Hey all,

Here is a quick question. My cars SES light used to come on when I would be driving on teh highway and would be cruisin at about 100kmph for 5 minutes. There is no different smell or any change in performance or gas milleage. I used my code puller and it reported a problem with the EGR. Well that system is sorta not hooked up as the previous owner decided that the Catalytic was robbing him of precious horse power so instead of installing a hiflow he decided to remove the cat and replace it with a straight pipe.

Now recently, I realized that my cooling fan wasn't working. I found this out when me and my friends all went to the docks to just chill. We left our cars running for a 5 minutes and I started hearing this weird noise under my hood. Before I open any hood on a car I usualy shut the car down. When I turned my car off I heard this gurgling sound from under the hood. My antifreeze was boiling. My Electric fan never kicked in. Diagnosed that problem to be with the Relay that fires up the fan. Anywho I changed that out and now my SES light comes on about 10 to 15 minutes after the car runs. Scanner is still showing the EGR as the fault code.

Well I am figuring the problem is the lack of back preasure. I don't have a Cat and I noticed 2 holes about the width of a Quarter. I am getting the exhaust done in a week (all magnaflow, its gonna sound sexah!). I also plan on trying to hook up the smog equipement if possible.

Here is the question...how should I go about fixing this issue with the EGR. I am running an open element however this problem has been there even before installing the element. I have no clue where my O2 Sensor is as the prev owner installed headers on the car and my haynes shows me that the O2 sensor was installed in a hole in the manifolds. Also I can smell some serious gas fumes on the exhaust which leaves me to believe that the O2 Sensor is not doing its job making the car run stupid rich.

Any idea on how I can...

1) fix the issue with the EGR code so the SES light and my car stays happy and stops coming on

2) fix the rich running engine so my car doesn't smell like a skidoo.

Any advice is greatly apreciated.

 

You probably dont have a O2 sensor if you dont see it in the headers, you could drill and tap the header to accept an O2 sensor, and then just pray that the previous own didnt just snip the O2 sensors wire and its just tucked away somewhere, as for the light, if you dont notice a difference in performance or gas mileage and just want the light to not come on, pull the gauge panel and take out the light bulb for that SES, thats what i did, because when i pupt a 350 in to replace the 305 i blew up becasue of the same problem you had with the fan, it was on all the time, but there wasnt a problem, so i pulled the SES bulb and the UP SHIFT bulb because they are a pain in the you know what. But if you want to leave out the EGR stuff and not put in a CAT, i would visit WWW.TBICHIPS.COM, and email the guy with what you have and tell him to program out the EGR. I did that and my car doesnt have a CAT either just a straight pipe, and I had the guy from TBI chips program me a chip w/o EGR and then i could remove the EGR valve from my engine compartment and put on a block off plate.

 

EGR has NOTHING to do with the cats.

and your car needs NO backpressure btw.... its there, but it doesnt need it.



anyhoo, its a common prob.. first check the vac hose going to the EGR valve solenoid, and the hose going from the noid to the valve.

if the hoses are good, its probly either the valve or the solenoid.

 

Where is the EGR valve located? This haynes manual is useless for pointing out stuff that I need.

 

EGR is on the passenger side of the intake manifold.

 

well.. its under the plenum on TPI... a real pain to see.

this pic is the best i have to show what it looks like.
its a round diaphram disc looking device:
i circled it in red



the pic below shows where it goes under the manifold.
see where the plate is? that blockoff plate is blocking off where the EGR was.

 

ok I will replace that as well. I think I sorta found the issue. my IAT sensor...at least I think its the IAT. Well it wasn't hooked up...instead it was originally wrapped in shop cloth and left hanging. it must have come in contact with one of the pipes on the header cuz the sensor is burned. I think this might be the cause of the issue. Adding IAT sensor to list of stuff.

So far I am looking at the following items

O2 Sensor
IAT Sensor
EGR Valve

 

why dont you just replace the one burned one, then wait and see if thats your prob?

you might not need to pull the manifold apart and replace the EGR... and even then it might be the hose or the 'noid.

