HELP!!! Rough idle hesitation when taking off? Mechanics have no clue

Hello, Try spraying FI throttle body cleaner, making sure you get the idle air passage located before the butterfly; worked for me.

it might be a shorted wire. try putting the front on rollers with the hood open and look at the engine and simulate the condition. it could also be a gas tank rush (gas rushin away from the pickup tube).

scan tools don't get everthing. you could have a bad wire that can cause an injector to be shorted and make the engine to shake until the stort is gone. that's old school, not many places teach that. check your wires.

Hi, Check for clogged fuel injectors or TPS.

remember he just had the ac compresor put in.

I had the same exact thing happen after a new air condition sensor. 2003 w/89k in the past 3 months: -replaced a/c system -power steering flushed because it made noises at low speed -had misfire so they replaced plugs/wires, still had problem, then replaced crank sensor, then cam sensor, then flex plate (Finally stopped the missfire problem) -while checking for misfire problem, they also checked injectors, vavle springs -rough idle - changed idle control valve, throttle position sensor, cleaned throttle body, adjusted idle in their computer Still it idles rough after it's been running for 5-10 minutes, then 4-5 out of 10 times, when I take off, it hesitates really bad, then after a couple of grunts, it works ok till I take off after another 4-5 times. It's getting so frustrating, I think I'm going to trade it back into the used car dealer. Any last requests? Could it be a fuel filter, pump, cat converter?????

Have the TPS checked.

check fuel pressure.

Hi , Did you ever get it fixed? I just started having that problem THIS Morning after having my water pump replaced after overheating. I figure when i overheated and my sensor didnt go off for Temp , maybe some other sensors were also damaged.

its the egr valve how much you want to bet lol

It is the fuel injector wiring harness. I had to replaced mine, of course after it fried the main Controll module. Harness located on top on the engine and due to the heat wires break down and shorten over time. You will have to remove the intake in order to replaced them. There is also a plug disconnect under and behind the coil ignition.Make sure you unplug cables from battery also.

Why the hell don't people repost when the have their problem fixed or post that they are abandoning the issue?! It sure would help many people!

haveing the same problem runs fine untill i turn on the air after i turn on the air it starts to stumble real bad 2001 town and country van any ideas

Have you done a motor mount check? Put car in drive and foot on brake and have someone look at engine while you rev it up and see how much the engine moves. Idle air control valve, Maf sensor? is there a noise?, possible worn ac compressor and causing the engine to not be able to maintain idle. If its that the ac will eventually seize up and break the belt. There are occasions when more accessories on causes voltage strain and affects the idle. I still haven't found the cause of mine, thought Lincoln says its the 5% compression drop in one cylinder which I can't believe. Replacing motor mounts because my body mount bushings were totally destroyed so it makes sense that the mounts may have too much play but I will know next week.

I just pulled out the tras the oil pump gear in tork converter broke i relpased the torkconverter / Used In mean time my trans mount on left was broke The sub frame behind trans rust away at steering rocken pinnon , i will schan and will change plugs just changed both site hubs . will bearung left rotor rust away . i will change that right site staboliser w joints on both end has to be change Muffler cxonnection is rust away I bought the rusty junk 2003 windstar my god i paid 1200 for it trans went out on first trip in just gona put it together i my change egr walve and tps cencer i hope after will run better i will put it out For sale nexst time i take it for a right i tought i got a good dill oh fuel filter also be changed I nuse bto by Windstar and tauruses webstreped a bunck i even cut off half of the car was in exidant , and sold those but i never by rusty junks like this one of cours 163 thousand mile aftre what do is expect , I wondwer if they got recals yet for rusty subframes and Rubber mount bushings for sub frame. , Well

