Why does your 1999 Chevy Astro van keep cutting off?

Answer 1

I experienced this and discovered that the main coil wire from the coil pack (distributor module)was rubbing against the underside of the dog house (engine cover). The wire was worn almost flat at the point of contact. Thus causing the ignitin to short out. I replaced the wire and all is well. My 1998 Chevy G1500 conversion van has some of the same parts as your Astro. I had these symptoms and eventually the van cut off and stopped running completely. Call your local auto parts store and see if they will loan you a code scanner for the OBD under your dash by the steering wheel. You can plug the reader in, turn on the car, follow the reader's instructions and retrieve any trouble codes that might relate to the stalling. There may be no codes present, however, if the problem is the computer itself. I had to replace the ECM (Engine Control Module). The battery was fully charging and the voltage remained constant. The plugs and wires looked healthy. The distributer cap had no cracks and I had no other warning symptoms. The car simply died from time to time. Usually, it would restart and run fine after letting it cool down. I removed the ECM and opened it up to inspect the greenboards. There was a burned out section on the greenboard. I removed the knock sensor and bought a replacement ECM. The knock sensor had to be put back in the new ECM and the ECM had to be reprogramed specifically to my vehicle's VIN number. I had the part supplier program it for me for $70 I bought the mid-priced ECM in case the thing burned out again due to me missing the burn-out cause. After the replacement, there is an anti-theft, security override process that you have to follow so that the vehicle will start. Put your key in the ignition cylinder and turn it to the ON (RUN) position. The "security" light on the dashboard will flash for 15 minutes. When the security light stops flashing, turn the ignition cylinder to the OFF then back to the ON position. The security light on the dash will flash for 15 more minutes. When the security light stops turn the ignition cylinder to OFF and then back to the ON position. The security light on the dash will flash for 15 more minutes. After the security light stops flashing for the third time, the new computer has been programmed to the recognize your key again.