Van would crank, but not start. Replaced distributor cap. Because of trying to start, battery died. Charged up battery, van starts. Check engine light was flashing, then went steady. Husband was going to drive up to see what codes were. Van would drive but very slowly, no acceleration. He was too nervous to drive it, so parked it. Can't afford to go to shop. What could the problem be?

 

Well, tough to answer since we don't know age, engine, model, etc. of the van. But many places will check the light for free if you can get it there. Also I believe many places will let you "rent" a scanner for free too. You pay $50 (guess) to use it, then get it back when you return it.

The van could be in "limp" mode since something is wrong. It will not allow the van to go any faster that could damage it.

I would hunt down a scanner first and go from there. You can buy them for about $20 too that will work good enough.

Amazon.com: Autel MaxiScan MS300 CAN Diagnostic Scan Tool for OBDII Vehicles: Automotive

 

Sorry, about that. The van is a 2002, 1500, v8, 5.7. Has about 190,000 miles on it. I have never heard of limp mode, but of course, I'm no mechanic. Thank you for whatever advice you can give me.

 

Gonna throw a guess you way. Since the van started after you replaced the dis cap, I would start with the rest of the ignition system. Check your wires, roter, and spark plugs....basic stuff.
Also, how old is the fuel filter....could it be plugged.
Could your coil be bad? You have the vortec engine, so its a little different from the regular 350's out there.
Pick up a 25 dollar haynes repair manual if you want to educate yourself on the working of the van.....helps a lot.
Good luck.

 

If the van is not well maintained it could be a multitude of problems. Not being able to accelerate could indicate a problem with either fuel delivery (clogged filter) or restricted exhaust (Clogged Catalytic Converter).

Is the fuel pump making excessive noise? If so a cheap way to check for a clogged filter is to remove the filter and dump it into a clean paper coffee cup to check for debris. Do not use a foam cup! It will melt from the fuel.

A clogged converter will often allow the engine to rev in park or neutral but bog down under load while trying to drive it. It may accelerate slowly if you take it easy but trying to pull out in traffic would be dangerous.

Without knowing the service history of the van that's all I got and would not cost much to check.