Chrysler Repair: sputtering and wont start some of the time, throttle position sensor, chrysler town and country

Question
This is a hard one, so good luck.  No one has been able to help us.  I have a 97 Chrysler town and country.  We started having problems with the van 2 years ago when the car would sputter and and just randomly it would instantly shut off in the middle of driving down the road  At that time we had the either the cam shaft sensor or the crank shaft sensor replaced.  It stopped it from dying all the time but it still continued to sputter especially for the first 5-10 miles after the car was started (then the sputtering usually stopped) and it would die occasionally.  We then were told that it needed a tune up because one of the cylinders was not firing.  We went ahead with the tune up and the sputtering got a little better but not much.  We have also replaced the 02 sensor, the throttle position sensor.  Just about a month ago I went out to start the car and the car would turn over like it was started and then die about 2 seconds later.  Also all the dash board instruments and lights would not work.  We had it towed to the dealer because a mechanic told us that it was probably the ECN.  As soon as  the dealer looked at it, it started right up.  They had it for a week and a half and we could never get it to do it again.  We took it home and now a month later we had the same problem, had it towed to the dealer and as soon as they tried it, it started right back up.  We have tried to fix the sputtering and which is frustrating but now to deal with a problem no one can give us a answer.  We have taken to 3 Chrysler dealers.  I would appreciate any helpful tips.  Thank You.

Answer
Hi Jared,
You probably have a couple of things going wrong intermittently, not a single issue. The start and die a couple of seconds later, particularly if it is always about that same amount of time before it dies, is typically a sign that the anti-theft system has been alarmed because it wasn't disarmed when you entered the van. The failure to disarm depends upon how you are entering the van, assuming that you set the alarm when you left it. It might be a bad wire from the driver's key lock for example. The best way to eliminate that possibility is to never use the anti-theft system. That can be accomplished by NEVER securing the van via the power door locks, the key lock, or the remote, but rather just push the mechanical door lock button in each door. See if that eliminates that behavior.
On the sputtering, I would recommend checking out the egr valve for possibly having a sticky valve stem which if ajar at the time you try and start it will make for too lean a mixture to idle properly. If you know where it is, find it, and spray some WD-40 on the valve stem where it enters the body of the valve (located between the round vacuum operated top and the body of the valve, in the 'flange' area in between those two parts). The stem has a slot into which you can insert the tip of a screwdriver to move it back and forth and loosen up the action.
Let me know what you think/find and tell me which engine you have for further info about that egr if you don't where to look for it.
Roland