It’s that time of year for me to have my wallet raped by the state of CA for our lovely bi-annual smog check! Yep,I get to pay $70 to the state for the privelage of letting some guy in grimy overalls get into my car,scratche the paint strapping it down to a dyno and then try his best to find something to fail me for. Lol.
in any NORMAL,SANE state my car would be smog exempt,but not out here where the hippies are in charge,we have to smog all vehicles 1976 and later. 😠 but anyway,that’s another rant for another day. Lol

1990 CAMARO RS 305tbi,automatic. All original. No modifications. 100k miles.The problem I have is with the check engine light coming on. The car runs fine. No issues,however after it’s on for 15 minutes or so the Service engine soon light comes on. When you turn the car off and restart it the light is gone. Using information provided to me by people here I did the paperclip method. The car shows two codes code 32 and code 54.

can anyone here tell me how to repair these codes. I looked them both up and the 54 one baffles me completely.

Since the state of California will not allow the car to pass it smog inspection if the check engine light comes on I have two options,
1.either figure out and repair the faults so that the light will stay off, or
2. Trade the car to a guy for his 1972 Plymouth duster and not have to deal with this bullshit anymore.

 

I have to give credit to all you third gen guys living in California for dealing with all the bullshit necessary to keep these cars on the road out here. This is why we see so few being driven anymore and why so many of the ads I see locally for these cars state that they won’t pass smog and that why they are getting rid of them. Also for you guys looking to hot rod them you can’t modify them much either

 

Honestly, the car not having CELs to pass smog isn't exactly a huge requirement. If the car has a CEL there's something to be addressed. You spent 2/3 your post complaining and 1/3 providing relevant information.

Code 32. EGR. Is the EGR connected? Check vacuum to and from the solenoid (tb and egr). Physically inspect your EGR situation, you'll likely see the EGR is unplugged somewhere. 9/10 its an unplugged vacuum to the EGR valve.
http://www.chevythunder.com/egr_code_32.htm

Code 54
http://www.chevythunder.com/fuel_pump_code_54.htm

No credit needed as it's not that hard to maintain your car... Most failures are a direct result of lack of maintenance. I had my back and forth with smog, and yea it sucked, but it was a legit issue that needed addressed.

 

ThTanner,sorry,between fighting vats issues,etc,I’m kind of frustrated with it.lots of guys here complain/vent about their cars. The car is maintained,and I did provide the relevant info. What codes it was showing. I’m not an expert on 80’s cars. I have mostly 50’s-60’s cars.
This check engine light thing just occurred recently. Everything under the hood is hooked up including the egr valve,I will inspect it when I get home. Car has 100k on it. Was always well cared for. I got it from the original owner. Looks near showroom condition. Fluids,filters etc all replaced by me at specified intervals.
As far as the check engine light not being a big deal,The smog guy told me they WILL fail any car that has a check engine light on even if the emissions are fine at the tailpipe.
Thats what the state should be concerned with,what’s coming out the tailpipe,not a dash light stating I have “low voltage at the fuel pump”

Some of these cars are over 30 years old and should be smog exempt anyway. All the guys I know out here complain about it. That’s why you see so few of these at the shows because Unlike the older muscle cars you cannot just simply drop in a huge engine or do what you want with them like the older cars.

 

The one That confuses me the most is the code 54 0Low voltage at either fuel pump or
fuel pump relay OR output failure at quad driver module.
I tried reading a little bit about that online this morning before I went to work

 

Check out this Facebook group: Californian's for Classic Car SMOG Exemptions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/162183124714856/

There's currently a bill working through Sacramento called AB210, which pushes the year from 76 to 83. While not a perfect solution (a rolling exemption would be preferred by everyone, except lawmakers) it's better than nothing.

For the low voltage error, I'd start by reading the voltage entering the FP relay, and then exiting it. Otherwise that flow chart is spot on and should be helpful.

 

THTanner,thanks,Got code 34 figured out. Egr valve is hooked up correctly. Just tested The diaphragm and it does not hold vacuum, so I am going to replace the egr today.

 

Thanks for the link! That’s good news if I get another 1982 Trans Am. Hey,like you said,it’s a start. Just tested my egr and the diaphragm is bad,it won’t hold vacuum at all.
where do I look to find the fuel relay? I don’t have the service manual for this car,just one for an 82 trans am

 

FP relay is on the drivers firewall

 

Thanks very much for the photos. I apologize for all the questions,but what’s the usually culprit for that code? The car runs fine,does 70-80 no problems at all. Electric gremlins can be difficult to chase down. What is a quad core driver?

