run crappy , now it won't start at all just turns over. When plugged into computer it was mass air flow sensor , im just wondering if this would cause the van to run this way , any help would be great. Thanks

 

[LennyZ]

No free Ipad?

 

[mmntech]

I see the problem here. You're driving a Dodge Caravan. Take it into the shop and ask to have the Miata upgrade installed. :sneaky:

 

[BUTCH1]

First off to the other posters, if you don't have anything to help this man then there is no need to troll the thread with "you drive a shitbox, buy another car" comments, I drive a 9yr old car myself because it's all I can afford at this time. Now OP, why did you replace the fuel pump and filter if the battery light came on?, get or buy a DMM (digital multi-meter) and check the output of the charging system, it should be around 13.8 volts with the vehicle running. Another option is you can remove the alternator and battery and Advance auto will check both of them for free. Two possibilities I can think of is very low battery voltage is causing your fuel pump to deliver low pressure to the injectors or you MAF sensor is dirty and needs to be cleaned, they sell a special spray for that, it's a simple job, it's located right behind the air intake box somewhere behind the air filter, if cleaning it does not help it may need to be replaced. also check the condition of the air filter itself, if it's never been changed on a vehicle that old there is a good chance it's clogged and is restricting the air intake to the engine, the ECU (the engine computer) will detect the poor flow and throw a code for the MAF sensor. You can read your own codes with a cheap ELM327 OBD2 code reader and a smartphone/tablet app called "Torque" which can be downloaded for free from Android play store, the paid version (pro) is only $5. Here is a link to the ELM scanner for $16.95 from Amazon, there are also tons of 'em on Ebay for around the same price, good luck and let us know how your making out.
http://www.amazon.com/ELM327-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Scanner-Scantool/dp/B0051CAE1C

 

[LennyZ]

BUTCH1 took the bait.

 

[BUTCH1]

BUTCH1 took the bait.

No, there is no "bait", he's not linking anything or spamming anything, he just needs some help figuring out what's wrong with his vehicle. Posting "where's my Ipad" is acting like a jackass in the Garage IMO..

 

[LennyZ]

^Jackass

 

[BUTCH1]

^Jackass

Go fuck youself, you have nothing to offer in the Garage because your the type that would balk at adding air to a tire, a fucking sad, sorry excuse for a man, don't like my opinion?, report it dickwipe.

 

[danzigrules]

if my memory serves me right, the MAF can be unplugged, then start the van. If it runs better try to clean it with CRC mass air flow cleaner and plug it back in. If it runs right, clear codes and be on your way. If not replace it then be on your way.

 

[LennyZ]

Thanks BITCH1, But you are wrong on all counts.
You are pathetic, And you sound like you have anger issues.
Go beat your wife or whatever people like you do.

Btw just flashed a tune for my ECM and TCM and installed a CAI.
Checked my air pressure just the other day too!

 

[BUTCH1]

Thanks BITCH1, But you are wrong on all counts.
You are pathetic, And you sound like you have anger issues.
Go beat your wife or whatever people like you do.

Btw just flashed a tune for my ECM and TCM and installed a CAI.
Checked my air pressure just the other day too!

Oh my how impressive, you downloaded different software for you car and installed an intake pipe, let us know when you've had something more than a screwdriver in your hands, now go tailgate people and play with your fart-can muffler or whatever it is punks like you do.

 

[Zenmervolt]

BOTH of you will stop now.

Lenny, new users come into the Garage with car questions all the time. There's no need to insinuate that they're spammers.

Butch, you've been here long enough that you should know better than to feed into this sort of thing.

If either (or both) of you continue this you'll get more than an infraction.

Zenmervolt - AnandTech Moderator

 

[BUTCH1]

if my memory serves me right, the MAF can be unplugged, then start the van. If it runs better try to clean it with CRC mass air flow cleaner and plug it back in. If it runs right, clear codes and be on your way. If not replace it then be on your way.

Yea, that's a possibility too, with the MAF disconnected the ECU should fall back into "limp" mode. OP, if this fails to help and your MAF is in fact bad you might want to try and get one from a bone-yard as they are usually expensive and sometimes it comes as imbedded as part of the intake assembly and you cannot just replace the sensor alone hence the hefty price for these.