Condition recurres after 5 / 20 cycles - 8 to 150 miles.
Ecm resets correctly (Clears codes)
Several techs / shops independently come back with same condition - ecm fails to supply ground for EGR circuit - they think ecm is trash (and yet it resets and works (for a while).
Done to date:
2nd ECM - same condition
reinstalled original ECM - same condition
replaced EGR solenoid - same condition
Any guidance would be appreciated
Thanks in advance
P.

 

check the wire for continuity........you will need a pinout for the ECM harness

 

el bumpo

 

There was a Dealer TSB I have seen for 98 model year and I do not know what years it covers so please check into that. Possible came out in Nov 2001??? It dealt with this DTC and extended the warrantee to 8 / 80K but yours is past that free stuff now.

I have seen a repair take 2 EGR Solenoids to get one that actually worked. Is your scanner bidirectional to make the EGR operate??? Can you force it open via the solenoid without the scanner???

I think a better name for your post is Intermittent Lift, what do you think. I would monitor the ground control from the ECU to determine if there was no ground or there was no solenoid operation..............

 

Two techs (same shop) both refered to the ecm as loosing ground for that circuit. What's got me stumped is that a second ecm acts in the same way (according to them.
Now, I'm a great one for statistics. I use it all the time to compute probabilities; and I find it almost impossible to consider that two computers (From different cars) would act the same. What makes it worse, they will both reset.

I wish I had a 'known good car" that I could put one of these ecm's into. That way I could (for once and for all) determine if the condirion follows the ecm, or stays with the SE.

One reference pointed me towards the egr mounted lift sensor; stating that they lie all the time. But I'm not throwing more money into this chase until I get a clearer picture.

 

A scanner will give you info but you still have to back that up with some voltage measurments just to be sure, a full understanding of the EGR system is a must. How does the ECU know about lift. Does the lift sensor do all the reading or is there a temp sensor that needs to get hot when the EGR sensor opens passing hot gasses past a temp sensor, if the sensor does not get hot enough then the ECU sets a insuf lift code, there needs to be enough vacuum to lift the sensor high enough to get sufficient lift so what is controlling vacuum and are all the vacuum hoses clear. You will have to T into the vacuum hoses and monitor vacuum or create your own vacuum via a hand pump when you see a demand for vacuum via a scanner readout. I have seen this issue two times on a 97 and 98, they both needed an EGR Solenoid and one vehicle had to get a second new part before it worked. One tech even mentioned monitoring the power to the ECU and stated there was not enough amps to lift the sensor but that had nothing to do with it, thinking the ECU was weak or the wire was frayed.

I was thinking if the scanner showed a need for lift then give a redundant ground and see where the lift sensor was responding then???