I guess it might help to know if you are talking about a 1985 or 2005 or what year.
If the fuel filter was plugged, mainly it would feel like you are lacking power while going full throttle getting onto the freeway, or while climbing a mountain. At idle, a plugged fuel filter will not starve the engine for fuel, only when about 1/2 throttle or more, until it is really plugged. Then it would not run at all above idle.
My guess? I really don't know if it is a carburetor problem, vacuum line, or what, it would really help to know the model year. Is it a 1500 series, 3500, was it hot out, cold, going up a hill, downhill? Did you have the A/C on? Did shutting off the A/C prevent it from stalling?
You might have a A/C compressor problem, and the carburetor idle screw is set to run 800 RPM while the van is in gear but stopped, without the A/C on, but A/C on can slow it down a bit. If the compressor is bad, it could stall a carburetored engine, but not normally a fuel injected one (with a computer that will open the throttle to keep the RPM at around 750 - 775 RPM all the time.
So?
Fred.
