Question-------------------------
Hi Roland,thanks for your reply. My voyager is 2.0 petrol and Dec.1998 model.I don't have a much knowledge about the car engine so you have to explain me what to do.First I took the car to my local mechanic he kept the car for whole week but coudn't find the fault and now its standing at chrysler workshop since last tuesday and they are going very busy havn't got the time to look at my car yet.
I think battery working fine because all the electrical gagets working fine even headlights etc.
About the egr valve I have no clue where is stated.
Followup To
Question -
Hi I live in UK and found this website very useful.I wonder if someone can
> help me? I am having a problem with my voyager,last week when I try to
> start,its start and die after 2/3 sec ,its start again couple of time but
> die and then eventully refuse to start,no crank at all.On the dash board
> and all the electrical equipment is working apart from the fuel gauge,I
> checked the spark plug ther is spark,I can hear the fuel pump.I checked
> the rectangler fuse box by the battery all the fuses and relay is o.k but
> one relay (auto shut off)is missing but this is missing since I bought
> this car and prior to this problem.
> This no starting problem happend couple of time before aswell but after 24
> hour car start without any problem but this time its been whole one week
> and car refuse to start at all.Please help and give advise. Many Thanks
Zahid
Answer -
Hi Zahid,
What year is the van?
Let me mention too that operating with the autoshutdown relay by-passed could be a hazard in the event of an accident where a fuel line breaks, because the pump will keep running and feed a fire. Evidentally someone rewired the circuit; but also there is the possibility that the spark pack and the fuel pump run all the time? because the power for those are controlled by that relay which often gets the power right off the battery. I doubt that is how it was rewired but it bears looking into for safety purposes.
As to why it dies after 2/3 seconds, I would suggest that if the van is pre-98 you might try doing the self-readout for fault codes stored in the engine controller memory. '98 and on requires a code reader to get those numbers. Let me know the year so I can pass along the readout technique if applicable.
I often think of the exhaust gas recirculation valve being stuck ajar when there is trouble starting the engine and getting it to idle. If you know where it is on your engine then take a look at the valve stem which is inside the saddle-like cage and has a slot that allows you to view its motion and also gives you a lever spot to move the valve open and closed with the tip of a screwdriver. I find that spraying some solvent (WD-40 for example) on the stem where it enters the valve will free up the motion and allow the valve to close reliably. Tell me which engine you have if you don't know where the egr valve is or how it functions and I'll describe it to you.
So those are my observations/questions at this time.
Give me a follow-up response/question and we'll take it further.
The reason it won't start after several failures probably has to do with the battery being run down.
Roland
AnswerHi Zahid,
The egr valve on the 2.0 is located at the rear of the engine at the corner that is nearest to the driver (if this is a left hand drive vehicle, otherwise nearest to the passenger). It has two pipes: one coming from the exhaust manifold on the firewall side of the engine compartment, and the other going to the throttle body where the incoming air enters the intake manifold on the side of the engine that faces the front of the vehicle. It has a vacuum-line operated solenoid attached to it by a couple of rubber vacuum hoses. The main vacuum line to the solenoid comes from the power brake canister which sits on the firewall directly in front of the driver (again if this is a left hand drive vehicle, in any case its is part of the brake master cylinder unit). So you can trace that vacuum line to the solenoid and then to the egr valve itself. The valve is mounted horizontally and you will see a round fitting on the top and a saddle that supports it with openings, inside which you will see a metal rod with a slot that moves back and forth horizontally. That rod is the valve stem which is attached to the valve inside the main housing which opens and closes the connection between the two pipes.
One reason why an engine behaves as yours does is that the valve is stuck ajar. So if you take a flat-tip screwdriver and insert it in the slot you can lever the valve stem out (againt spring resistance) and in to check that it moves easily. It is helpful to use a spray can of pentrating fluid (WD-40 in the USA) to spray the valve stem where it enters the valve so as to loosen up any stickiness. The valve should close tightly against its stop when the engine is at rest, so that the valve is fully closed when you then try to start the engine. Otherwise it will recirculate exhaust gas which dilutes the mixture excessively and prevent starting. Only when the engine is running should you see the valve stem open in response to revving up the engine to 2500 rpm and then close quickly when you close the throttle valve. That motion is controlled by the solenoid and vacuum supply lines.
I think that you can go to the dealer taking along a spray can of penetrating fluid and a small flat blade screwdriver, and a flashlight, and try this remediation to see if it solves your problem.
Other than that the dealer should have a DRB III diagnostic tool to readout the fault codes that may be stored in the engine control computer. Those would point to other possibilities for remediation. But I would focus on the egr valve first. It is a simple fix if that is the cause.
Roland
