[jump5fan]

i was driving with my dad and i was going up a long hill and at one point i had it floored all of the way but the minivan seemed like it had enough power to hold a steady speed but not enough power to accelerate up the hill. i took the air filter apart and found that mice must have tryed to make a nest or something inside the air filter housing because there was some chewed up foam inselation in the air filter and in the air filter housing there were some oats. how much of a reduction in power could this cause?

[katmetal]

Partially or fully clogged intake could definantly cause power loss, & you would notice a decrease in fuel mileage as well, if you are the type of person that watches that sort of thing (a lot of folks don't) ***that is, if the intake is really restricted*** Is the air filter clean/open?

That being said, you're not going to get much power out of a minivan anyway

What are the specs of the minivan?
Yr/make/model/engine size?

[Andrew]

Transmission.

[katmetal]

Transmission.

Outside chance; unlikely, but not impossible. Would need more info before going that far.

[jump5fan]

Originally Posted by katmetal

Partially or fully clogged intake could definantly cause power loss, & you would notice a decrease in fuel mileage as well, if you are the type of person that watches that sort of thing (a lot of folks don't) ***that is, if the intake is really restricted*** Is the air filter clean/open?

That being said, you're not going to get much power out of a minivan anyway

What are the specs of the minivan?
Yr/make/model/engine size?

it is a 1991 Dodge Caravan that we bought to use as a back vehicle for $500. it has 171,000 miles on it. we bought a new air filter not too long ago, but we don't use the van very much and i just checked it and it is clean (i blew the stuff that the mice brought in with a air hose).

i can't find the repair manual right now, but i found a online VIN decoder so i used that.

Country : Canada
Make : Dodge
Type : Multi-purpose Vehicle (MPV)
Model Year : 1991
Safety System : Dual Airbags or 5001-6000lbs
Body : AS: Caravan
Series : Low
Style : 2 Door Convertible
Engine : MMC: 3.0L V6 MFI, 8.85:1 CR, 141hp@5000rpm
Check Digit : 0
Plant : Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Serial Number : 323593

our van only has a driver side airbag, but i think the rest of the info is right. i took apart the air intake system and the whole thing is clear. there was one part that i couldn't check because i don't know how, i think it is a airflow senser.

[gtrdave]

In all seriousness, a '91 Caravan powered by a very tired Mitsubishi 3.0 V6 is not going to get out of it's own way going uphill.
The best you can do with it is keep the oil and filter fresh and at the proper weight, the air filter clean, keep a fresh set of plugs in it, use good gas, inflate the tires to just below maximum psi, check/replace the O2 sensors, and check/change the trans fluid and filter.
And don't haul around anything that you don't need to. Any extra weight is a detriment to performance.

A clogged filter could cause an unusually rich a/f mixture although most computers are wise enough to avoid that but the auto-adjust will cost you power/performance/economy.
Blowing out an air filter is better than not doing it but if it hasn't been changed in a while then it's worth the $5 to do that.

We've got a '97 Caravan Sport...short wheelbase, 3.3l engine, 109k miles...and in a quick impromptu race I smoked my friend (and my front tires) in his PT Cruiser 2.4l/5 speed so not all minivans are complete pigs
It must be the massive hp increase from my Fram AirHog filter that's giving me tire-shredding performance.

The current Honda and Toyota minivans are coming with 250ish hp V6's and the Honda/Toyota/Dodge (3.8l) vans all have 235-to-245 ft/lbs of useable torque.

[mattslope]

Originally Posted by Jump5fan

Country : Canada
Make : Dodge
Type : Multi-purpose Vehicle (MPV)
Model Year : 1991
Safety System : Dual Airbags or 5001-6000lbs
Body : AS: Caravan
Series : Low
Style : 2 Door Convertible
Engine : MMC: 3.0L V6 MFI, 8.85:1 CR, 141hp@5000rpm
Check Digit : 0
Plant : Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Serial Number : 323593

[comitatus1]

Originally Posted by Jump5fan

i was driving with my dad and i was going up a long hill and at one point i had it floored all of the way but the minivan seemed like it had enough power to hold a steady speed but not enough power to accelerate up the hill. i took the air filter apart and found that mice must have tryed to make a nest or something inside the air filter housing because there was some chewed up foam inselation in the air filter and in the air filter housing there were some oats. how much of a reduction in power could this cause?

There are quite a few things that could be causing your lack of power:

Air filter-but I assume you have already changed that. Check the rest of your intake system for obstructions.

Retarded ignition timing-this would be because of a failing ignition module.

Retarded camshaft timing-you might have jumped a tooth or two on your timing chain [or belt].

Defective EGR valve. Might be stuck open.

Dirty carb or fuel injectors [I don't know which one you have].

Loose throttle connection.

Vacuum leak.

I suggest taking it somewhere and have a diagnostic run.

Chris

[katmetal]

In all seriousness, a '91 Caravan powered by a very tired Mitsubishi 3.0 V6 is not going to get out of it's own way going uphill.

Yeah, and at 171K it is pretty much done for, as far as "snappy performance" goes. Bottom line, it's tired, worn out, kaput.

It probably has quite a few miles of "normal" driving left in it, but the quick start/snappy acceleration days are over.

Stuff wears out, & the high mileage is a prime indicator. Check air pressure, replace air filter, that's cheap enough to do. If the power loss is really evident at all times, could also be a restricted exhaust/cat converter.

Before I would bother putting any major $$$ into it, I would simply start out with a compression test. My guess is that they are all down, & most likely 1 or 2 cyls. are excessively below the others.

That pretty much would indicate a major overhaul is in order, & for a '91 Caravan, not really worth it...


I have '91 Isuzu that has over 200K on it, & it is very tired, but for normal around town running, it still does fine. I run 'em until the wheels won't go around anymore, then the junkyard gets it!

Last note: You could pull a couple plugs & check the gap/condition; some engines are really fussy about having this part absolutely correct, some are more forgiving than others; it would play a role in the runability of the vech., & probably be more evident on a hard pull, such as driving uphill...

[jump5fan]

well i think i might have found out what was wrong. i thought i had it floored but i might not have had it floored all of the way.

[katmetal]

well i think i might have found out what was wrong. i thought i had it floored but i might not have had it floored all of the way.

There is a chance that the throttle body is not opening all the way for some reason, if you thought you had it floored; easy enough to check. At least you could rule that part out then.

[Tele The Truth]

I willing to bet that the van weighs between 3200-3600 lbs. Even when new, an anemic 142HP 3.0 is no barn burner.......171K miles and 16 years latter I'll bet she's pretty tired to pull that heavy of a load. Some of those 'long hills' in the poconos can be a pretty good workout. I've pulled my camper all over those mountains.

[gtrdave]

Originally Posted by Jump5fan

well i think i might have found out what was wrong. i thought i had it floored but i might not have had it floored all of the way.

Let's hope it's that simple.