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3100 EGR Problem... I think

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  • #1

    3100 EGR Problem... I think

    Atleast, I thought it was...

    I browsed around these forums, reading all the old posts that sounded similar to my own problem, and I looked all around the engine and everything pointed to the EGR...

    Especially the smoke coming from it.

    But, I changed it and things didn't change.

    So, here's what happened: I was on my way home from a night of jamming with acouple of my guitar buddies, and I heard a whining coming from the engine while I was on the highway. Of course, my 1995 Oldsmobile Achieva has had it's share of problems sence I bought it, so I figured it was just something I hadn't gotten fixed yet making more of a protest (I was enroute to get a new O2 sensor today, but I don't think that's the problem anymore). For it had all the same symtoms that I had before.
    Lack of Power, Bad Fuel Economy, and black exaust smoke everytime I tried to give it some gas up a hill or something.

    Anyway, I got off the highway, and the car died. Not 100%, but it wouldn't go past 30km/h. I managed to get almost all the way to my house before it killed out completly. (Slash, I noticed smoke coming into the car, and shut the engine off and started swearing).

    The engine is bucking like mad, the rpm's all all over the place (from 500-1500) and there is smoke coming from the EGR.

    I have no frigging idea what is wrong with the car. Any help would be GODLY. I have weird hours at work, and need this car fixed by Monday if I can!

    (Also, just a note: I had the car hooked up to a computer the day before it conked out, and it was reading Engine Lean, even though it was running rich... even the mechanics there didn't know what it meant *shrugs*)

    Thanks again!
    -Evan
    "The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • #2
    Sounds like a clogged cat, and a bad o2 sensor. If the o2 is bad, and says its lean (even though its not), the computer will up the fuel and then your motor runs rich.

    The cat probably clogged and went bad due to running rich from a bad o2 sensor. When the cat clogged it plugs up your exhaust and cause the motor to buck. Excess pressure is vented through the EGR valve. I've seen an EGR melt off completely from the exhaust trying to get through it from a clogged cat!!!!

    Put a new O2 sensor in there, and then you'll probably have to replace the cat or knock it out (hollow it out). That should be it then.
    sigpic New 2010 project (click image)
    1994 3100 BERETTA. 200,000+ miles
     16.0 1/4 mile when stock. Now ???
    Original L82 Longblock     with LA1, LX9, LX5 parts
    Manifold-back 2.5" SS Mandrel Exhaust. Hardware is SS too.

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    • #3
      You are a saviour. That definitly sounds like a possibility.

      My old EGR is black in some places, so should I take the new one back, or could that cause problems?
      "The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Friedrich Nietzsche

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      • #4
        I'm gonna send you looking in a different direction. Does the engine miss? If cylinders are missing, you'll have a raw fuel smell and/or smoke coming out of the exhaust (so you'll think it's running rich), and YET... The oxygen sensor will "read" lean because there's also unburnt air (along with that unburnt fuel) coming out of the missing cylinder. Been there, done that... got the T-shirt.

        I'd suggest that you start with the plugs and wires, then see how it runs. I agree with Ike on one thing though- this CAN clog the cadillac converter. There are plenty of other possibilities, too... like coils, a leaking injector, or internal engine problems... but plugs and wires are a likely and cheap place to start. I'd also check compression right away.

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        • #5
          Yeah... I think I have to start somewhere else... the catcon is welded onto the car, so it's not going to be so simple to check it out.

          I'll defenitly check though some of this other stuff after I get up, later tonight. As much as it pains me to do it, I might just have to take 'er into a mechanic and ask them to fix it... and $700 later it might work, haha.

          I'll see what I can do, thanks for giving me another thing to look at. Hopefully one of these will be the right one!
          "The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Friedrich Nietzsche

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          • #6
            The converter may be A problem, but I seriously doubt that it's your ONLY problem. They usually stop up for a reason. Here's an easy way to check it, though: Unbolt it at the manifold and just let the exhaust hang down. I did that on my '96 achieva, and it worked fine. The exhaust dropped a couple inches down at the manifold and rested on a little brace. The car ran A LOT better with the exhaust unhooked, so I knew the converter was clogged. If that's the case with yours, you'd better investigate WHY it clogged before you bother putting a new one on... otherwise you'll clog the new one in short order.

