Stuttering Plymouth Breeze, fuel system, electric, EGR

Ok, I have a Plymouth Breeze (same thing as a chrysler cirrus, dodge stratus). '96 2.0 liter 4 cyl, front wheel drive automatic, 211,000 miles.

This car has been great for us and is getting old, but still works very well. recently, it's been stuttering a little. Sometimes when driving, often when idling while holding the brake, and almost any time you back up.

I went to Shucks and they lent me a test unit that said the EGR valve was in need of replacement. That's fine, but it costs about $300 total to do so I'm looking for other options.

I replaced both belts (one for power steering and the other is a S belt covering everything else) and that actually seemed to fix it for a while. At the very least, it helped. However, it's starting to get worse and we want it to last as long as we can with minimal additional investment.

What's the best way to find out exactly what's wrong before investing a lot of money needlessly? I wish you told us more about this "test unit" that told you it was the EGR. Did you scan computer codes? If so, what were they? Thanks for responding. It was a small hand-held device that hooked up to a terminal on the bottom left side of my dashboard. I think I've tossed the papers that they printed for me since then, but part of it included codes like you said and a sheet stating that the EGR vavle was the likely indicated problem.

I'll try to find them again or ask them if I can run it again soon, but since then, the Check Engine light has gone off (it does that every now and then) and the problem is becoming more consistent.

I plan to check my EGR valve in the next few days using an online repair guide I found because, as I understand it, the EGR is just for efficiency, not for standard operation. For $300, I'll take operational rather than efficient. You used an OBDII scanner and the code indicated (I assume) a problem with the EGR valve.

A new valve will cost you $100-$180 depending on source, and you may be able to install it yourself.

It is not merely for efficiency. As it deteriorates your car will drive worse and worse until you can barely keep the engine running. Check a repair manual and see if you want to attempt the repair yourself; it's not difficult. More importantly, do the symptoms I've described along with that scan add up to the EGR valve? I would be pretty bummed to find out that I spent about $200 for a repair that doesn't fix the problem. The symptoms you described could be caused by about three dozen separate problems; a faulty EGR is one of them. I would trust the code readout.