Questions and Answers

Dodge Avenger Dies At Stops Q. Hi Vince, I have a 1996 Dodge Avenger ES with a 2.5 liter V-6. It has an automatic transmission, 105,000 miles, and fuel injection. My problem is that when I'm driving I get a hesitation or sputtering and I lose all power sometimes resulting in a stall other times the engine will just surge and I can continue on. I also will lose power and stall when I'm slowing down.

The car seems to stay running alright as long as I keep the engine revving above idle level. I took the car in for repair and the mechanic didn't get any error codes from the computer and he said the car was running fine.

Also, the problem only occurs after driving for a little while not at start up. There's a bunch of possibilities that could be the problem, can you help me narrow it down?

I appreciate your help.
Joe

A. It sounds to me like you have a Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid that is sticking on. Normally you could confirm this by unplugging the transmission connector, driving the car and see if the problem disappears.

Chrysler puts all their shift solenoids into one unit and unplugging it will put the transmission in "Limp-in" mode. You can try unplugging it and driving it and see what happens. But I think you may have to take it to Chrysler to get it tested when it is actually acting up.