Chrysler Repair: 3.5L runs rough at start up, wont idle., exhaust gas recirculation valve, side exhaust manifold

Question
i have a 97' dodge intrepid 3.5. i started my car and it was runing rough and sounded like my muffler had a whole in it. i got to my destination, after 10 min. i left, the car started and was running rough then it just quite. it will start one time, run real rough and then stop. any answers to what this might be? thank you so much

Answer
Hi Kathy,
I have a couple of suggestions:
I would take a look at the exhaust gas recirculation valve which is located on the rear end the engine near the passenger-side corner of the engine at the level of the cylinder head. You will need to look under the overlying intake manifold. You will find it mounted in a pipe that runs between the passenger-side exhaust manifold outlet and the air intake manifold directly below the throttle body. The valve is mounted horizontally and has a valve stem between its round vacuum actuator top and the body of the valve which is attached to the pipe, inside the flange that connects its 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 such as you describe because the mixture is too dilute. It is one of the most common causes of this sudden onset 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 too 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 other thing to do is to try and get any fault codes from the engine computer:
turn the ignition key:"on-off-on-off-on and leave on" doing this in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the check engine light which will be "on" to begin to flash, pause, flash, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause. Then repeat to verify the count is accurate. Group the numbers in pairs in the order that they read out, forming two digit numbers which are the fault codes. 55 should be the last code because it means end of readout.
The go to www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html or write me back with the results for what to do.

Feel free to write back with the results and other questions
Roland