Ok, a couple weeks ago the van wasn't starting (wasn't getting a great spark, but it seemed like it should have at least fired a little), and after some troubleshooting, I was out of ideas and sunlight, so I put it all back together for the night. The next morning, it fires right up, but it's running really rough, and the Service Engine Soon light is on. The problem is, when I use the paperclip trick to try to check the codes, nothing happens (the light works, as it stays on, but doesn't flash like it should).
After a short test drive, it has a rather high idle (only when warm), and doesn't seem to shift into first, and the throttle isn't very responsive (it's very slow to accelerate, and if I'm going 40 and take my foot off of it it'll still be going 39 in a quarter mile or so).
So, what could cause problems checking the codes? And if anyone has any suggestions about the performance problems I'm having, those would be appreciated too
![d'oh! #-o](./images/smilies/eusa_doh.gif)