new egr backfires

[erap]

my 99 grand caravan 3.3(200k)engine light on n off was for about a year but still runs good no problem.I decided to get fix the engine light because im driving it to florida this coming july my mechanic replace the egr valve .put new plugs,wires ,new fuel,air filter.when i get my van the engine now backfires ,rough idling which is not like not like that before he do the work.he ask me to drive it for few days.yesterday the engine light came on again so he check the code. the code is P0301 he said that is missfire # he ask me to bring my van today to check the coil/distributor.can somebody pls.give me an advise before i go back to him.I already paid $500 and still not fix/?????????

[ronmar1]

Sounds like a crossed plug wire, or a bad vacumn leak.
Ron

[jsinton]

Originally Posted by erap

my 99 grand caravan 3.3(200k)engine light on n off was for about a year but still runs good no problem.I decided to get fix the engine light because im driving it to florida this coming july my mechanic replace the egr valve .put new plugs,wires ,new fuel,air filter.when i get my van the engine now backfires ,rough idling which is not like not like that before he do the work.he ask me to drive it for few days.yesterday the engine light came on again so he check the code. the code is P0301 he said that is missfire # he ask me to bring my van today to check the coil/distributor.can somebody pls.give me an advise before i go back to him.I already paid $500 and still not fix/?????????

Yes, he put the plug wires back wrong. And judging by the price I would say it might have been intentional. $500 for plugs, wires, EGR, fuel and air filter??? What a ripoff. Next time... if it works, don't fix it.

[ronmar1]

Originally Posted by jsinton

Yes, he put the plug wires back wrong. And judging by the price I would say it might have been intentional. $500 for plugs, wires, EGR, fuel and air filter??? What a ripoff. Next time... if it works, don't fix it.

Plugs, $18.00, dual plats $45.00

Wires $35.00

EGR $70.00

Fuel and air filter $20.00

Being able to do it yourself----"Priceless"

[erap]

now he is telling me maybe the computer is the problem

[jsinton]

Check the firing order yourself, it's easy. It's highly likely he got two wires mixed up, this would cause it to backfire. Nothing else he did would likely do it unless he sabotaged your engine (or maybe he's incredibly incompetent.) I have seen mechanics sabotage engines, incidentally. Here's a diagram:

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us...rInfoPages.htm

[erap]

i decided to check if the plugs are in wrong order and found out that he did not replace the 3 plugs in the back 1 3 5 and the wire #1 theres no contact on the plug #1 ,he just wipe the wires with something so it looks like new so i put new wires and replace the 3 plugs in the back and runs very well now.thanks for all the help and info.

[jsinton]

These stories are the norm anymore. What a bunch of crooks! Did you ask for your money back?

[jsinton]

Who was that mechanic, and where is he located? Was it a company, or an independent guy?

[webbch]

I just recently replaced my spark plugs and wires. Don't ask me why, but for some reason I had already bought new plug wires from Napa, and then decided that I wanted to have "Factory" plug wires, so I went to the dealer and got them. I was planning to take back the ones from Napa.

I installed the new plugs and factory wires (and yes, did install the correct dual platinum plugs), and I had the same problems - ran like garbage. Checked and rechecked the plug wires, and they were all routed correctly. Finally used my timing light to determine that a couple of the back wires were firing intermittently. At first, I figured I just hadn't made a good connection to the spark plug, so I tried unplugging them and plugging them back in several time to try and get a good connection.

Since it was a bit of work to replaced them, I just got some new plugs (even though i had just replaced them) and used the Napa wires I had on hand. This solved the problem. The variable I've left out thus far is that on the first set of plugs/wires, I put anti-seize on the threads of the spark plugs, although I was *very* careful to not get any whatsoever on the insulator. When I replaced the plugs again, I did *not* put any antiseize on the threads. So to be truthful, I'm not sure if it was the anti-seize on the threads or a couple of bad wires, but replacing both fixed the problem.

i decided to check if the plugs are in wrong order and found out that he did not replace the 3 plugs in the back 1 3 5 and the wire #1 theres no contact on the plug #1 ,he just wipe the wires with something so it looks like new so i put new wires and replace the 3 plugs in the back and runs very well now.thanks for all the help and info.

Do post the name, location and company. This kind of crap deserves to be reported. File a complaint with better business bureau if they're a member, as that is complete crookery.

[esvipron]

Originally Posted by erap

i decided to check if the plugs are in wrong order and found out that he did not replace the 3 plugs in the back 1 3 5 and the wire #1 theres no contact on the plug #1 ,he just wipe the wires with something so it looks like new so i put new wires and replace the 3 plugs in the back and runs very well now.thanks for all the help and info.

Well that is something very common in today's days. They want a lot of money but do nothing, mostly where it is hard to perfom a good job. That is what happened on those 3 sparks , they are in a difficult position, but all of that is telling you that the best person to trust for your car problems is yourself, the books, and the experiences others can give you through this forum, etc. Only take it to the mechanic when there is no other option and try through a mechanic that a good friend of yours can recommend with some 85 % at least of trust. Good luck!

[webbch]

I don't entirely agree. I agree with the skepticism of *finding* a good mechanic. But once you do (and that in and of itself can be an expensive ordeal), you've got it made.

I do as much of my automotive work as is possible because I enjoy the work and enjoy the learning. Also, I get tools out of it, rather than a labor charge. I pulled the engine and transmission on my Honda several years back to do the timing belt and clutch at the same time. Gone 50,000 miles on it since then with no problems. I tend to view replacing parts as the easy part, and diagnosis is the difficult part. Perhaps mechanics hate this, but I tend to use them for diagnosis of the difficult problems mainly. In my opinion, they SHOULD be charging you to diagnose a problem, as that is often the most difficult part. I'm more than willing to pay for their expertise in this area, and I typically get them to explain how they came to their conclusions, which means I'll likely be able to spot a similar problem in the future.