I have a '95 Town and Country and it has developed a mysterious problem.
When I run the AC and drive at the same time the engine will occassionally die.
If I dont have the AC on the car runs just fine. If I have the AC on and leave the car stationary it runs just fine (and the car gets nice and cool inside).
I have seen it die when coasting at 30mph, when driving on the highway at
70mph (2200rpm) and when coming to a stop. Sometimes it dies after only 10 or 15 minutes, sometimes I can drive for an hour before it cuts out.When it dies there is no sputtering or warning, the engine just stops as if it were turned off. I have to put the van in park and turn the ignition all the way off and then it starts just fine.
After one of these, if I pull the codes (with the ignition on/off/on/off/on and counting check engine light flashes - I get 1-12-32-32-55). I think this means:
1 = start of codes (?) 12 = Power cut to the computer 32 = EGR Valve problem 32 = EGR Valve Problem 55 = end of codes.I dont know why I get the 32 twice, maybe if I had code scanner I could get some more info. My mechanic tells me that replacing the EGR valve is expensive and doesnt really buy you much, except a slight improvement in gas mileage and the convenience of not have the check engine light on. I'm not bothered about this fault, unless it is the cause of the Mystery Death.
Another thing I have noticed - and I dont know if this is a design feature or a symptom of my problem is that sometimes, if the engine doesnt start the first time, I have to turn the ignition all the way off again. Just turning it back to the first position and then retrying doesnt allow it to restart, but it does turn the engine over. I sat and tried to get the car to start for maybe 20 minutes one time before I figured out that I had to turn the key all the way off first.
Any clues would be appreciated. I dont want to take the van to a mechanic and let them start replacing things (at my expense) until the problem goes away - especially since they might have to drive it for a couple of hours before being sure that problem really has gone away.
Dominic