Losing power while driving (sometimes), hard to crank (sometimes), gauges sometimes work

Tiny
WINDYSC75
  • MEMBER
  • 1991 CHRYSLER NEW YORKER
  • 3.3L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
Problem 1. While driving down the road at a steady speed the car will act as if it is not getting fuel and die back. You can press the gas and hear the engine rev but no power. It will finally pick back up and run fine. This may happen 15 times in a 30 minute trip or may happen 1 time in a month. There is nothing consistent about it.

Problem 2. When cranking the vehicle, you hear the fuel pump kick on every time and the motor will turn over but does not always crank. This is more frequent than problem 1, but I have noticed it does this really bad the colder the temperatures are outside.

Problem 3. After the car is running, sometimes the gauges will not work. After driving for a while all of the sudden the will just start working.

Not sure if all of these problems are related, however I am about at the end of my knowledge on what to do from here. It has never throw any service engine light or codes. I have changed the fuel filter, fuel pump, cam position sensor, crank position sensor, plug and wires, coil pack, and even had the cat cut off. Tested every fuses, relay, sensor and battery. I have talked to every Chrysler Service center in my area and the general consensus is, if it is not throwing a code and you have done all of this, the best thing to do is find an older mechanic who worked on cars back then and see what they say.

After busted knuckles and a lot of head scratching any help would be MUCH appreciated!
Friday, January 23rd, 2015 AT 10:07 AM

9 Replies

Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Do wiggle test on crank sensor it may be bad connection and or a crank sensor. It may also be a wiring issue. Have battery checked for condition including load test and check fuel pressure it may be low. Also check for a vacuum leak as the map sensor may either be going bad or not getting enough vacuum like a soft hose sucking together. For dash check to see ifit's getting power to gauges if it is it may be a bad dash as they are digital.
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Friday, January 23rd, 2015 AT 12:17 PM
Tiny
WINDYSC75
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
It was cutting back while driving down the road before we changed all of the parts listed above, but per your advise I have wiggled everything. Still doing it.
Battery is new, but also has been test for all the issues you listed and it is good.
The dash is not digital, it is an analog. It only does it when you first crank it up and start driving, then it will just start working. It will not do it the rest of the day. Now tomorrow morning, it may do it again when you go to drive it, then again maybe not.
As far as the vacuum leak, I changed 2 lines that were brittle but all the rest seem to be in good condition. I don't see or feel any soft hoses.
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Saturday, January 24th, 2015 AT 10:21 AM
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
What is fuel pressure is it to spec?
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Saturday, January 24th, 2015 AT 10:55 AM
Tiny
WINDYSC75
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
Yes, fuel pressure is to spec.
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Sunday, January 25th, 2015 AT 6:24 PM
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
I was wondering if this does this wet more than when it is dry out? There computer used to be near air cleaner and would cause stupid stuff like this to happen an da new computer is the fix for it. Other wise with out actually seeing this physically I have no other suggestions.
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Monday, January 26th, 2015 AT 6:23 AM
Tiny
WINDYSC75
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
There are only 2 things left to fix as far as I can tell: the ECM and the BCM. Since the ECM is the cheapest, I am ordering this first.

I will let you and the viewers know if this corrects the issue.
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2015 AT 5:33 AM
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
If you are getting power to the gauges then it's the gauge not the bcm. The bcm has nothing to do with the car running or starting that is all ecm. Which would bring you back to the last reply I said about wet or dry as the ecm is in the air cleaner track.
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2015 AT 5:51 AM
Tiny
WINDYSC75
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
I have changed the ECM and now it will not crank at all. I checked to make sure if maybe it needed to be programmed but it says it is programmed before it ships. What now?
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Sunday, February 1st, 2015 AT 9:20 PM
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Check items in pic then if it doesn't work have a local pro look at it
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Monday, February 2nd, 2015 AT 6:13 AM

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