I just pulled out the tras the oil pump gear in tork converter broke i relpased the torkconverter / Used In mean time my trans mount on left was broke The sub frame behind trans rust away at steering rocken pinnon , i will schan and will change plugs just changed both site hubs . will bearung left rotor rust away . i will change that right site staboliser w joints on both end has to be change Muffler cxonnection is rust away I bought the rusty junk 2003 windstar my god i paid 1200 for it trans went out on first trip in just gona put it together i my change egr walve and tps cencer i hope after will run better i will put it out For sale nexst time i take it for a right i tought i got a good dill oh fuel filter also be changed I nuse bto by Windstar and tauruses webstreped a bunck i even cut off half of the car was in exidant , and sold those but i never by rusty junks like this one of cours 163 thousand mile aftre what do is expect , I wondwer if they got recals yet for rusty subframes and Rubber mount bushings for sub frame. , Well !?

I have an 03 dodge caravan. With in the last 6 months I've had to replace the throttle position sensor 3 times. I got it fixed less than a week ago and this morning the check engine light came on and the van started shaking horribly. If I left off the gas and press the gas peddle all the way it will accelerate without hesitation. The only code it will read is the throttle position sensor. Is there anything else that could be making this sensor short out and the van hesitate?

I have an 05 dodge caravan changed the rear motor mount still surges shakes hesates at idle an take off. changed the timing?belt. still does the same any one have aidea what could be wrong please help

96 CARAVAN, was running fine till the AC compressor was replaced....sound familiar? Now it has a rough idle, almost like it's skipping. I'm replacing fuel filter, doing routine maintenance items, and having it turned in for plugs and plug wires ( cause I can't get to the back 3) and to have them diagnose the rough idle....I will repost next week with the verdict, and let you know if it actually works. We'll see.

Had my check engine light come on today on my 2007 Grand Caravan (147K miles) after it started progressively running rough (skipping sensation) over the past week. Started out just a couple hesitations on the drive home (~40 min) last Friday. Today it was noticeable on the way to work, but on the way home it was pronounced. Check engine light came on just as I pulled into my drive. Had the fuel pump replaced last fall (wouldn't start one morning) and was told then that the fuel filter needed changing but was in the gas tank, so not able to replace it unless I had the tank pulled/replaced. The van would attempt to stall if I filled the tank - both before and after having the fuel pump replaced. I sense it's a fuel injection/flow issue from the way the engine feels when it hesitates. Had a tune up two years ago and the transmission flushed last year. Oddly enough, I just had the van in two days ago for inspection and it passed fine. Oil level was good and the mechanic mentioned the coolant was low, so added some.

I have 2005 Grand caravan (145K miles). I've had check engine light, rough idling problem for a month now...only does this in the morning of when van is first started during first five minutes, especially when slowing down to a stop sign or light or when it's first started in afternoon. After 5-10 minutes, rough idling stops but check engine light stays on. If used later in the day, check engine light stays off and there is no rough idling. Took to Dodge dealership. First diagnosis was lower intake caskets leaking and oil pan gasket leaking. So, they installed intake manifold gasket, installed seal for intake manifold and installed gasket for oil pan. Next day runs fine. Two days later same problem check engine light/rough idling, took back to same Dodge Dealership...they diagnosed injector connector #4 was loose, so they tightened it up. Next day, runs fine. Two days later same problem: check/engine light/rough-idling. Third time took to local mechanic said spark plugs and wiring needed to be replaced. Next day, runs fine, Two days later same problem: check engine light/rough idling. Probably going to take back to second mechanic and offer up some of the solution/ideas above to get checked out.

Follow-up (because I know some of you like resolutions): Just picked up my van from the shop - despite having it tuned up a year ago (correction from my original post - time flies when you're having fun), the manufacturer-recommended plugs (Champion) were not used and the coil was not replaced (not recommended at that time?). The plugs, and subsequently, wires went bad; hence, the hesitation and check engine light last Thurs. Plugs (this time Champions), wires and coil replaced and the van is running smooth. Only had to pay for the coil (part, no labor). One note - I have used this repair shop for the past 8 years and they've always been honest with repairs. Having worked in the auto service department in a large dealership many years ago, that's saying a lot. Best of luck to all of you in resolving your car issues.

