'92 Towncar OBD Issue.

[Solariel]

Hello. I am new to the forum, and I spent the last hour searching through the forums, so I hope this isn't a repeat!

I start the car, and the check engine light turns on after about 5 seconds. When I took it to the nearby Schuck's and used the OBD on it, this is what happened.

- Started the car, and waited for the light to turn on.
- Hooked the OBD up to the computer cables and turned it on.
- Turned the car off at the tool's request.
- Turned the car back on, and waited for the light to come on, before continuing.

From that point on, after hitting the button to start the test, the engine revved up quite a bit higher than any idle I've heard from it. It lasted for about 20 seconds. (I have done engine light tests on this car before, and it was a few years ago, so I don't recall the engine revving.) Once this was done, the OBD read the following: Car is not responding.

So, with that information, and with the help of friends and family, I have concluded that this could be caused by the EGR Valve or a plugged Catalytic Converter (Another symptom from what I didn't know before, is that, apparantly, my car's performance really is pretty bad on hills. I practically have to floor it to go up a 40 degree hill doing 50.)

Could it be anything else, potentially? I don't want to spend a ton of money, as this car's in pretty bad shape. (Various areas of body damage from the previous owner, and damage to the core support.) The car wouldn't even be worth the price for a new set of tires, but for the next 6 months to a year, I cannot afford anything better.

[All2kool]

Originally Posted by Solariel

Hello. I am new to the forum, and I spent the last hour searching through the forums, so I hope this isn't a repeat!

I start the car, and the check engine light turns on after about 5 seconds. When I took it to the nearby Schuck's and used the OBD on it, this is what happened.

- Started the car, and waited for the light to turn on.
- Hooked the OBD up to the computer cables and turned it on.
- Turned the car off at the tool's request.
- Turned the car back on, and waited for the light to come on, before continuing.

From that point on, after hitting the button to start the test, the engine revved up quite a bit higher than any idle I've heard from it. It lasted for about 20 seconds. (I have done engine light tests on this car before, and it was a few years ago, so I don't recall the engine revving.) Once this was done, the OBD read the following: Car is not responding.

So, with that information, and with the help of friends and family, I have concluded that this could be caused by the EGR Valve or a plugged Catalytic Converter (Another symptom from what I didn't know before, is that, apparantly, my car's performance really is pretty bad on hills. I practically have to floor it to go up a 40 degree hill doing 50.)

Could it be anything else, potentially? I don't want to spend a ton of money, as this car's in pretty bad shape. (Various areas of body damage from the previous owner, and damage to the core support.) The car wouldn't even be worth the price for a new set of tires, but for the next 6 months to a year, I cannot afford anything better.

I think you're on to something with the Catalytic Converter needing replacement. The lack of power under load leads me to agree with you. Likely clogged up a bit.

[junk yard doggie]

Any time I get the not responding message from my scanner, it always means that I have the wrong cable plugged into the jack. I then use the generic cable and it will scan. I would try some place else that knows what the hell they are doing. 1992 should be OBD1 not OBD2. Try cleaning those egr passages under the air intake elbow. You will need a gasket but it is fairly cheap, they typically will fill up with carbon and can be completely clogged.

[Solariel]

Thank you all for your answers! I will be taking care of the problem Saturday Morning. I'll keep you updated.