egr bs..

[DrFishbone]

okay, here's what i've got:
new egr pressure/position sensor
new egr control solenoid (donated by a great guy btw! )
nice clean metal egr tube
nice clean egr sensor rubber tube
clean vacuum lines to the egr control solenoid
cleaned egr valve...slightly hard to push open (i dunno if it's good still or not, but i believe it is)
i THINK a good seal between the intake and egr valve
AND a check engine light that throws an egr code (33)
AND a hair of a loss of power while coasting (been getting better with the new parts)...sometimes engine kinda stalls and idles sporatically, never dies though.

NOW before all this happened, nothing appeared to be wrong, and it ran better. the egr pressure sensor tube (black rubber) was UNPLUGGED for almost a year (and yes....black dirt was all over my engine from exhaust leakin in!)

problems began after i swapped intake and supercharger form my parts car and noticed the egr valve was dirty....so i sprayed a little engine degreaser in the egr valve hole that bolts to the sc intake. after that, i've done all the cleaning and replacing, and it's gotten better, but not totatlly fixed. gas mileage is down about 1 or 2 miles per gallon than before.

i know there's guys out there that know their stuff about egr...i just hope i'm not one of them!!!! i do understand how it works, what it's for, and know all the parts involved. at IDLE the egr solenoid is getting a load of vacuum, and about 12 volts through the little wires that hook up to it. from there to the egr valve, there is a very slight little suckle. revving the engine didn't seem to affect the vacuum from the solenoid to the egr valve, nor did it affect the voltage to the egr solenoid.

what i'm getting from this, is that the egr valve is not opening, either because the valve is stuck, or the wiring/solenoid is screwed somehow. doesn't make much sense past that!

questions: what is the normal voltage to the egr solenoid at idle, and how much vacuum gets to the egr valve at idle? is there any way i can get an egr opening condition to occur while i'm under the hood, if everything is "working correctly" now?

okay...done...now i'll have nightmares about little black sensors and soot-covered egr parts AND a little beeping code reader trying to kill me, since they haven't yet! thanks in advance for help!

(maybe after this is over, i'll be in the "my car's check engine light doesn't come on" club. that'd be nice....

derrktor feeshbone!!

[vancouverBC]

When I got code #33, it was b/c of the egr hose that runs from the egr pipe to the bottom of the erg transducer (gray box behind the SC). The problem was that I had replaced it with the wrong type of hose and it was burning up after the exhast got hot enough. It turns out that the hase is special silicone or viton, to withstand the heat of the exhaust. Ford charged me $50.CDN for that 7" piece of hose. Good luck

[DrFishbone]

i heard heard stuff floating around about that little hose. it is possible with mine, but i doubt it. however, i'll replace it, since it has happened to you and others as well! i'm sure there's something else around here that will work just fine... thanks!

dr feesh

[vancouverBC]

That's what I thought and used something laying around the shop and that's why I had to replace it 3 times before I got the right hose that would take +- 500deg. and last for years. I'd rather shew my arm off than go in to replace it again. Suit yourself.

[cudaz101]

SOunds like you blew some cash on your EGR problem...But there is always the option of gutting it and resting easy knowing that it will never bother you again...Then again I am not subject to smog...Anyways, hope ya get it tracked down if ya gotta keep it...

Cheers


Brad

[AsScLoWn]

I've had the actual silicone hose on some (same stuff as the funny coloured ones ricers use) and never had a problem with it burning, just dont use black vacuum hose.

I would remove the vacuum hose at the EGR and let the car run, apply vacuum at the EGR valve nipple and see if it stalls out or almost does, the idle should remain steady as soon as vacuum is released, if not its plugged (EGR valve), I duct tape the top part of ones that are plugged and sand blast inside the pintle area.

[DrFishbone]

asSClown...your just full of ideas huh??? i dunno why i hadn't thought of doing that before! i had another thought...does the computer adjust the timing accord to the egr system's operation? you know because of the exhaust air entry and such. just a thought, i haven't too much of a clue on that one. i'm going to make sure that the egr is sealed to the intake first, then try to make a hose out of copper tubing-that'll withstand the heat after that.....i guess i'll buy an egr valve either that or just tolerate the mpg i have now....still not too bad for a quick car! smog tests don't apply to me right now (the county line is only feet away from my house!!!) but for now i'd like to keep it till i get a eec tuner at least. thanks for the suggestions everyone, any more are welcome as well! thanks!

deeeerktor feeshy

[DrFishbone]

the egr does open and close doing was AsScLoWn said to try, does the little solenoid allow that much vacuum though? perhaps my egr valve is sticky and will not open as easily, nor close as easily. i'm pondering other possiblities now...outside the egr system. would the dis let the idle drop down too low if it were malfunctioning? and only give the "check engine" light when at idle? the light goes out whenever i open the throttle a little. yesterday i also got a code 21...which mentions something about the dis.....hmmmm.... : / well, i'm in the process of getting one! any more input?

derrk feesh

[cudaz101]

I tried like chit to get rid of my CE light and the EGR codes, installed new parts and all that...Well my eng. took a crap before I fixed the problem...I changed the EGR vlv, all hose connections and still complained...Was prolly the lil box...Anyway as I have already mentioned...It is GONE for good...One thing I would add...In all the codes I got and I got alot of them...I never once popped a DIS relative code, but it would not be rare for the codes to lie to you either...I have been lied to by the codes many times...I don't take them at 100% anymore without paired symtoms to match...

Hope you get it worked out..


Brad

[DrFishbone]

well, i think of reading the codes, like a doctor asking the patient to give a diagnosis hehe...but i'll get to the botom of this, i know it. i did come to the realization that the CE light will only come on AFTER the engine is good and warm, AND the car has sat still (at a stoplight or somethine) for a few seconds. after that, anytime the throttle is not open much the light will come on until it is opened back up. anyways, like i said, i've broadened my search for what may be causing the problem. dis's are weird little creatures....just maybee.....

derrktor feesh