Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 06-27-2015, 08:50 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
86Scotty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
Broken down in Page AZ

I've either got a fuel pump going out, an ignition problem, or severe vapor lock issues, or maybe a combination. I've been battling this for days. I'll explain more as I get to it. Anyway, our trip isn't going so great.
We just got towed to a KOA, a nice place actually, but a parking lot. I'm so glad I have a window unit AC in the van now. It's so damn hot here!

Anyway, stuck here until at least Monday when we can have the van looked at.


86Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2015, 08:54 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
jage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Parker, CO
Posts: 7,643
Re: Broken down in Page AZ

I broke a shock in Page. Well actually out behind lake powell, but I had the mount welded in page and couldn't find a replacement shock anywhere!

Replace your inline fuel filter at Autozone to start with. It's pretty easy (release the fuel pressure first) and could solve your problem.

I wish I could tell you Page was nice...
__________________
it was good to be back
jage is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2015, 08:58 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
86Scotty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
Re: Broken down in Page AZ

I have one on board. It's probably the only thing I haven't tried. The only reason I haven't is because I did it recently.
86Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2015, 09:29 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
mikracer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
Posts: 2,552
Re: Broken down in Page AZ

Bummer! I hope its an easy (and cheap) fix and you guys are able to get back to your family trip.
__________________
2005 E350 Chateau - V10 - Agile Offroad 4x4
2012 CTS-V Wagon - For the baby...
mikracer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2015, 09:41 PM   #5
Site Team
 
BroncoHauler's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Southern New Mexico
Posts: 10,177
Re: Broken down in Page AZ

Not that I would expect it, but any trouble codes, or CELs?
__________________
SMB-less as of 02/04/2012. Our savings account is richer, but our adventures are poorer.
BroncoHauler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2015, 10:27 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
jage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Parker, CO
Posts: 7,643
Re: Broken down in Page AZ

Quote:
Originally Posted by 86Scotty
I have one on board. It's probably the only thing I haven't tried. The only reason I haven't is because I did it recently.
Yeah but it sounds like crap got knocked loose and clogged it (if that's even it) which is in my experience how they usually fail- like all at once, not over a long period.

Also double check your air filter if you haven't... I know someone who drove halfway across Kansas with a mouse nest built in the air box on their van before it started having problems.
__________________
it was good to be back
jage is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2015, 10:29 PM   #7
REF
Senior Member
 
REF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Boulder, CO.
Posts: 2,552
Send a message via MSN to REF
Re: Broken down in Page AZ

Sorry to hear, there's some great fishing outfits below the dam or check out lone rock, big beach you can camp at on the lake or check out the slot canyons, I think to access you have to take a tour. Good luck with the fix...
__________________
'03 Ford E350 7.3L Diesel
(de)SMB'd Custom RB-50
Quigley 4X4 w/Deavers & Agile Offroad's R.I.P. package
CCV High Profile Pop Top
REF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2015, 10:54 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
carringb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
Re: Broken down in Page AZ

Any symptoms before it stopped running? Did it break down while driving or just tai to re-start?
__________________
2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
carringb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2015, 11:35 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
86Scotty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
Re: Broken down in Page AZ

Ok, I'll try to piece this together. It's been a bitch of a few days. About a year ago I had some stalling problems which I thought were an overheating coil. I thought this because I replaced my coil with a MSD one when I did the first tune up on my van, and just after that I read about how they often fail. I cooled it down with water, and time, and thought that was the problem so I put the OEM Motorcraft one back on. Fast forward one year. This trip I started getting the same symptom about the time I hit Colorado. Van starts up fine in the morning, then sputters to a halt a couple hours later, usually after a long or steep climb after the summer heat kicks in about midday every day. Just FYI, coolant temp is fine. The cooling system is not overheating. So I researched and came up with probably a bad ignition control module (ICM) probably overheating my coil. I bought a new coil and ICM, then it happened again. I coasted, literally, into a mechanic's shop in Durango yesterday afternoon after repeated stalls, then waits and eventual restarts. He quickly surmised that it was probably vapor lock and not ignition trouble at all. He recommended I fill it with pure gas due to the high ethanol content in the gas sold locally. He said he had seen a lot of vapor lock lately. I got a tow to a pure gas station nearby and filled up (from half to full) with ethanol free 88. The van ran fine the rest of the day, but that was only about an hour. I figured I had put just enough pure in it to solve the vapor lock problem.
Today, we woke up feeling we had conquered the problem and rolled on through Monument Valley. About midday, when the heat kicked in, it stalled again. I was at half tank fuel. I got to thinking this has to be a bad fuel pump, not vapor lock. It overheats at half tank and will restart when you top it off and the pump is cooled by the full tank of fresh fuel, but this time 93 (10% ethanol) because that's all that was available. Wrong again. 30 minutes later it was sputtering and stalling again. So I'm thinking the fuel pump finally died and I had it towed. When it was unloaded off the truck, just like previous times, it started right up and ran long enough to get to my site.

So, fuel pump? Could one go slowly or do they just quit?

Vapor lock? Then how come it wouldn't run today after I waited a half hour or more like in previous days?

Ignition module? Still unsure if it's even ignition related.

I did scan the codes a few times with my cheesy obdI scanner, and I got nothing but a lean bank 1 code.

HELP! I'm sitting here burning vacation days.
86Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-28-2015, 12:14 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
MadScience's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: SF Peninsula
Posts: 809
Re: Broken down in Page AZ

Fuel pumps can go intermittent, but in my experience (on 80s european cars) they don't just start working again without having the crud shaken out of them (a tow might do) or getting a good whack.

A lean condition can indicate an air leak after the MAF. Depending on how things came apart, this can be intermittent and will result in loss of power followed by a stall. I'd check all the plastic ducting. Give it a all a good tug to make sure nothing can create a gap.

Swapping the fuel filter is not only easy, but when you pull the old one, you can dump it into a cup and see if it was full of crud.
__________________

'99 EB ex ENG KSWB news van, low rent 4x4 conversion (mostly fixed by now), home built interior.
MadScience is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:28 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.