We just purchased a 2000 Town and Country. 3.3L Flex fuel engine. It has 112k on it. The check engine light was not on but we used a code reader and it came back to an o2 sensor. On the highway drive home...no issues...no engine light. When we got off the highway the engine light came on briefly but then shut off by the time we got home. Now it does not read any codes. However the problem is, it is starting to hiccup here and there. I think hiccup is the best description...driving normally and it hiccups loses power for less than a second the catches itself and back to normal it goes. The rpms do not drop, gauges all read good. He spent half the day today replacing the spark plugs and wires and it still does it. Any idea what might be causing it. TPS and EGR looked to be OK.

Would the O2 sensor cause a hiccup...I have read it could be a number of things from Cam position sensor, crank shaft sensor, fuel filter,vaccuum line, fuel rail harness, wiring harness..any thoughts.. wouldnt these things throw a code...

thanks for any help...

 

use a batter scanner to get the codes the cheap ones only read federal emission codes

 

ok. so a better scanner will read even though the light is not on....i will try tomorrow. thank you for responding

 

yes the codes will stay in the system for 40 starts then they will be flushed out. Unless u disconnected the battery and or cleared the codes with a scanner.

 

ok. the code is p0137 - o2 sensor bank 1 sensor 2 low volts. would that cause it.

also we took it for a nice long drive. Cold or warm...doesnt matter, still does it. Up a hill, down a hill, flat highway still does it. 30mph or 65mph still does it. the rpms do drop slightly maybe 200-500 rpms on one occassiuon it dropped 1000rpm but always recovers within a second...like a hiccup.

The van has a lot of power. it isnt sluggish. Transmission shifts perfectly and it does not happen during a gear shift. like i said it could be in the middle of second gear or overdrive on the highway.

thanks. I found this was a common problem on the caravans yet I assume people have fixed it but they never post what the resolution was.

 

fix the o2 sensor first then see what U have from there

 

First thing I did this AM was to download the Service and repair manual from tradebit. 10.00 and much cheaper than the haynes.

The next part of my more indepth research included several phone calls to chrysler service dept...off the record. One technician admited to hearing of this before...told me it didnt sound like a fuel issue and most likely a cam sensor issue - ignition electrical issue.

I took that info and began reading in the service manual how many of the suggested items work together and it made sense to me. [a very non mechanical person].

My husband first did the o2 sensor. - no difference al all.

We had done the spark plugs and wire the day before and still had the hiccup issue.

Next he changed the iginition coil pack. Wow it ran so much better but still had the hiccup.

Next, the cam position sensor. A 45.00 part. Guess what. we just came home from a 160 mile ride....AND NO HICCUP.

if it does return to hiccuping... i think the next step would be the crank shaft sensor and then the pcm.