I have worked with older buicks inthe pas and had trouble with idle until I accidently oveerloaded the carburtor and caused a back fire that cleaned the exhaust manifold and blew black stuff all the way across the road. Idled smooth as silk after that. I also found that replacing a gas cap relieved the problem at times. The troulble now is that since there is no carb one has by pass the injectors with gas. Dont't try it if you don't know w hat you are doin.

Hey all, posted this a little while back...sorry for the delay.----------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 96 CARAVAN, was running fine till the AC compressor was replaced....sound familiar? Now it has a rough idle, almost like it's skipping. I'm replacing fuel filter, doing routine maintenance items, and having it turned in for plugs and plug wires ( cause I can't get to the back 3) and to have them diagnose the rough idle....I will repost next week with the verdict, and let you know if it actually works. We'll see.______________________________________________________ ____________ SO after, plugs, plug wires, fuel filter, and 2 tanks full of sea foam injector cleaner (as recommended by the guys who did the fixing), this ole 96 Caravan runs 100% better and no longer sputters. It's been a couple months now, and still running fine. The mechanic said that the next step would've been the coil, but these fixes worked just fine. Maybe that'll help.

Hi I had a check engine Light stay on and a low rpm idle 150, rough Idle it what felt like a rough idle was bad motor mounts, and the light ended up being a nuchals vacuum leak detections Valve it is mounted by the gas tank on a dodge grand caravan 3.8 v6 motor

I just got a 2005 dodge caravan, hesitate when ac is on...ive read some posts, but i think its a simple fix.... WEAK BATTERY. the battery draws alot of juice, and can fool up engine and transmission performance....off to autozone to check the battery.... it could be that and much more.....lets see.

I have a 01 grand caravan sport 3.3 that had the same issue (after van has ran for awhile when you come to a stop the idle is really rough. almost like it wants to stall. then when you let off the brake and give it gas it hesitates and stumbles before accelerating) my van started this the day after I replaced the water pump and then I read the post on many sights and before long I spent a lots of money replacing things that was ok until I went on amazon.com and got a cheap obd2 scanner , and found it was just a MAP sensor , I cleaned the egr tube and replaced the gaskets ,I replaced the fuel pump , the fuel pressure regulator , the o2 sensor fuel filter , plugs . plug wires , cleaned the tbi and then replaced it , replaced the tps and the air idle control valve, and the pcv valve , and the fuel injector wiring harness oil and oil filter , added fuel injector cleaner , oh and the gas cap , when my wife said no more I then logged in to my amazon account and found a cheap obd2 scanner called maxiscan for under 20 bucks and when I pluged it in and ran the codes it cam up with a P0 107 and P0 108 , and then went to auto zone and spent 51.95 for a map sensor , so if you have the issue with your van like I see that many do check the map sensor first

These guys are right use Chemtool and spray inside the throttle body while running very good to clean it up also have someone show you the throttle position sensor and change it out. It is not very expensive. These two things should fix your problem .. thanks

I have a 04 town and country and it starts shaking in ideal and service light starts blinking. it will do that for awhile and then you cut it off and when you crank it back up it may or may not do it is reading misfire in two of the cylinders. but it comes and goes I have replaced plugs wires coils and o2 sensor but still does it

