QuestionThank you for your time,
I have a 97 Sebring 2.5 V6 lx, my car curretnly will start and idle, but it idles very rough, and backfires badly. Could you tell me what could be wrong. Also can you give me a plug and firing order diagram for my engine?
AnswerHi Tyler,
The most common reason for rough idle that you describe is that the exhaust gas recirculation valve (egr) is stuck ajar, rather than being fully closed, when the throttle is closed such as when you are trying to start and idle the engine.
The first thing I would do is check the mechanical function of the egr valve which is located along a pipe that runs from the left exhaust manifold (on the side of the engine facing the front of the car) to the intake manifold area (where the incoming air in the large rubber tube enters the throttle). That valve is metal and has a round fitting with a vacuum hose attached, mounted on the top of the valve, and the round part is attached to the main body of the valve by a sort of saddle. Inside the open saddle you will see a metal rod (with a slot) that connects the round top fitting to to the valve body. That rod is a stem on the valve and it is supposed to go in and out in response to the engine vacuum which varies with RPM and throttle opening (gas pedal position). Take a spray can of WD-40 or other penetrating lubricant and spray the stem where it enters the valve body and then use a regular screwdriver blade tip inserted in the slot to lever the valve in and out to try and free up its motion. Also check all the rubber vacuum hoses associated with the valve and a nearby vacuum solenoid valve. If the valve seems to open (against the action of a spring) and close firmly by the spring action when using the screwdriver blade to facilitate the motion, then you should be able to now start the engine. You can, once it is idling, check that the valve stem moves when you rev the engine from idle to 2500 rpm and back to idle. If it still won't start, then removing and cleaning the interior of the valve, or buying a new one if it seems too crudy and corroded inside, is the next step to getting the engine to start. In the absence of any code other than 32 this is the best approach to getting the car to start.
The firing order of the engine is 1-2-3-4-5-6, but the wires are arranged around the distributor cap as 1-5-3-4-2-6 if counted in the counterclockwise rotation, starting at the socket that is forwardmost on the left side (driverside) of the cap. The cylinders are numbered 1-3-5 on the firewall side, 2-4-6 on the front bank.
Let me know if the egr isn't the reason. You might want to try and readout the fault codes using the ignition key:
"on-off-on-off-on and leave on" within 5 seconds then watch the check engine light to remain on but then to befing flashing,pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the flashes before each pause, then combine the numbers in pairs in the order that they came out to form the two digit fault codes. You can get a translation at www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html
Roland
