I have an '03 four door with the 2.0 split port and have been having a problem with a miss, or "flutter", in 5th gear at highway speeds. It does it worse in the morning when it is cold and it is the first start up of the day. At the first start up of the day it will often miss, or "flutter", through all of the gears getting up to speed. After the engine is shut off and then re-started several hours later it is noticeably better with less of a miss or "flutter".
The check engine light, CEL, came on and I had a buddy check it with his scanner. It threw a code indicating "insufficient exhaust gas recirculation" or something along those lines. After doing some research I found that it is fairly common for the DPFE sensor to go bad. I went to the parts store and picked up a new DPFE sensor and there was no improvement. So, I went back to the parts store and picked up a new EGR valve and EGR tube. I disconnected the battery while replacing the EGR valve and tube which took a couple of hours. I checked all of the vac lines and they all appeared to be in good condition.
After reconnecting the batter and allowing the engine to idle for about three minutes I took it out for a drive. The miss or "flutter" is still there - absolutely NO improvement. I am heading over to my buddy's place later this evening and will have him scan it again to see if there are any more codes...
Does anyone have ANY idea or suggestions? It is really frustrating!!!