in response to question: hesitation on application of throttle from stop. vehicle for reference: 2001 grand caravan 3.8 litre 240k miles. 1) confirm no engine codes by quickly turning ignition switch from off to accessory 3 times in a row, leave in accessory. If you have codes, resolve these first. bad TPS, shorted injector coils, bad ignition module, bad air injection valve, bad map sensor and bad intake temp sensor will report codes. Don't shotgun parts if you dont have fail codes. 2) confirm your plugs and wires are in decent shape. iridium plugs last 100k easily. 3) is your air filter clean? if the above is good, then I found that the egr valve (long metal tube from front of intake manifold connects to this valve on lower left front of engine to exhaust manifold). is often the culprit. hot exhaust gases flow through this valve to intake manifold and the valve gets hindered by carbon deposits over time. the design isn't great, but replacing this $ 60 part AND it's two gaskets can make a noticeable improvement. don't use an aftermarket part, they have shorter life. much of the carbon build-up in your intake manifold comes from this gem, also causing problems by gunking up the air idle port on the intake manifold prior to the throttle plate. use some carb cleaner to clean this port which is close to the throttle plate. This egr valve degradation doesn't cause an engine code. A positive check is to block off the egr port on the intake manifold to see if hesitation is cured. note that doing so will cause an engine code to activate eventually, so it isn't a workaround.

IF THIS STARTED AFTER YOU CHANGED replaced the compressor. THEN I WOULD SAY GO BACK OVER THE WORK TO THE compressor, IF EVERY THING IS GOOD RE CHANGE THE compressor IT IS PROBLE A BAD PART

with respect to tonyca3001, and others who have responded similarly, when a repair of one system causes another symptom to surface, it does not necessarily mean the repair is at fault. If the ac is now functioning properly, the compressor and other AC components are good. When A/C comes on, especially at idle or very low speeds, the load on the engine is increased, dropping engine rpm a bit, which the PCM computer compensates for, but if the mixture is already off due to the EGR valve, MAP sensor, vacuum leak, bad injector, or many other issues, the rough idle or cutout on accel will be made worse. That means the new compressor just enhances the already present issue.

"Is the egr valve how much you want to bet lol" Ihad the exact same same symptoms. I tries the egr valve and problem fixed. :)

"Is the egr valve how much you want to bet lol" Ihad the exact same same symptoms. I tries the egr valve and problem fixed. :) thanks for the help robert

I wanted to chime in since most come here with the problem with no fix. This will be a long story but worth reading I promise ok so here it goes. I recently purchased a 2005 dodge caravan 3.3 v6 with 168000 miles when I got it the check engine light was on for the o2 sensor closet to the engine or before the catalytic converter I made the first mistake by purchasing bosch replacement o2 sensors DO NOT DO THIS they did not work I swapped them out for densco o2 sensors 1st problem solved (be mindful they switched o2 sensors mid production year on this model so it made a difference what month your van was made) ok next issue I was having was surging and rpm going up and down for no reason I replaced several parts= coil pack spark plugs and wires and the IAC all were realitivly cheap but did not fix issue so I read and read and spoke to several mechanics no solid answers until I spoke to my dad who has a 2005 Chrysler basically same van and he said he had similar issue and it ended up bad EGR VALVE ding ding ding I replaced problem solved. Ok last issue I have had was car instrument panel would go off and van would lose power even sometimes stall also i noticed head lights flickering at night now this one was tricky instanly I thought battery, alternator, instrument cluster all checked out ok so what next? Ground issue well yes but when I ohm out all working so what the heck? After hours of readig forums I was ready to give up I took one more look at all the ground wires from negative terminal on battery one is attached to instrument cluster and one attached to the body under battery tray after examing closely I found a small amount of corrosion on both which was causig bad connections I removed corrosion and repaired connection via soldering new mounting brackets and problem solved hopefully this helps at least one person out here have a good one all

I have a 2010 Caravan. After I replaced the plugs and wires (turns out it was the coil pack so I changed that next) it started stalling mostly when at the lights. Then It started hesitating for just a milli second when leaving the lights. It would always start up again. So I went to Mopar wires and problem solved. How weird is that? The wires I used were Champion.

Remove front sparks plug to see if there are oil residue, if oil is passing the valve pistons rings, this can prevent the cylinder to ignite properly. Clean or replace the EGR Valve and replace the ignition coil. Also check the weatherstrip in the car hood because if the rain water gets inside (engine and related parts) it will cause engine misfire for the water making contact with the electric parts (engine coil, sparks plugs).

