QuestionQUESTION: My Dodge Intrepid 1995 3.3 L seems to want to die at times when idling,
and then also intermittently seems to "choke" and hesitate strongly
when accelerating aroune 30 mph and around 40 mph. It is a bad problem
and makes it too dangerous to drive. What could this possibly be?
ANSWER: Hi Misty,
I would suggest two things: see if there are any fault codes stored in the computer, and check the exhaust gas recirculation valve for freedom of movement.
The codes can be obtained with the ignition switch:"On-off-on-off-on and leave it on" doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the check engine light that remains on to begin to flash, pause, flash, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause, then repeat for accuracy. Then combine the counts in pairs in the order of appearance to form the two digit fault codes. Then either write back or go to www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html for a code translation. You should always get a 55 code last as it means "end of readout".
The egr valve is found in a small pipe that runs from the right exhaust manifold toward the rear of the engine where the air intake/throttle body is located. It has a body which is right in the pipe proper, a separate round top with a rubber vacuum hose, and a flange area in between the two. Inside the flange you will see a rod with slot around the circumference. That is the valve stem and it should move freely back and forth. So put the tip of a screwdriver in the slot, then move it back and forth to test the motion; you will feel a spring action in one direction that is trying to close the valve. Make sure it moves freely and closes the valve stem to a dead stop. If it doesn't do both those things then spray the stem where it enters the valve body with WD-40 and then move it some more. If the valve were not opening and closing freely then you would esperience the sort of issues that you are.
Roland
PS Please use the "thank and rate" tab below to evaluate this answer. Thank you.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Well we tried the EGR valve, and it's still running terrible. It is spewing exhaust and running even worse. It is still roughly idling and roughling accelerating and it is making noises and sputtering exhaust as I mentioned. I would have mentioned the exhaust first, but it only happened rarely. Now it's happening constantly
AnswerHi Misty,
OK, but what about the fault code readout? Any results to report on that score? With the engine running that badly I can't help but believe the engine controller and its sensors haven't detected something to be wrong. It is the only other technique that I can suggest to you for being able to help you with this from a distance. So please give that a try. Just turn the ignition key between off and the position that you leave the key in after it starts (what I called "run") three times and leave it there after the third. Do it quickly, less than 5 seconds total.
Roland
PS Thank you for the kind evaluation of my previous response.
