Vibrating/Shaking Engine

[SixString95]

Hey guys,

I've got a 2003 Protege5, automatic with the nifty shift gate and "manual mode." Recently, I've been having problems where the engine fires up and after a while the whole car starts shaking. The engine vibrates A LOT. It's not noticable at higher speeds/RPMs, but definitely freaky when sitting at a stop light (the whole car is literally vibrating).

Probably six months ago, I started the car up and the whole engine shook to the point that it wouldn't even drive. I took it to a mechanic, who read the code that had triggered the Check Engine Light. He said it was "Random Cylinder Misfire" and advised me to change the coil packs/ignition coils if it persisted.

Since then, I've only had occasional engine issues, most of which were remedied by simply letting the car sit. It would start up perfectly fine the next day. Now, the car starts normally, but progressively rattles and shakes as I drive it around. Like I said, it's most noticable when at rest or driving at low speeds.

I bought a pair of coil packs and popped them in today, hoping they would solve the problem. I fired up the engine, threw the car into reverse, and before I'd even backed out of my driveway and shifted to drive, it started shaking again. I noticed that it was worst when idling in drive. It didn't shake as much in park or reverse, but there was a noticable vibration.

So, I'm stuck. I'd love to fix this problem myself (without having to pay a mechanic), but I'll do what it takes to get my little P5 back on the road. I've read of similar situations where the problem was a vacuum hose leak, a vacuum leak in one of the cylinders, or something relating to the EGR valve. Any help, advice, or solutions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks guys for reading my essay! (rules)

 

[hotcracker69]

replace your EGR valve, and clean all carbon build up from the engine,

 

[SixString95]

I'm in the process of removing the EGR valve. I've taken out the battery and air intake that block access, but I can't get a wrench on the thing. I know where the bolts are, but I can't access them. What's the wrench combination that works? Any advice?

 

[hotcracker69]

access from the bottom of the car is better and easier,

 

[rit14623]

I'm in the process of removing the EGR valve. I've taken out the battery and air intake that block access, but I can't get a wrench on the thing. I know where the bolts are, but I can't access them. What's the wrench combination that works? Any advice?

If you have big hands, I can see it being difficult. I have small hands so I could access it, but I'm blindly aiming the socket to cover the bolt. If you go jack up the front, you'll get a direct view and access of the EGR valve bolts. There's a thin metal gasket for the EGR valve so watch out for that when you pull out the bolts.

 

[SixString95]

All right, my dad and I got the EGR undone this weekend! Instead of replacing, we decided to clean it with carb fluid and a wire brush. Turns out the thing was so gunked up the little plunger inside wasn't even moving, so we had to coerce it with a flathead and squirt it well. We bought a new gasket and reinstalled the EGR valve. Car runs great now! We went in from above by removing the air breather, strut bar, battery, and battery support platform, then using a quarter-inch ratchet with swivels and extensions to get the thing out. To reinstall, we used a rubber band to hold the bolts in place until we could thread them, and held the gasket to the valve with some vaseline. Took a lot of trial and error, but saved us some good money! Thanks guys for the advice! Maybe this will help someone else in the future.

 

[lowlevel]

I also did this from the top. I used a stubby ratcheting/gear wrench for the two bolts, and a twist tie instead of a rubber band when puttting it back in.
I didn't have to remove the battery support platform. Just the battery and air intake... probably would have been easier to do this from below.