EGR Solinoid

[buickmastermind]

My EGR Solinoid seems to have an intermittent problem. I will be taking the car for a drive with a vacumn meter hooked up to the EGR solinoid, and need to know what kind of vacumn pressure I should be seeing at different throttle positions. If I accelerate, and suddenly let up off the gas, what should the pressure do? If I am cruising, and suddenly accelerate, what should I be seing? Should the vacumn pressure fluctuation be a smooth increase/decrease, or a sudden increase/decrease? I know that the solinoid pulses to control the vacumn pressure. Should I be able to see that pulse? When I am cruising, should the pressure stay constant? I think I know these answers, but I would appreciate it if somebody can verify them. Thank you.

Sorry if I spelled solinoid wrong.

[tman]

Heck I probly couldn't spell solenoid!

Either way, as I always say with problems like this, does the car run fine? Does it get good milage? Therefore, If it aint broke, don't fix it!

[buickmastermind]

Maybe so...but to a perfectionist, it is easier to be able to test it under different conditioins.

[sierrap615]

i assume this is a vacuum EGR not an electric EGR?

what exactly is the problem?

[buickmastermind]

It is a vacumn, yes, but the vacumn is routed through and electric solinoid that, to my knowledge, pulses to change the vacumn pressure to the EGR valve.

My problem is that the SES light occationally comes on, and stores a code 32 (EGR Vacumn Control). This indicates one of a few things.
1.) vacumn at idle (faulty solinoid)
2.)contacts stuck closed in the diagnostic switch (faulty switch)
3.) ckt 932 is shorted to ground (bad wiring)
I just want to check the vacumn pressure coming out of the solinoid at different conditions to be sure of a non-faulty solinoid.

[buickmastermind]

My test results came back barely near the way I figured they should have. Here are my findings...
Idle...............<1 pounds per inch vacumn (calling it psi for now)
5-15% thr......2-3 psi
15-20% thr....3-4 psi
thr > 20%......0 psi
The changes in vacumn pressure were instantaneous and jumpy. At cruise, pressures held steady. When suddenly decelerated, pressure went to about 1 psi. When suddenly accelerated, pressure dropped to 0 psi. Pressure never exceded 4 psi. Pressure coming to EGR solinoid was about 10-15 psi.
Is that a normal vacumn behavior for the EGR solinoid? I figured it would get up to at least 10 psi. The valve itself seemed to not move very freely, but I can fix that later. Thank you.

Please pardon my bad grammar, and the fact that I was referring to vacumn pressure as psi.

[sierrap615]

the vacuum sound fine, a little low, i feel, but that may be normal for your car, i'm not sure.

i would tackle the stuck valve, that could take care of the code. remove the EGR and valve/lines or whatever related and clean it and the passages in the head with sensor safe carb and choke cleaner. replace any gaskets.