doobadoo

Hey all bought a 98 GLE with 155k for $700 a few weeks ago. but before you congratulates me, i've had a TON of probs to fix.

Put in a new rear o2, flex pipe, misc muffler welds. The codes have been slowly disappearing and my goal is to get it to pass inspection here in NY.

I had the dreaded evap code and the p1400 egrc, and when i pulled hoses off the cansister they are all filled solid with charcoal. I mean it was all the way to the flow solenoid and check vales under the hood. i took it all apart and cleaned it with carb cleaner, bought a new canister and replaced the purge valve and stop valve near the canister with parts from a wreck at a junk yard.

I have yet to blow out the line from the flow valve under the hood to the canister & pressure sensor. i disconected the pressure sensor, cuz i know you can't blow it out with it attached or its new pressure sensor time. so that piece of the system is disconnected at bot ends. but everything else is attached.

Questions 1: P1400 - is it the solenoid? Wires? or evap?
i cleared codes and drove it all tests passed except egr and evap still pending. but after two 20 minute drive cycles she throws me the p1400. i tested the egr motor, she moves when i give her a 9v battery. even sprayed a drop of silicone in it. the leads have voltage (red/yellow and blue/black) wires 12.6v when keyed on. but when i connect them to the solenoid voltage across that line drops to 0.11, don't think solenoid moves. when i wire jsut my trust 9v battery in, she moves and reads steady 7v. solenoid reads ~30 k omhs. i was looking at the wiring diagram. That red/yellow is linked by junctions to evap valves, iac, a bunch o' stuff. But the blue/blk wire will also light up when i ground it against the battery. Should that one be the ground or am i dealing with a jump in my wireing harness somewhere? something maybe shorting to the computer down the blue/blak, which according to wiring diagram should run straight back to the ECM

Question 2: is my alternator bad? And could it be related?
i noticed during idle my cabin light flickers slightly. when i rev rpm above 1k it goes away. I cleaned my batery terminals, but haven't yet found/inspected the ground wires. My scantool of voltage shows 14.2 volts at idle. Again at idle: when the rad fan engage i get a drop to 13 volts, with a slight rebound a few seconds later. When i start turning more stuff on, head lights, blower motors, it will fall all the way to 12.4 or 12.5 at idle (750 rpm). when I gun to 2k rpm alls good above 14 v again..

I swear i can also sometimes smell burning plastic sometimes. Short? Alternator stator?

Any help would be appreciated guys. Need to get back on my feet here and riding my bicycle to work at night in a not so great neighborhood is no fun.

Thanks!

Damien

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

The alternator is bad. It cannot handle the load. The voltage falling to 12.5 at idle says you are running off of the battery. The flickering of the lights makes me think that one of the rectifying diodes is bad (open).

Take your volt meter ans set it to AC volts and measure across 12 volts to ground while the car is running. On a good working car, you will get a fraction of a volt. I think you will read a volt or two, depends on how sensitive your meter is.

doobadoo

Thnx. I will replace the alternator. Buying s 125 amp pure energy from rock. 100 bux. We shall c.