I recently bought a Clubwagon for my home daycare. On an average day, I transport up to 12 kids in said car. At the start of the winter, I noticed the car wouldnt stay started while warming up unless I was pumping the gas. Once it going though, it was ok. My neighbor told me I had water in the gas tank, bought a fuel cleaner (??) for me & it helped, somewhat. Over the last week though, the van has taken a turn for the worst. It dies constantly when I slow down or everytime I am in reverse. As this is my income, I have HAD to drive it, and just restart it quickly & now I have to push the gas as I am putting it into drive. Well, you guessed it, the service engine light came on. So my question is really quite simple. I don't want to look dumb taking it in & then get taken advantage of, so what "could" be wrong with it? And how much should I expect them to charge me? Thank you for your help.

 

The details you skipped are much more important than what the van is used for etc etc. Year, engine etc are all very helpful. We can guess but that's not the least bit helpful.

You have issues that need addressing ASAP otherwise the van will soon simply refuse to start. As a preliminary step you could drive to an Auto Zone or Advanced Auto for their free code retrieval service. Once you have those in hand report them here and we'll do what we can.

Also once you know your year and engine those codes can be posted in the appropriate engine forum here on FTE for even more detailed possible fixes.

 

Hi tlove228,
Look for the VIN number on your insurance card/paperwork.
Click here and enter the VIN number:
VIN Decoder | fleet.ford.com

Copy the results here and it will give us the information about your van that we need to give answers (AND save money).

jim

 

Very fair points. Sorry, I get used to story telling I guess.
It is 1999 Ford E350 Clubwagon, with about 149,000 miles on it.
I should mention that as the car is in speed for a long time, I can usually slow down & it won't die immediatley. But as soon as I put it in reverse it shuts down.
I do know that when I make it a fast pop to get it going it, it probably isnt helping the transmission. Is that what you mean that it won't start eventually?
I will look at the VIN & report it as soon as I get kids to school. Thank you all for your time.

 

Borrow an OBD reader and scan for codes.
Typically , this is the first step after doing a visual inspection.

 

Check Transmission Fliud level...this can happen when you are low a litre or more..