Lt1 94 Trans am code 32 egr valve... what are some of my options before replacing optispark?

Question

I just bought this car a month ago, my boyfriend washed the car in automatic car wash, it has an optispark distributer? i'm guessing water may have gotten in the distributer, not sure! there is a miss in # 5 spark (not sure how to say) plug, replaced all wires and plugs. replaced egr. checked compression, now he says its come down to distributer cap. is there anything else were missing?
thanks a lot

Answer 1

What exactly does the optispark have to do with code 32 EGR Valve???
The optispark problems on the GM motors has to do with the crank trigger and spark. It goes South the motor don't run.

Look in Yahoo answers for EGR or click http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsmdvvG_y272S7a46dy64x3sy6IX?qid=20061221014335AAq16Iv&show=7#profile-info-156df72f859b2835733f239149c8fa47aa

Repair manual says :
-With engine at normal operating temp, manually lift the EGR diaphram and listen for the RPM to decrease or engine to stall.
No change, you have a plugged line
-If RPM changes then you need to look for vacuum leaks on lines running to the EGR valve or blockage. You should 7"hg of vacuum at 2000 RPM.
Failed.. look for vacuum problem back to intake manifold
after that it gets technical and advise to see a good GM technician.. But normally this will find the problem.

Happy Holidays

Answer 2

Shovelkicker is right on the money.

Not only that, 90% of the time when you get an EGR valve code, the EGR is perfectly fine. It's the lines/passages leading to and from the exhaust manifold to the EGR valve that is the culprit.

These passages usually get clogged up with carbon soot and get packed as hard as a rock. Find the passages and completely clean them out, and you should be fine. I've found that sometimes saturating the passages with WD40 and then slowyly and carefully drilling them out is about the ony way to clear them. New exhuast manifolds sometimes is the only way too.

To give you an idea of what an EGR is and does, EGR valve stands for exhaust gas recirculation valve. Some engineer found out that you can increase combustion and fuel efficiency by introducing the hot, inert exhaust gas back into the combustion chamber of each cylinder via the intake.

Well this works fine if the combustion is complete and there is no carbon soot produced. Well even if your system is perfect, you are going to end up with some amount of soot in the exhaust. Well, water is also a by-product of engine combustion. Put enough water, soot, and heat together for a long enough period of time and it starts to solidify.

Eventually, the lines or passages that lead the exhaust back into intake will clog up and become useless. A code is tripped because even thought the EGR is functioning properly and all your vacuum lines are fine, nothing flows.

Hope this info along with the other info you've gotten helps.

Answer 3

Lt1 Egr Delete