QuestionLately, when I have drove my church van, I noticed that it'hesitates' and 'skips' when I try to accelerate. What does this mean? If this is a transmission problem, is it possible that the van can cut off at any given moment and not re-start?
AnswerHi Althea,
I noticed that you had asked a further question about whether the van might cut off and not restart. If the miss has to do with spark plugs or timing it would probably give you fair warning of such an occurence (hard or no start when you first try to use the van). On the other hand, if the miss were due to dirt in the fuel system, or a weak spark coil or a failing distributor rotor or a crack in the distributor crack it is conceivable that one of the factors might change abrubtly (e.g., change from partially failed to completely failed) and that would shut down the engine.
So it would be prudent to have the secondary ignition system looked at to determine why the miss is present. It won't get better spontaneously, so if there is concern because of the responsibilities involved with carrying passengers who are entitled to expect a legal standard of care by the operator of the van then it is more the reason to fix it now.
You didn't mention the model year of the van, but if it were pre-'96 it is easy to do a self-test of the engine control computer to see if it has recognized a problem with the system that would help to identify the reason for the miss. Just turn the ignition key: off-on-off-on-off-on within a time of 5 seconds, then watch the check engine light to turn on for about 2 seconds, and then the light will begin to flash on and off, then pause, then flash some more, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause, and make a written or mental note of those numbers. After the flashing stops, group the numbers in to pairs to form two digit numbers (for example the last two sets of flashes will number 5 in each, which when grouped forms the number 55 which is the code for "end of readout"). The two digit numbers before the 55 are codes for possible malfunctions. You might want to repeat the readout to insure accurate determination of the code numbers.
So write me back if you can do this readout and let me know what you got. A code 11 for example would be an important one to deal with because it involves a unit in the distributor which can indeed fail and leave you without the ability to start the car for a few minutes into the unit cools down (the hall effect sensor) and that would be a reason to replace that unit now, for example.
Use the response form rather than the evaluation form as I will more likely see your response in full.
