Chrysler Repair: 3,3/3.5L 94:will not start in the cold, exhaust gas recirculation valve, side exhaust manifold

Question
i have a 94 new yorker. it starts right up no problem, except when the temp gets below 20 degrees, over night...it tries to fire once, then just turns over...i have a new battery, just had it tuned up this summer...any ideas on how to solve this issue...i checked the codes but it just read 12 as i checked the battery. thanks ...rick

Answer
Hi Richard,
One possibility is that the temp sensor is not accurate but not so bad as to cause a code, and similarly with the manifold absolute pressure sensor, but you would need a voltmeter to access whether  either of those could be true. So let us sit on those until we 'exhaust' the other possibility and you let me know if you have access to a volt-ohm meter.
I have another idea, one of my favorites when bad  start/idle rears its ugly head.  I would take a look at the exhaust gas recirculation valve which is located behind the engine near the air intake throttle valve. It is mounted in a pipe that runs between passenger side exhaust manifold and the air intake manifold. The valve is mounted horizontally and has a valve stem between its round vacuum actuator top and the body of the valve attached to the pipe, inside the flange that connects the two parts. The stem has a slot into which you can insert the tip of a flat-bladed screwdriver so as to lever the stem back and forth against spring action which should move freely and close tightly. If the stem seems to be sticky so that stem doesn't close all the way by spring action, then you can try spraying some penetrating solvent like WD-40 on the valve stem to free-up its motion.
If the valve is sticking slightly ajar it will make for a rough idle and hard starting such as you describe because the mixture is too dilute. It is one of the most common causes of this symptom. So see if you can find the valve and check/lubricate the stem. To check it in motion you can rev the engine from idle to 2500 rpm and back to idle and watch to see if the valve stem moves freely in both directions to the extreme open and closed positions. It may be that the interior of the valve is cruddy so that might require that it be unbolted from the pipe where it it attached and cleaned. But chances are good it will only be a sticky stem. Feel free to write back with the results and other questions you might have.
Roland