what is wrong with my van - Engine Troubleshooting


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Auto Repair Home>> Automotive Repair>> Engine Troubleshooting

sstepro23
New User

Aug 23, 2008, 10:35 AM

Post #1 of 3 (1518 views)

what is wrong with my van	Sign In

hi ok my van is driving me nuts . i need help in finding out what the heck is wrong with it.
my van is a 96 plymouth voyager with around a 130,000 miles on it and the engine is a 3.0
here is a rundown on what has been going on with it for almost a year . on oct 31st of last year
the check engine light came on. we didnt know what was going on and the light stayed on for a while
before my husband unhooked the battery and hooked it back up and then the check engine like went
out. fast forward to about 5 months ago when i started hearing a noisy lifter. we took it to
autozone they listened to it and told us to put this stuff in it (it came in a yellow bottle)
and it would get rid of the noise. we did it and it worked. then in the begining of june it made
the noise again. so once again i put another bottle of that stuff in it and the noise went away. ok so two months ago
i noticed that when we would accelerate like after stopping at a stop light , a big puff of smoke
would come out. it vairys in color from a very light blue to a dark grey color. i know we have
been burning oil, but not at a very fast rate. anyways now after the car is warmed up and after about 10 mins of driving no
matter what you can see the exhaust. it is a grey color unless you are stopped and then u hit the
gas it is the light blue color. the exhaust is extreamly smelly, a bad smell but not a rotten
egg smell. our coolant level hasnt changed whatsoever so i dont think it is a head issue. we
havent lost power at all. also we put the restore
stuff in (that comes in the silver can)
and saw no change then just today we put this thick no smoke stuff in. a week ago my husband did that thing where you count the flashes of the
check engine light and we got the code 1255. im confused because i dont know if its just burning a normal
amount of oil and this is a emissions problem or is it a combination of emissions and engine
problem. we live on a limited income and want to try and fix this ourselfs because shops as
everyone knows are expensive. does anyone know what the problem could be. and if it is serrious
aka cause a breakdown . thanks so much

Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Aug 24, 2008, 6:33 AM

Post #2 of 3 (1506 views)

Re: what is wrong with my van	Sign In

All that is consistant with a worn older engine probably with some neglect or bad luck with oil along the way. The fact that some snake oil fixes have helped point to oil sludged, varished lifters and the smoke that's visable valve and wear like ring to cylinder wall clearance.

I suggest getting a full engine diagnosis as to it's condition to see what the best approach would be. Smell and code set (unknown to me what that one means) suggest o2 sensors and cat converters are taking a hit.

The oil consumption noted is also suggestive of it running too low a time or more which can really advance engine wear quickly.

Again, I'd get the whole thing diagnosed so you can make the best choice for you,

T

Rlmtex
Novice

Sep 22, 2008, 8:01 PM

Post #3 of 3 (1413 views)

Re: what is wrong with my van	Sign In

The 1255 code is actually:
12>Battery disconnected with in the last 50 start cycles
55> End of test/codes

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