Question97 INTREPID CAN SMELL GAS IN CAR WHEN HEAT OR AIR IS ON BEEN THAT WAY FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS.ALSO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AS OF YESTRERDAY CODE 12 32 55
AnswerHi Omar,
I would look for a gas leak in the engine compartment. Follow the gas lines that come into the compartment from below the car on the passenger side,just inside the frame rail, tracing them all the way to the top of the engine where they feed the fuel "rail" that feeds the 6 injectors. Somewhere along that path there is a leak. If you don't find it there then trace the lines from the tank/filter area to the engine compartment. But because it is most evident when you are using the ventilation system, the air intake for which is in front of the windshield, I suspect the fumes are arising in the engine compartment.
The only relevant code is 32 which means that the exhaust gas recirculation valve is not responding properly when tested, either due to mechanical or electrical malfunction.
The exhaust gas recirculation valve 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 poor acceleration 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.
The smell of raw gas is unrelated to the problem of the egr valve. So I would encourage you to deal with the gas odor first because it runs the risk of an engine fire that can be so destructive as to make the car non-repairable. If you can't find a leak in the fuel lines then check the fuel vapor recovery canister and its vacuum hoses for a leak. Use the underhood emission sticker to locate the parts of that gas vapor collection system.
Roland
PS The 12 code just means that the battery was disconnected from the engine control computer some time in the recent past, while the 55 code means "end of readout".
