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Engine stalls when coming to a stop.?

• I have a 1992 Dodge B250 ram van, 318 cu inch engine. When you first start it up in the morning it runs normal like it should. When it gets warm and you come to a stop, or at least under about 10 mph, the engine stalls. It is real fun in a parking lot where you are moving slow and you cannot keep the engine running. I found however, if you see that you are coming to a stop like a red light, I put it in neutral. When you feel that it is neutral, I put it back into drive and when you stop the van, it keeps running like it should and when you take off, it does just fine. Once you have given it the gas and you see that you need to stop, or go below about 10 or 15 miles an hour, then I put it back in neutral, then back into drive and all is good. It runs highway speeds just as fast as you want to drive. It is only when you fall below about 10 or 15 miles an hour the engine stalls unless you put it into neutral, then back into drive. In a parking lot where you trying to park it, or back it out of a space the engine keeps stalling. If you can get it above 10 or 15 miles an hour it runs fine. So, in a parking lot I keep shifting into neutral and reving the engine, but it still stalls a lot before I can get it back on the road and get it above 10 to 15mph. I have replaced the air cleaner, I replaced a part in the throttle valve ($30). I am thinking there must be some part that has a common relationship with the operation of the transmission. As long as the transmission is in neutral it runs fine. It is when you put it into drive you better get up to speed quick or it will try to die on you. Once you get above the 10 to 15mph it runs like it should.

• Answer:

  My guess is the lock up function of the torque converter isn't working correctly. It locks the the engine to the transmission to prevent losses through the torque converter. The problem is the torque converter needs to unlock as the van comes to a stop. If it remains locked it would be the same as slowing and stopping in a car with a manual and leaving it in gear and not pressing in the clutch. Since it is all locked together when the car stops the engine must stop. I recommend you take it to a transmission shop and ask them to check it out and you suspect the torque converter isn't unlocking when stopping. Here is a link to a short article on lock up torque converters. http://www.ehow.com/facts_5071140_torque-converter-lockup.html