83Delta88

My Royale lost power over the weekend while driving and in addition to a basic tune up, I'm being told to replace the EGR valve. The mechanic is saying the part is discontinued (I need the whole set up not just the cap). Is this a difficult part to locate?

They may well find something soon but thought i would just gauge from all of you the difficulty of tracking something down while I wait to hear from them.

It's a 4 door '83 with the 307.

Thanks everyone.

Fun71

Well, Rock Auto still has some on their web site:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/oldsmobile,1983,delta+88,5.0l+307cid+v8,1214840,ex haust+&+emission,egr+valve,4968

I would say no as it took me under a minute to find the info above.

joe_padavano

I think locating a "mechanic" who has a clue might be a higher priority...

Is there any reason why you think it's the EGR valve? There are about a bazillion reasons why a CCC 307 would loose power. The EGR probably doesn't crack the top ten.

76olds

How many miles are currently on the engine? Have you checked the catalytic converter? Any smell coming from the car while loosing power?
You could try giving the EGR valve a few lite hits with a hammer to see if it idles any better, if idling is a problem to begin with, other than that you should look past the EGR valve .

Eric

83Delta88

Thanks for the responses and the help everyone. In terms of the engine, roughly 117k miles without any smells.

I have a new battery and altenator already put in (have only had it 6 months or so).

In terms of what happened, I was driving and when turning onto a busy street, the car completely shut off. My buddy and I pulled it over, let it cool off for a few minutes. We cleaned the PCV valve and were able to get it to start again after a few tries. I drove it about 5 more miles before the same result (car powered off while driving, this time at least where I could pull over and park safely).

The engine is very smooth when driving. Every 4th or 5th time I drive the car there will be a rattling under the hood when I turn it off.

My knowledge of cars is admittedly very limited as this is really the first car I've put a lot of energy and care in to. So nothing in particular points me to the ERG valve other than what I was told. It may very well be some of the more routine maintenance (the spark plug changes, etc) as i dont think the car did much driving between 2016 and i when i bought it in Sept 2018 and routine maintenance may not have been kept up before that either.

If there are any other helpful details I can add let me know but thank you again to everyone for the thoughts and ideas.

joe_padavano

Neither the PCV nor the EGR will cause that problem. What exactly happens when the car dies? Do you smell gasoline? Is there spark? Lots of things can cause this, but the PCV and EGR are not on that list.

83Delta88

Theres really no discernible smell I pick up and I dont believe a spark either.

Both times it happened was when my foot was giving it more gas to accelerate. Essentially both times there was a delay (lack of power) when I would expect it to accelerate, and then it would begin a quick power down.

When pressing the gas, I could feel the lack of power and then the quick power down.

I didnt think it was the PCV but we did clean it. it was more than likely just by chance it started again and drove the additional 5 miles.

Hammerdrop

You have to determine whether the problem is spark or fuel related. How about popping the air cleaner top and looking down the carb while operating the throttle when the problem occurs. I think I would look down the carb ahead of time with the engine off just to have a good idea of where to look for squirting fuel so you know what you are looking for. That would be a good starting point for anyone.
Also, since most of the mechanics who used to understand these cars have retired or died, I think you should reconsider your choice in this matter. That EGR thing is bogus on a lot of counts. You have just been told by your mechanic that he does not want have anything to do with this issue.