Had a problem with my Kick today.
When it was cold eveything was OK ( I suspect the higher idle helped )
When the motor got to operating temperature it started running real bad down low. Idle was rough and when you accelerated off the lights there was a hesitation that was real annoying . Highway driving was fine and fuel economy seemed normal.
Any way as it turned out I went down to my local Zuk dealer and a very helpfull mechanic sugested I isolate the EGR valve.He showed me how to this. Basically you disconnect the small hose between the EGR valve ( located at the back left of the block - viewed when looking from the front bumper back into the engine bay ) and the valve you see at the top left of your motor ( just behind the rocker cover ). Then stick a screw in it to block the hose pipe ( actually a vacuum hose ). Once this was done it ran perfectly
He stated that this was a very common problem and this is how they fixed it. He said they also put a blanking plate on the block after removing the valve permanently .
Well I hope this helps someone else out there if this problem should arise .

Zeus

Had a problem with my Kick today.
When it was cold eveything was OK ( I suspect the higher idle helped )
When the motor got to operating temperature it started running real bad down low. Idle was rough and when you accelerated off the lights there was a hesitation that was real annoying . Highway driving was fine and fuel economy seemed normal.
Any way as it turned out I went down to my local Zuk dealer and a very helpfull mechanic sugested I isolate the EGR valve.He showed me how to this. Basically you disconnect the small hose between the EGR valve ( located at the back left of the block - viewed when looking from the front bumper back into the engine bay ) and the valve you see at the top left of your motor ( just behind the rocker cover ). Then stick a screw in it to block the hose pipe ( actually a vacuum hose ). Once this was done it ran perfectly
He stated that this was a very common problem and this is how they fixed it. He said they also put a blanking plate on the block after removing the valve permanently .
Well I hope this helps someone else out there if this problem should arise .

Zeus

Depending on the model year of your Sidekick, you may get a "check engine" light after performing this modification. I believe that the later model systems have a temperature sensor on the EGR itself to check to see if it's warm which would mean that exhaust gases would be flowing.

Can anyone confirm?

HTH, -Eric

I know that mine is a non californian model and there is an extra wire plug hanging there next to the egr valve.

I have 4 Kicks and all have EGR issues, Mostly just a MIL light and computer staying in closed loop (Limp mode).  I am looking to do a write up soon.  

My 1996 had no temp switch that I found when correcting the EGR before sellig it.  

My 1998 had the Swich up front broken in a crash.  I replaced and the light came back on 1 week later, with an EGR code.

Next time I'm at the shop I'll try and pull the Mitchell on demand diagnosis trouble shooting tree.  Decipher it and try to get the gest of it online.

I believe the black hat in the rear varries vacuum signal to the EGR depending on exhaust pressure.   I know Timing plays an issue too.

Off the cuff from research 2 years back   The main goal of the EGR is to reduce combustion temps and their by reduce Nox emissions.  With out the EGR combustion temps are 8k-10k deg.  with are like 4k deg.    Figure might be incorrect but the ideia should be captured.   The EGR reduces combustion temps by inducing / valving small amounts of exhaust back into the combustion chamber.


BTW mine would all recognise the EGR not working and set the MIL (Idiot light)

Your issue actually sounds as though it may be less complex. 

Your EGR valve was hung open.  Removing the vacuum caused it to close.  Sounds like a bad vacuum switching valve.   Causing vacuum to be present to the EGE all the time.

I have also seen EGR valves get a piece of carbon hung in them hanging them open, and seen the valves get stuck open.

More commonly the passage from the exhaust to the valve (Back of head & intake) gets plugged with carbon, or the EGR vacuum diaphram goes bad, both causing the EGR to not open when it should.

More commonly the passage from the exhaust to the valve (Back of head & intake) gets plugged with carbon, or the EGR vacuum diaphram goes bad, both causing the EGR to not open when it should.

That's what happened to mine when I went to get it smogged. Cleaned that out, cleaned the intake out, checked it all over, and it passed after that.

Hi team.
My Kick is an older model ( 92 1600 16V )and also a Japanese import.
The dealer said this happens a lot on the imports. I will go see him and discuss this further
I'll be back

hey Whitfield did ya mean open loop instead of closed for your limp mode? and my take on the egr thing is that your engine makes the most pollution in decelerating and the egr would help with kind of a vacuum leak with warm air to help burn the unburned gasses better and to help keep your cat from burning up with all the raw fuel going through it with out an egr.

Update:
Called in and saw my dealer. This time i spoke to another mechanic.
He said that there will be no harmfull effects to my rig. He said that it is an emmission thing and I am no longer as friendly to the environment but that was it. Bacause I live in NZ we do not have the same smog problems as elsewhere so it is not such a big deal.
Basically the mod gets rid of the EGR valve but the motor is fooled into thinking everything is working as it should ( this is why the check light does not come on ).
He explained that one of the emisions is called NOX and this is what the EGR valve recycles into the combustion system to eliminate. He also mentioned that my motor will run cooler and the intake butterfly will not be prone to carbon build up ( which can happen with frequent urban driving he says, but pretty rarely ).
Anyway it runs perfectly now and I know these guys have a very good reputation so I am not complaining.
When I bought my X90 of them it ran and felt like a new car, and still does so I will stick with them.

Oh yeah - forgot.
He also mentioned that there is a temperature sensor for the EGR - it is located up front next to the thermostat housing. There are two of them side by side and one of them relates to the EGR set up. I wonder if this is what Mr Bewley was refering to

Oh yeah - forgot.
He also mentioned that there is a temperature sensor for the EGR - it is located up front next to the thermostat housing. There are two of them side by side and one of them relates to the EGR set up. I wonder if this is what Mr Bewley was refering to

So thats what the other one is for.
now I know

What's this on
a 16V or an 8V

Wild

Hi Wild,

It is a 1600 16V. 92 model .