 

I'd say culprits in order of commonality. However I'd just say follow the flow chart, it knows more than I do probably haha.

1. weak or corroded wiring at one of the connectors (fp relay, fp connector rear of car) or a bad ground
2. fp relay
3. oil pressure switch
4. fuel pump
5. ecm (would be pretty uncommon)

 

HaHa,Thanks,I’m keeping my fingers crossed for #1. Number 4 scares me,I don’t even want to think about it. HaHa.
i will check, clean and remake the connections. After I do that and replace the egr I have to remove the negative battery terminal for 3 minutes to clear the codes,right?
by the way,I was shocked at how much the EGR valve is. They want 69.99 at Autozone

 

Engine running check b2 at the ecm. It should have close to battery voltage.

 

thanks for the tip will try that shortly. Does my car (305 tbi) have positive or negative back pressure egr? Should the diaphragm hold vacuum with when the diaphragm is pushed up and the vacuum port is then capped? Also tried pulling vacuum with hand pump and it holds no vacuum.

 

I doubt it's your pump.

 

TBI should use positive style per my recollection.

A positive backpressure EGR will NOT open when vacuum is applied to the port with the engine not running (or just idling) due to an open bleed valve within the EGR. Sufficient exhaust backpressure must enter through the hollow pintle, closing off the valve that bleeds off vacuum. Once there is sufficient exhaust backpressure, vacuum applied to the port will cause the EGR to open.

The EGR should have a N or P on it somewhere if it's a stock unit.

As said above, the 54 is highly doubtful to be the the pump.

 

Cool,thanks guys for all the great info. I had read in another thread that the TBI cars all had negative backpressure egr’s and they were easy to test with a vacuum pump and the engine off so that’s what I did. So I guess I did the wrong test since it’s positive.

Great info on the code 54 guys! Thanks !

 

If you inspect the EGR (may have to wipe it down with a cloth and de-greaser) it should have a P or N stamped on it. That'll take any guess work out of it.

 

thanks,I’ll check it out. Just curious,how do I test the other type of should I just replace it and hope it clears up the code 32?

 

To test a positive-backpressure EGR valve, bring the engine to 2000 rpm to create exhaust backpressure, then apply vacuum to the valve. The valve should open and cause a drop of 100 rpm or more. Exhaust leaks or a modified exhaust system can cause problems with this type of EGR system

 

You can do the above in the driveway real quick

 

If you are having issues building back pressure, you can also clamp a larger socket in the outlet of tailpipes, to help limit exhaust flow and to create a bit of back-pressure. Nothing too crazy, but to half the outlet size does wonders @ 2000rpm.

 

Ok,I couldn’t find an N or a P on the top of the valve when I looked. It says Rochester and has a part number.

According to this site,they claim all TBI engines have negative backpressure egrs. I’m not saying it’s true,but that’s what I read there this morning. Here’s a link http://www.gearhead-efi.com/Fuel-Inj...BI-EGR-code-32

Can anyone confirm that the tbi cars all use negative pressure egrs?


When I removed the vacuum line there is no vacuum at idle,at what rpm does the ecm let vacuum come activate the egr? Diaphragm holds zero vacuum when pushed up by hand and released with vacuum port capped
through? Car has factory original exhaust.

 

My relay setup looks different than “thtanners” must be because my car is a 305 tbi and he’s got a 350 tpi

 

That was just the generic 'third gen relay' image found on the net.

If it's a negative, car off, you should be able to just apply vacuum and it'll hold it. If not, swap that bad boy.

 

thanks,ordered the egr valve in since nobody local stocked it. Should be in first thing tomorrow

 

The negative or positive pressure modulated EGR will not hold vacuum. You test the positive and negative valves the same way. Bypass the solenoid, applying ported vacuum directly to the valve and snap the throttle. The valve should briefly open. Most of these engines had an EGR diagnostic vacuum switch. The early ones had the switch seperate from the solenoid. Later,they combined the switch with the solenoid. If the ECM doesn't see the switch change state with the solenoid commended on or off, code 32 sets. You need to review the code 32 diag trouble tree, and the EGR control system for your vehicle.