Chrysler Repair: 1999 Sebring JX: engine chokes and dies, screwdriver blade, penetrating lubricant

Question
I have a 1999 Sebring.  For some reason it has been choking and stopping.  I get no check engine light, no warning that anything is about to go wrong, it just stop.  I get no code reading.  I have changed the fuel pump and have the same problem.

Answer
Hi Michele,
Do you mean that you are getting no codes from a valid readout attempt, or that the code readout system doesn't respond? If you mean that no codes are stored in the system then I would take a look at the exhaust gas recirculation (egr) valve. If the problem occurs when you are decelerating with your foot off the gas that is a likely cause, and it can do that without setting a fault code.
The egr valve 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 and run the engine successfully. 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 the choking occurs while you are driving/accelerating then there is a possibility that the exhaust system is plugging up due to a loose honeycomb inside of it blocking the outflow of exhaust gas. Do you hear any rattling coming from under car when you rev the engine? That would be a suspicious sound. An exhaust shop can check that possibility.
If you think the codes aren't being displayed at all tell me how you have tried to get them.
Roland