Questions and Answers

Dodge Caravan Power Lose Q. Dear Vince, Help! I have a 1991 Dodge Caravan, 3.0 litre V-6, 148,500 miles, A/C, cruise and automatic transmission. My problem is that after a few minutes to an hour of driving, the gas seems to taper off significantly. I could be driving anywhere from 30 to 70 mph and without moving my foot from the gas pedal, the gas just starts dropping off.

To get going again I actually have to floor the gas which results in me lurching down the road as the gas drops off and I floor it. I have had this problem intermitantly for about a year and there seems to be no mechanic who can diagnose this problem. I have had a full tune up, replaced the wires including ignition, I have had a fuel induction done as well.

The mechanics tell me that unless I can bring it in when the problem presents itself there is nothing they can do. Unfortunately, the van has a mind of it's own and never does it when I need it to! Please help! Thanks so much for your time!

Sincerely,
Martin

A. I'm assuming you mean losing power when you say losing gas. Your mechanics are right, unless it displays the problem while they have it, it will be almost impossible to repair it.

However, if you put a gun to my head and made me make a guess, I would have to say it is the fuel pump. What would confirm this is if you could drive it with a fuel pressure gauge on it and note what it does when it starts losing power. If the fuel pressure starts dropping while it happens, then it is, indeed, the fuel pump.