My 1997 2.5L V6 Dodge Avenger (same power plant as the Sebring) keeps damaging the EGR valve. The car will run smoothly for 6 weeks after installing a new EGR, but gets steadily worse from there. I'm on my third EGR valve right now. The damaged EGR valves have lots of black, sooty deposits in them.
The car does seem to have less power these days even when it is running smoothly. I am using the OEM EGR and solenoid parts bought directly from the dealer.
I've tried the following to fix the problem:
Had the car checked out by a dodge dealer's shop (they found _nothing_ wrong.) They checked for vacuum leaks, bad air/fuel mixture, etc. According to the dealer, there are no TSBs about this problem.
Took the intake plenum, EGR inlet pipe, and throttle body assemblies off and cleaned away all residual carbon. Replaced all gaskets for those parts.
Had the fuel injectors cleaned.
Replaced the spark plugs, replaced spark plugs wires. Dis cap looks great.
Had the catalytic converter pressure tested (18 psi). The guy at the exhaust shop told me that was a little high but still acceptable. Don't know if that's true.
Replaced the upstream O2 sensor.
The car has 90,000 miles and uses no oil. Otherwise, it's a great car. Please help me find this problem!
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