Questionmy friend has a 97 sebring convertible v6. her car is jerking while sitting still,slow on take offs,and going up hills.it acts like it wants to die.we were wondering what the problem is can you help us?
AnswerHi Travis,
The symptoms that you describe sound like there is a problem with the ratio of fuel to air (mixture) and one of the common causes is an exhaust gas recirculation valve that is stuck ajar rather than being closed at startup, idle, and full throttle when it exhibits the jerkiness.
So you need to check that and if so try and get it freed up and moving again so that it will be closed when the engine is shut down, otherwise it will be difficult to start and to idle.
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 that doesn't solve the problem then the best approach is to get a readout of the engine controller for any fault codes it may have observed and recorded. Some autoparts store will do a readout for free, e.g. Autozone, or a shop can do it for under $50 which may be waived if you let them do the repair. But first get the code numbers, what they mean, and what they propose to do and at what cost. You can write me back before authorizing any repairs and we can check the codes as listed in the Chrysler shop manual and verify what is proposed is correct or suggest an alternative.
So give the egr a look, and let me know what you find out.
Roland
