Chrysler Repair: 98 sebrinng conv. 2.5 dies and misses when warmed up., engine controller, egr valve

Question
Hi, I have a 98 sebring converetible with the 2.5 v6... the car was fine... then it died... I determined it was the distributer... I changed it and the car ran fine for about 30 minutes... now everytime the car is off and all the way cooled down it will run fine until it warms up... then when it warms up it idles rough, sometimes dies and won't stay running at rpm's below 2500... I checked the egr valve and the transducer... the egr valve works if I hook the vaccum line directly to it (bypassing the transducer) but the car won't run right that way either... if I hook it up to the transudecer the valve won't move at all when I rev up the engine... shouldn't it move at idle? Also, could there be something else wrong that would not send the right signal to the transducer and allow it to function properly... thanks for your help.
        Dustin

Answer
Hi Dustin,
I believe that focussing on the EGR first may not be the best strategy. Assessing the EGR involves many different test of the various parts of that system. The missing when warmed up suggests rather a problem with a temperature sensor required to get the correct mixture for the engine.
On the otherhand the engine controller has the abilitly to to detect malfunctions in all the systems. I would begin by disconnecting the battery for about 5 minutes to erase the memory of fault codes stored in the memory. Then drive the car around close to home to get it warmed up and back by the time you expect it to act up. After it acts up:
The most useful thing to do would be to try to get the new fault codes that may stored in the engine controller memory to readout. Try using the ignition key: turn it "on-off-on-off-on" and leave it "on" (doing this quickly, no longer than 5 seconds). By "on" I mean just the normal position when the engine is running, not the cranking position. The 'check engine'light will remain on when you leave the key in the "on" position with the engine still not running. But then watch the 'check engine' light to begin flashing, then pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause and keep track of the numbers. Repeat the readout and verify the counts are correct. Then group them in pairs in the order that they came out, thus forming two digit numbers. You may notice that the pause is shorter between the digits of a given number, and longer between the numbers themselves. Then send me a 'follow-up' question telling me the results of your readout. By the way, 55 will be the last number (two groups of 5 flashes each) and that is the code for "end of readout".
I have the troubleshooting manual for that engine and we can look up the possibilities of what is wrong based upon what fault codes you show. There is also an essay on fault codes at the site:
http://www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html
which gives the meaning of the code numbers. But then you need to get specific info for what exactly might be the diagnostic tests or parts to replace to complete the repair. If this approach doesn't produce fault codes at all, not even a 55, then you will have to go to a good tune-up shop where they have a more sophisticated code reader in order see if there are any codes. You should be able to get a readout for under $50.
If you want to test the egr, the best thing would be for me to send you the 6 pages from the manual. I need to xerox and snail mail them to you, I don't have a scanner.
So see what fault codes you get and let me know. And if you want the egr pages, give me a mailing address.
Roland