[PaulJ]

I have a 1996 Camaro with a 3.8L V6 and automatic transmission. The car is my wife's primary means of transportation. A few weeks ago she mentioned that it was "cutting out" and asked me to take it to Auto Zone to get them to run the quick diagnostics which reveals the error codes. I did, and the codes were a P1406 (EGR valve misfunction) and P1441 (EVAP System Flow During Non-Purge). She took my Tahoe last week and I drove the Camaro and discovered that it was surging very badly. By surging, I mean that sitting in my garage, I pushed the accelerator and the RPMs went up, and as soon as they hit ~3600 RPM, it began to surge between 3600 and 40000 rpm. It would not go above 4000 rpm. I looked in my Chilton's troubleshooting guide and it said that a bad EGR valve could be the problem, as could a plugged fuel filter. So... knowing that "bad EGR" valve was one of the codes I had seen, I swallowed hard and paid the $150 for the new EGR valve. It didn't fix the surgin problem and the car is still "cutting out".

I went back to Auto Zone and the code P1406 is no longer there, but the P1441 still is.

So I have two questions. First, would the P1441 error be causing the engine surging at higher RPMs? Second, how do I fix the problem? I went to O'Reilly's Auto Parts to get a EVAP Purge Vacuum Switch, but they said it was "a dealer install". I don't know why it would be "a dealer install" since it sits right on top of the engine and is pretty easy to get to.

I really don't want to have to pay a mechanic if this is something I can fix on my own. I've done my own "shade-tree mechanicing" for many years, but I will be the first to confess that I am not a trained mechanic. Being an engineer, if there are pretty clear instructions for something, I can usually do a good job at fixing pretty much anything that I need to. My Chilton's book said what to do to fix the EGR valve after troubleshooting it, but there is nothing in there on how to fix the EVAP problem.

I apologize for the long post, but I hope to get some clear guidance about what to do to fix my Camaro.

Thank you in advance for your wisdom and guidance.

Sincerely,

Paul J

[fatblock]

Check for carbon contamination in the purge solenoid and vac sensor.the charcoal canister can fail and contaminate these components.Replace the canister or repeat failure will ensue.
Revving the engine in the garage with no load in park activates the rev limiter.This test proves nothing.

[PaulJ]

Thank you for the words of wisdom. I didn't realize that there was a rev limiter that would prevent me from revving the engine too high. That's a pretty cool safety feature to keep someone from blowing the engine.

How do I check for carbon contamination in the purge solenoid and vac sensor? Is it a matter of simply unplugging the sensor and cleaning it? If I have to replace the canister, how do I access it? It is back by the fuel fill spout, and I have not found a way to gain access to it. It isn't visible from under the vehicle, so I'm not sure how to get to it.

Once again, thank you for your help.

Paul

[fatblock]

Follow the purge hose until you find the canister,most likely behind the rf headlamp assy.Remove the purge solenoid and lightly tap it onto a clean white towel.The carbon should show up and in most cases once the canister is replaced,the original solenoid can be reinstalled.

[fatblock]

I had b body brainlock.The impala has the canister in the rh front.You 96 F body should be hiding in behind the left rear fender well.Hope this helps.

[dawg]

thats your evap system
probly a loose connection.
go here for explanation
http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troub.../bl_obd_14.htm