Intermittent Spitting and Sputtering

[mkwetam]

No progress, even got worse. The next move is the replace the harness that is connected to the module under the coil pack. It appeared that heat was an issue but the last time it acted up I was in it for about 4 min and it started acting up. The mechanic said the it appeared the wires on the harness looked in bad shape. It may be electrical because it just does not miss but feels like it is going to shut off but comes back on right away. Will let you know what we find out.

[mkwetam]

Replaced the harness. Had some bare wires under the insulation. Seems to be working fine. Will drive it for a week and give update.

[mkwetam]

Well it seems the harness was the problem. Van has been running fine since it was replaced. The 2 wire harnes runs from the coil pack to the computer. The wire coating was melted off and shorting out. It was covered with the plastic protection tubing and was hidden. It seems that over time the coating on the wires got hard, and then with the wire running down the back of the engine, the heat did the rest. Hope this helps someone.

[peted25]

Thanks mkwetam, and all who posted - saved me a fortune! Minor correction - it's the harness from the ignition module to the crank position sensor which is separate from the engine harness to the computer. Getting to this harness is alot of work (4 hrs in and out), so I had the mechanic replace all the components along the way (coils, module, wires, plugs - I got 'em cheap on-line). Here's hoping to that for $750 I'll get another year out of ol' faithful!