I have a 95 accord, 6 cyl, with 175,000 miles on it.

Last night after a drive across town, my check engine light came on. I took it to autozone and they gave me the code P0401 - EGR flow insufficient. Their printout says, "The PCM has determined that there is insufficient flow in the exhaust gas recirculation system."

If you were me, what would you do?

S

 

Clean out the EGR passages

 

Can you (or someone) tell me how to do that?

I see two bolts holding down the EGR. Do I just unscrew that and clean underneath that? What do I use to clean it?

I'm assuming there's a gasket. Do I replace the gasket or should I use some sort of bonding stuff?

Any extra precautions I should use when doing this?

 

You can see from this pic how to open the top and get to the EGR passages.




Modified by hondadude at 1:58 PM 1/28/2007


Modified by hondadude at 2:24 PM 1/28/2007

 

This is what I see.

 

okay, you win

 

I guess what I am really trying to ask is this.
Is this something I can fix myself or should I take it to a shop?

A mechanic at autozone suggested that I remove the two bolts to the EGR valve and clean out the carbon from the inside with brake cleaner. Replace the gasket. And return the EGR to its spot. Disconnect the battery for 30 minutes to reset the code and thats it.

If that is it, I can do that. The diagram shows the entire manifold assembly. Do I really need to access the actual EGR chamber or is my problem going to be at the valve?

If it is suggested that I take it to the dealer, how much would I be expecting to pay?

Sorry, I'm a noob. I'm not a professional mechanic. Thats why I come here.

 

Ok... I've not heard from anybody recently. This is what I plan to do.

Grab a gasket from the local auto parts store.
Remove the EGR valve. Clean it up real good (any ideas on how to do this well?)
Replace the gasket.
Put the EGR valve back on.
Disconnect the battery to reset the code.

Yes? No?
How do I clean the EGR valve? Someone told me brake cleaner. I picked up a can of brake cleaner (non-clorinated).

Please let me know. I'm going to try to tackle this tonight.

 

just spray the ports and scrub them with a small wire brush or pipe cleaner. Maybe spray it and let it soak a bit to help break things up.

 

I think any type of cleaner will work but try you best not to let any get into your intake. It's not good for your engine so make sure you take all of the parts off and clean em good. To clean the actual ports, it's best to find something that can scrape it out without letting it fall into the intake. It won't kill your car but it's best to get it out of the system. Don't bother spraying much cleaner/fluid into the ports. If any, after your done scraping, but you probably won't need it.
Also I'm pretty sure you won't need a new gasket, I didn't when I cleaned it.

Aside from the EGR stuff. I'm not sure how familiar you are with car work, but make sure you lube up the gaskets or O rings with a small amount of oil once reinstalling parts. Primarily the ones on the fuel injectors.

 

yeah, those plastic shrouds could never be removed so the 6 bolts could be removed to clean out the runners of the EGR chamber.

 

was I right in not replacing the gasket either? I mean, it's not one that can dry out and become brittle so why bother? the shrouds your talking about is what's attatched to the gasket?

O and also, what your working on is the egr plate and what's under it if you haven't noticed. The problem probably isn't at the cylindrical EGR Valve in the diagram