Chrysler Repair: 2001 T&C: Stalling/hard starting, no codes., code situation, alternator problem

Question
QUESTION: History: Van has just at 150,000 miles on it. Drove around 150 miles with several stops over the last 30 miles. While driving in city traffic, lost power. Engine still on and turning RPMs, but acted like not getting fuel. Pulled over and then van would not restart. No warning lights of any type. All electrical components i.e. radio, a/c and lights working. Towed back to home. Next morning mechanic got started, thought it was the starter but could not duplicate problem. Now have to crank 4 to 5 times before van will start. Tested at Auto Zone. Told that battery was good and strong, starter okay but alternator only putting out 40 amps. Still not convinced either diagnosis is really the problem. Once the van starts, has been running normal- no warning lights, no stalling/loss of power or other symptoms. Would the totality of problems be traceable to an alternator problem or would it be more in the computer area? Thanks for any information you might have for me.

Jeff

ANSWER: Hi Jeff,
I presume you have no fault codes from the Autozone readout. The alternator output could be due to the battery being well charged and so long as the battery voltage warning light is off while you are driving I would not worry about the claimed 40 amp. The amps output depends upon the voltage level perceived by the pcm.
So we have basically a hard start/spontaneous shut down at low speeds with no code situation. You say it seems starved of fuel which may be another way of saying the mixture is 'lean'. My suggestion would be to go to the egr valve, located in a small pipe that branched off the right side manifold and goes bact to the throttle body. In that pipe you will find the valve which has a round vacuum operated top, a flange in between that and the valve body that is mounted in the pipe. Inside the flange you will see a rod which is the valve stem. There is a circumferential slot in the valve which you can insert the tip of a screwdriver into and thus move the stem back and forth, against spring-action in one direction the tries to close the valve. Try testing the action to see if the stem closes tightly on it own. If it seems sticky then spray some WD-40 on the stem where it enters the body and work it back and forth to free the 'action'. When the engine is started, idling or slowing down the valve has to closed or the mixture is too lean.
See if that helps resolve the problem.
I doubt it is the alternator, and were it the computer there should be a fault code stored in the memory.
Roland

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QUESTION: Hello Roland, Sorry for the delay but too many demands on time. Did a quick check on the EGR valve, seemed to be working, but plan on better check this weekend. In the meantime, several guys at work have suggested that Crank sensor may be the problem due to repeated cranking before engine catches. Have not had any other problems once the motor is running. Still no codes! If the crank/cam sensor is the problem, is it something a DIYer can replace? Location? Thanks for your help because for every theory I have heard, yours still comes out on top! Once this is taken care of I will certainly leave very positive feedback.
Jeff

Answer
Hi Jeff,
I would not suspect the cam or crank sensor unless there is a "warmed up" failure to start entirely, or a temporary stall/quit after the engine warms up that lasts for about 20 minutes (long enough for the sensor to cool down) and then it runs again. A cold hard start symptom like you describe is probably not a sensor.
The egr is a better candidate becaust while it could be showing signs of opening/closing when you rev the engine, if it doesn't close all the way to a dead stop, then when you try and start it later after cool down, and it is slightly ajar, it just leans out the mixture too much. Similarly when slowing down, a slightly ajar egr will lean out the mixture so it won't sustain the idle.
The sensors are easy to replace, just have to get to them. The cam is on the front of the engine in the timing cover, the crank in on the firewall side at the seam between the engine and the trans, just above the surface of the differential housing. Both will have a paper spacer which you leave in place, and then install with the spacer pressed against the interior surface that it senses, hold there, and tighten the mounting screw to maintain that position.
Roland