 

Well is it expensive to replace all the parts I mentioned. Only reason I was thinking of replacing them all was so I know that all the sensors are brand new and functioning.

 

when u get an EGR valve try to get one that is a negative backpressure valve (will have an N printed or casted into the valve). They usually came on TBI trucks around the same year as our cars. I was getting a CODE 32 which was using a positive backpressure valve, once i switched to an N type valve the problem was fixed.

 

Cool thanks for the info. Do you remember what the total cost was for the part. I am trying to draft up a tally of what its gonna cost me for teh parts.

 

o2 sensors are $20-30, egr valve $40-50, i would not replace the IAT sensor if i were you, they are pretty expensive (around $40-50) and unless you are getting a SES CODE the directly points to the IAT, dont bother. Our SD TBI systems, as i have heard, do not really rely on the IAT sensor.

 

well mine is a bit...melted hehe. I had to pry it off of the header with a screw driver. I relocated it back inside the saucer air cleaner and this time it won't come out unless I let it out. I figured because it was touching the header that it was reporting that the air was crazy hot so it was allowing for next to no fuel. Which in turn caused the SES light to come on cuz the other sensors would have reported back that the IAT was out to lunch on its reports.

 

well, even if the outside of it is melted, if the sensor is still functional i wouldnt replace it unless you really really want to and you have the money. If u are getting a CODE 32 then it is because of the EGR not the IAT, unless you were getting another code along with the 32

 

nope...just 32. After relocating the IAT to the firewall it seems the 5 minutes of driving/SES going live problem stopped. Code 32 is in memory and the SES light only seems to come on now when I am doing 100+KMPH and holding it there for 5 minutes straight. If I am bombing around town doing 50kmph then the SES never comes on.

I cleared the codes with my code puller, brought the car back on the highway at 100 and the SES came back on and the code puller stated Code 32.

Guess I will pass on the IAT and just get the EGR Valve and Solenoid as well as a new O2 sensor.

 

do the EGR valve before the soleniod, you might not even need a new one

 

is it a pain to change the valve. I am not really mechanically inclined however if its a simple disconnect/reconnect then I should be ok.

 

i can take mine off with just a box end wrench. All you should have to do it remove the air cleaner.

 

id like to point out that he has a TransAm.

meaning he has TPI.


on a TBI system, its right there on the side of the manifold, easy as can be.. on TPI its under the plenum, like the pic above shows. its more of a pain to get to.

 

Seems like you have a decision to make. EGR, or no EGR? Does Canada also have visual inspections for emissions?
Do they have emissions laws at all? I know if you go for emissions here in MD and there is an SES light on, you fail automatically.
I believe that you will probably have to get new gaskets for the runners if you plan on chaning the EGR.
My car was throwing the same code.
The reason is, that once you are up to that speed, sustained for over a minute or two, the computer sends a signal to activate the solenoid to ensure exhaust gases are not venting into the atmosphere. If you EGR is leaking down, that is usually when you get this code. It could still also be a vac line with a pin hole in it, though. So I'd check the lines first.
Incidentally, since I replaced my EGR, this code has not returned. (knock on wood)

 

well, does he have TBI or TPI?? I just figured he has TBI cause he is on the TBI board. 88 and 89 IROCs had a TBI option so i figured it was the same for Trans Ams as well.

 

LOL, look at his profile, 5.0L L03 Trans Am

 

i coulda swore it was TPI... eh.

thats what i get for flipping around a million threads at one time....

 

Sorry..

Yeah my car is a 305 TBI.

Can the EGR Valve and Solenoid be seen if say I popped the hood and took a picture and uploaded it here?

 

just take off the air cleaner and look behind the tbi towards the passenger side of the engine bay, its right on the intake manifold. Then follow the vacuum hose from the egr valve to the solenoid

 

Ok I will try that tomorrow.

 

Did replacing what you said you were going to do fix the problem? I'm wondering cause I have the same problem, only comes on on the highway.