Check to make sure the 2 wire temp sensor is plugged in tight and no broken plug or wires. The 2 wire feeds the ECM and can cause problems if not connected. I beleive on these 3.3 it is close to the compressor

Ok my 2004 caravan has ran great, last night came home fine, this morning started it and i could tell it sounded weird idling, like it had a small hole in the muffler kinda sputtering, so when i gave it gas it sounded like there was a few foul plugs or something, so i Drive it and it would take the fuel when giving it like 1/3 the throttle but anymore than that and it jerked and hesitated like it wanted to stall out, im hoping its something easy because its a bad time for cash i only get paíd bi-weekly so wishful thinking, lol, i see some similar comments saying it is the egr valve? Any help appreciated.

Check the valve in back of engine theres a hose that runs from it to the side of air intake i pinched the rubber part where it connects to the air intake manifold and all my problems disappeared. At the time i pinched the hose for a few seconds by hand my van was idling rough but when i let go the rpms picked up and van was running smoothly and has been ever since neighbor who is an retired mechanic thinks the valve was stuck which was giving me lean codea and random misfires due to improper mixtures. I had jeard a hissing noise coming from that side of the engine and a whoosh in the intake when i hit the gas but since they have both disappeared cant remember what the valve was called off hand

My 96 Dodge Grand Caravan -129K mi - Had a problem w sputtering/hesitation/jerking on accelerating after stopping at a light. First time this has ever happened. Pulled off road and turned engine off (in a panic). Thought would need 2 b towed. Engine off. Hood up -- smelled burning like burning oil/fuel smell right away (lasted just a min.). It had rained a lot earlier and recently. Car has had problem w/ water leaking in under glovebox in past (we kept plastic tub under glove box to help catch rainwater) but then it mysteriously stopped leaking about 3 mos ago. Weird. One post earlier mentioned water getting into engine area could cause hesitation problems ? It was dry outside at this time, however even thought it had rained a lot earlier. Van does need maintenance work (plugs, etc). After 1 hr, started van and drove back home -- didn't show any problem then - Hmmm?. Haven't driven in 2 days b/c worried it will stall out & not start. AAA driver had suggested problem could be dirty fuel filter. (We had AAA tow truck follow us home in case van stalled out & wouldn't start -- but we made it w/out another incident). Am looking for a decent garage (oh lord) to do maintenance (spark plugs, fuel filter, etc.). How expensive does this kind of maintenance run - what to expect???? Have been ripped off in the past. Answers please -

My 2001 caravan had the jerking problemwhen I stopped at red light or so as well after I got the motor replaced. After doing some reading I decided to get the spark plugs and cables checked out first and after the egr valve. For my van it was a faulty spark plug cable that did it. After replacing all the spark plugs (they already needed to be replaced too) and cables it runs great again. Thanks to all for the great forum.

Since the ac compressor was changed out, have a mechanic check the refrigerant level in the ac system. A high refrigerant level can also be causing rough idle with ac engaged.

i need help i have a 2005 dodge carvan sxt v6 and i have had the cam shaft sensor problem i have changed the sensor along with the crank sensor and i am still having the check engine light is still coming on and it says its the cam shaft sensor any help would be great seeing that this car carries my wife and kids thank you

2003 Dodge Caravan 3.3. Had the same problem. Intermittent rough idle. Worse with AC on. I changed the plugs and wires and coil pack. Had a bad spark plug cable at the coil pack end. Rusted cable end and corroded contact stud on coil pack. Runs great now. Dont be put off of replacing the back plugs. Remove the windshield assembly and you can reach the easily. got through the whole job and reassembled in under 2 hours. I am NOT a mechanic. Watch the Youtube video on removal of windshield wiper assemble.

