98 Venture hesitationproblem

My 98 venture with 85k on it has been having a hesitation problem since 50k+. Have taken it to the dealer numerous times with no resolution.

I have had the fuel filter replaced, plugs and plug wires, BG throttle body cleaning, O2 sensor replaced and the coil paks replaced. They checked the fuel system also. Still hesitates.

Problem: when driving 25 through 75mph, on a mostly flat, slightly inclined or large hill the van will hesitate at a constant speed. It feels like it is having a major miss or not enough gas is getting to the engine..
But as soon as I hit the gas to accelerate, it goes away until i level the speed off..

Can the EGR, Intake gaskets, injectors and injector wiring,or something else be causing this? What else can be checked?

Any help would be appreciated.. I have about 14K left on the extended warranty and would like to solve this before alot of cash comes out of my pocket if warranty can cover it.

Thanks,
Brian

Do you have your "Engine light"on

Do you have your "Engine light"on

Engine light does not come on to indicate a problem...

r,
Brian

i would check knock sensor activity. you could have a slight engine mechanical concern causing a knock noise to retard timing and acting like a misfire. I have seen camshafts deterorate and cause this

brian,

my 99 venture w/ 73,000 miles is still doing hte same thing. back in january we replaced battery, alternator, ignition module (twice), ignition coils and plugs and wires. we did the plugs and wires last after we took the mechanic doing all this other stuff at his word and then it ran fine, so we thought that was the problem.

it lasted 3 months, barely... we were on a trip about 100 miles away from home and it started again and has grown worse again. it had been on longer trips before then, so that didn't make sense.

The dealership is being a pain..."supposedly" it won't do it for them so they can't fix it, but they do tell us that it has no vacuum leaks and not the intake gasket. We started looking at the fuel system, replaced the fuel filter didn't help, and we were told the fuel injectors wouldn't cause such an intermittent prolem.

if you find any solutions, let me know...i am pulling my hair out with this vehicle.

chris

i would check knock sensor activity. you could have a slight engine mechanical concern causing a knock noise to retard timing and acting like a misfire. I have seen camshafts deterorate and cause this


That is interesting you mentioned about the knock sensor.. I purchased a scan tool and was running it through it's motions and noticed that I was getting a total misfire count around 1048 , but no history relating to cylinder misses... But as the problem was occuring the knock sensor would kick in and retard the timing as the scan tool was showing...

I think I'll have to venture to the dealer and have them check the camshaft...


Thanks for the help....
Brian

I have a '98 venture too, and have had the same problem. I solved it by putting in a can of "Sea Foam" injector cleaner into a full tank of gas. Worked great for me. I got it at a Car Quest store

Let me know what you find out. Mine is doing the same thing and has for over a year. Mine doesn't start acting up until it gets up to regular operating temperature. when its cold it runs fine and never hesitates. But once it gets to operating temperature it will start acting up.




That is interesting you mentioned about the knock sensor.. I purchased a scan tool and was running it through it's motions and noticed that I was getting a total misfire count around 1048 , but no history relating to cylinder misses... But as the problem was occuring the knock sensor would kick in and retard the timing as the scan tool was showing...

I think I'll have to venture to the dealer and have them check the camshaft...


Thanks for the help....
Brian

I have a similar problem, I think it's the tranny. If I ease on the gas on level pavement or drive at a constant speed going over an overpass, I get this hesitation you describe. Try driving in 3rd gear not overdrive, and see if it happens. For me the problem disappears in 3rd gear, so I suspect it's the tranny.

My 98 venture with 85k on it has been having a hesitation problem since 50k+. Have taken it to the dealer numerous times with no resolution.

I have had the fuel filter replaced, plugs and plug wires, BG throttle body cleaning, O2 sensor replaced and the coil paks replaced. They checked the fuel system also. Still hesitates.

Problem: when driving 25 through 75mph, on a mostly flat, slightly inclined or large hill the van will hesitate at a constant speed. It feels like it is having a major miss or not enough gas is getting to the engine..
But as soon as I hit the gas to accelerate, it goes away until i level the speed off..

Can the EGR, Intake gaskets, injectors and injector wiring,or something else be causing this? What else can be checked?

Any help would be appreciated.. I have about 14K left on the extended warranty and would like to solve this before alot of cash comes out of my pocket if warranty can cover it.



Thanks,
Brian

My 1998 venture has the exact same problem. It hesitates / chugs / surges when running at constant or very slightly increasing speed. I have tried a variety of things. My local Chev dealer felt it was dirty injectors, had them cleaned. It ran better for a few days, then back to the usual lurching. The dealer's tranny "expert" feels it is the torque converter, because the computer code indicates such. He believes that the seals in the converter have failed, so it slips. Dropping down to third does not make the problem go away. The only problem is, it costs approx. 1,000.00 Canadian to swap the converter. If it doesn't solve the problem, too bad, my money is gone. Has anyone tried a torque converter solution? I did previously take it to a tranny shop, and they felt confident it was not a tranny problem. What a mess!

On a trip to Michigan I got a service engine code that went out later on its own. I had it read and it said a Tranny slipping. I said I just drove it to Michigan and back to NC. It could be the converter. I don't have a 1000 bucks to guess though.......... Its aggravating as heck though.

Same here...mine's been doing this since approx. 80,000km, now at 210,000km. I also get the intermittent engine warning light. It comes on, stays on for a few days or so, then goes out for a while, etc. Regarding the torque converter, you would think there would be some kind of diagnostic or test procedure they could do to test it. 1000 bucks is a pretty steep test. My dealers' tranny guy said it is the seals that have failed, but who knows? Not worth getting one from the wreckers, because the biggest chunk is the labour.

We also have a 98 venture. We have had the torque converter replaced twice, and a full transmission once, and it still hesitates. it does seem to do better while driving in 3rd. It is currently in the shop needing a new fuel pump. I am getting rid of this car ASAP!!!

I just had mine tuned up - new platinum plugs, premium wires, fuel filter, etc. Made a HUGE difference. In the last 7 days (on vacation, drove 2700 km) it only did the hesitation thing twice, very, very mildly, so maybe there is some kind of tranny problem, although it didn't seem to help you. It's unbelievable how much money and time people have spent trying to get rid of this problem. Equally amazing is that what works for one doesn't make any difference to another. Go figure!

We also have a 98 venture. We have had the torque converter replaced twice, and a full transmission once, and it still hesitates. it does seem to do better while driving in 3rd. It is currently in the shop needing a new fuel pump. I am getting rid of this car ASAP!!!

I have a '97 van that's doing exactly the same thing as your van (briancul). Did you find a satisfactory solution in the end?

You might want to check the MAFS (Mass Air Flow Sensor). This too will cause the hesitation/missing problem you are talking about. The MAFS warms little wires inside to a set temperature and as the airflow increases or decreases within the sensor, the temperature of the heated wires changes and with this, will change the resistance value that the BCM sees and this allows the computer to adjust fuel/ air ratio The mass airflow sensor even when not working correctly might not give you a check engine light (goes into a limp mode). This may sound funny, but a MAFS can fail within tolerance, hence no check engine light. You might want to try to clean it. Dealerships will not clean them, they will only replace them. Take off the MAFS from the Air induction tube coming from the air filter box (located between the Air filter box and the throttle plate). It should be sandwitched between 2 hose clamps and have a connector on it. When you remove it, you should see a few fine little wires inside. If you use a cutip with alcohol you can wipe these little wires (carefully). If this is the problem, you will know immediately when you test drive it. Hopefully this will be another item to check. Hope it helps.