08 Grand Caravan with 156k. ignition problem

[Mark72]

As the title States, i own this Dodge and put a brand new set of plugs and wires on it 2 months ago. Today it starts bucking at 60 mph while under load. It also does this at lower speeds. Finally threw an engine code for cylinder 1. Can plugs and wires go bad this quickly? All parts are OEM also. The first time 2 months ago it was also shuttering but only at lower speeds

 

[Warstud]

Did you check the plug & wire on cylinder 1 recently ?

 

[14Accent]

I doubt it's a bad wire or plug. Probably the ignition coil, pretty common on those. Easy to swap, I'd give that a shot.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: 14Accent
I doubt it's a bad wire or plug. Probably the ignition coil, pretty common on those. Easy to swap, I'd give that a shot.


Ditto this.... I did the coils on my 2006 Grand Caravan at 122,000

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted By: 14Accent
I doubt it's a bad wire or plug. Probably the ignition coil, pretty common on those. Easy to swap, I'd give that a shot.
Is it possible to swap the coil with another cylinder? If the old code clears up and the new code (P030x) indicates the cylinder the coil was moved to, that would be pretty definitive.

 

[AVB]

I think it is a coil pack on that model. The last one I did blew the side out of the coil and also fried the pcm.

 

[Mark72]

What does it cost to replace the coil...ballpark?

 

[AVB]

If you did the plugs and wires yourself you can easily replace the coil. You just have to remove the nut on the power steering reservoir and move it out of the way. Then there are two nuts holding the coil pack on. I don't know what the coil pack cost, should be well under $100 unless you go to the dealer. If you have a shop do it they are going to charge you at least an hour to diagnose it.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Mark72
What does it cost to replace the coil...ballpark?
$53 for the part at AutoZone.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Number_35
Originally Posted By: 14Accent
I doubt it's a bad wire or plug. Probably the ignition coil, pretty common on those. Easy to swap, I'd give that a shot.
Is it possible to swap the coil with another cylinder? If the old code clears up and the new code (P030x) indicates the cylinder the coil was moved to, that would be pretty definitive.

If it uses coil packs that's a good way to test for a bad one.

 

[Mark72]

Bad news. Replaced coil pack. Van is still learching when under load. Concerned its transmission. Whether the cruse is on or not if it starts going up hill it learches. Or at lower speeds when going up slight grades. Does that sound like transmission ? If you had to make a guess.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Mark72
Bad news. Replaced coil pack. Van is still learching when under load. Concerned its transmission. Whether the cruse is on or not if it starts going up hill it learches. Or at lower speeds when going up slight grades. Does that sound like transmission ? If you had to make a guess.


Didn't your OP say it threw a misfire code? I'd take a look at the plug and wire, the insulator might be cracked or you might have just had the misfortune of getting a bad wire.

 

[Thax]

Does sound like a transmission issue .I have seen similar driveablilty issues due to a clogged fuel filter. As the van likely has a in tank fuel filter/sock , try a good dose of fuel system cleaner .Check the plug and wire conditions also.

 

[doitmyself]

I had three reliable Caravans in the past. One, among many things that I learned over the decades was to not put blinders on regarding diagnosis and just swap out parts. I had several instances that I was confident were transmission problems. One was a bad plug wire. Another was a bad throttle position sensor.