Change ignition coil I changed mine had the same prob especially with air conditioner on it takes less than 20 mins running great now I had previously changed plugs and wires air idle control valve motor mounts it was the coil https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/c4/part s/-49999417? vehicleIdSearch=146811&isAllVehicle=false

Check the injector harness which plugs in by the ignition coils as they are prone to meting... Believe me It took me a month googling and it was as simple as that. 6 inches of each wire was melted and arcing between each other. I then hot glued each wire to coat it and then put black electrical tape over each. Van now runs like new again.... No sensors... I'm just saying... Start with the basics and check the harness where it plugs into the main harness. Dodge put it right above the exhaust and should have put it up a foot higher. I zipped tied mine after up higher...

If you remove the windshield wiper housing on the firewall you can access the rear of the engine bay fairly easy. I removed it when I changed the motor on my 1998 grand caravan. Or you can take the top of the intake manifold off.

Convertible is stopped up and it's real real red where the motor at down by the muffler what can I do about it is it going to set a fire

Sounds like maybe pcv valve that's what was causing mine to be numb like it had no power?

I’ve been driving my van for over a year with a hesitation problem. The only a code was for a misfire. I found out it was the Crankshaft Position Sensor, works great now.

One issue I had was a misfire on my mini van got fixed helped a bit but still hesitated going up hills and excelerating over 80km figured out I needed to replace old rad hoses that go from engine to rad, motor was sucking the old soft rubber closed after that van ran awesome

Hm lots of symptoms but not really any solutions. Well we have a 1995 Dodge Caravan 3.0 base model not even power windows. I am about to blow this thing up. Ok here is what it does, when it wants. Cold start up, maybe. If you crank it and hold the gas pedal to the floor it will sputter and as it does that you slowly let off the gas and it comes to life, it does not do this every time. Other times it fires right off. Then at times coming up to a stop, or backing off the throttle it wants to or does die. You have to do the 2 foot pedal thing, little brake along with gas pedal. Sometimes it dies, put in neutral and fires back up. It does not do this every time. Now when it is hot outside it gets even more challenging. It might decide to die, let cool down and re-start. Then it may be running fine then "POW!!" in to chuggling and stuttering. A lot like an old carburetor if the choke was trying to close. This thing is strange. It has no crank sensor, no cam sensor. It is multi point fuel injection, and the distributor is not a hall effect. It has a cap n rotor. The distributor has a "disk" where the old electronic plate was. The coil is putting out a good strong blast. Now stuff changed, due to needing: Cap n rotor, looked like an electrical explosion happened in it. Plugs, they needed it as the electrodes had worn down. Timing belt and water pump, belt busted. Fuel pump, it went south. Fuel filter, framed mounted, did not have the usual black colored gunk coming out. Connected a Snap On scroll scanner did not pull any codes and read "safe to operate". Gas mileage has never been "wow" in this thing. Around town around 18 mpg, highway around 22-25 or so. It does not have ABS either. The throttle body is a Holley also, no mass air flow sensor. I can not find the idle control solenoid either. If with these symptoms if anyone has any direction to look I would appreciate it. Oh yeah alternator is bosch and has been changed and battery holds solid at 12.86 volts after 30 second load.

One place to check is Mitsubishi forums for this year engine. The 3.0 litre engine used in Dodge products (Sebring, vans, etc) was made by Mitsubishi and used Mitsubishi controls and engine management.

I have a 2002dodge grand caravan sport with flex fuel. Started missing when gas tank got down to 1/8 of a tank. Changed fuel filter. Still missing. Got code P0304 so changed plugs and wires. Still missing. Code gone though. Then the engine started dumping raw fuel into exhaust and exhaust got hot. So changed fuel injectors. Still missing and still dumping raw fuel. Changed coil pack. Now not only is it missing its popping in the cylinder and dumping raw fuel. I also checked wiring harness. I'm at a loss as to what to do now. Help please!!!