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            • #7
              If it's missing out and poping/etc I'd suspect your CPS (crank shaft position sensor).

              If it only happens when the motor gets hot then likely it's this or the ICM (ignition control module). But I'd start with the CPS as that's been the case on my car every time.

              Last time it failed it was an autozone cheapie that didn't last and once it got hot the motor just stopped sparking. It would sometimes buck/pop/backfire right before it quit. Let it cool off, and away you went.

              I put a bosch or borg warner on there from o-riellys and it cost a lot more but looks like oem and has lasted longer than the $11 autozone one (yes it was that cheap). I've heard a lot of failures from autozone electronics.

              If the RPM's are going crazy, then likely it's the CPS. My tach would go nuts when it acted up.

              Another thing to check would be the FPR to see if it's leaking. Possibly the camshaft sensor could be bad too, it would still run but fuelign would be off and it would run rough and use more fuel.

              You need to check if you have spark or if you have fuelign issues.
              sigpic New 2010 project (click image)
              1994 3100 BERETTA. 200,000+ miles
               16.0 1/4 mile when stock. Now ???
              Original L82 Longblock               with LA1, LX9, LX5 parts
              Manifold-back 2.5" SS Mandrel Exhaust. Hardware is SS too.

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              • #8
                If u think it might be the cat, get underneath her with a hammer and give it a couple of whacks, droping the pipe like Tractor said would be good, i just hate snaping off bolts lol.

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                • #9
                  I know a guy who will take the cat off, clean it and put it back on for $20 or so. With all the black smoke that'd been coming out of the exaust over the past month, I think that's a good idea anyway.

                  The engine wasn't missing, as far as I know anyway. It always ran fine except for the lack of power / smoke / bad gas milage (So... it didn't really run fine per say).
                  The only thing was it idled rough, and sometimes the car would start bucking when it got up to around 90-110km/h, which could be remedied by letting off the gas and then reapplying.
                  "The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Friedrich Nietzsche

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                  • #10
                    Take the vacuum line off the FPR, and smell it. If it smells like gas, then the FPR is bad. It could be flooding the engine..
                    sigpic New 2010 project (click image)
                    1994 3100 BERETTA. 200,000+ miles
                     16.0 1/4 mile when stock. Now ???
                    Original L82 Longblock                     with LA1, LX9, LX5 parts
                    Manifold-back 2.5" SS Mandrel Exhaust. Hardware is SS too.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Where in Nova Scotia are u, im close to Sydney.

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                      • #12
                        Just wanted to chime with a quick warning about unbolting the manifold. I had a cavalier that had a bad cat. The car would start but wouldn't go more than a few mile an hour. I unbolted the manifold, started it, and it worked great. A minute later the engine bay went up in flames. Must have ignited something plastic and I didn't notice till it was to late. Everything was melted, and the car was garbage. Of course this car had a lot more plastic under the hood but I'd hate to see someone else loose a good car for a lesson I already learned the hard way.
                        Last edited by TazMan; 07-17-2006, 03:21 PM.

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                        • #13
                          i would bring the car to a shop with a decent scan tool.
                          take a look at the dtc's in the computer, i've come across a couple 3100 v6's with coolant temp sensors that are crapped out. Make it run super rich.
                          If your can get your hands on a vacuum/pressure gauge yu can use it too check how much backpressure in in the exhaust pre-convertor. Just take out the 02 sensor thats located before the cat, and put the pressure gauge hose in the hole. i think a reading rather low like 5-8 psi is a decent reading.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by 12Gauge
                            Where in Nova Scotia are u, im close to Sydney.
                            I'm just outside of Dartmouth.
                            "The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Friedrich Nietzsche

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