hello! I could really use some help locating this thing on my 88 Civic! Needs to be replaced and I cant even find it. Thanks for any help!!

 

Millions of Honda "tuners" out there and not one can tell me where this stink'n EGR vacuum solenoid is?!?

 

Bttt

 

firewall?

 

Tried there. Unless it's hiding?!?

 

Egr valve will be on the intake manifold right behind your oil cap.

 

Its in a black plastic cover mounted to the firewall, straight back from the distributor. Just follow the vacume hoses back from the intake to the solenoid.

 

Ok, so I checked both places. Turns out that there is no EGR valve at all. There is a place for it on the head, but it's not there. Nor is there any openings on the head for an EGR valve to even work. The only thing on the firewall is the charcoal canister and the fuel filter. The check engine light indicates that it needs the EGR vacuum solenoid and the car acts as if that's true. So....... I'm dumbfounded. I'll try to upload pics if that helps.

 

Uploaded pics into a folder in my profile, but they are too big for the thead appearently.

 

Underneath the message box there is a "Go Advanced" button where you can load your pics as attachments.
Before uploading, do make them small enough so they don't stretch out of the screen.

Also, only a few of the 88~91 Civic/CRX models even had an EGR.
What model do you have? Do you have an engine swap?

VERY odd that you would suddenly get the EGR code and not even have an EGR for all this time.
Or did you just buy this car off somebody?
If you just got the car, what ECU do you have?

 

Not sure what ECU it has. Its all original for sure though. Pretty sure it has NO EGR at all. Did a little more research and found that the idle air control valve can have the exact same symptoms as a bad egr vacuum solenoid. I know for sure that I have that, so I will probably swap it out and see. Its a little more exspensive though.

 

I don't think you can even get a code 12 if you don't have an EGR.

And it would be the 'lift' solenoid that fails if you do have an EGR.
Typically the diaphragm in the EGR rots away and no longer actuates under vacuum.

EGR (if you got it) is right here



If you don't have an EGR, you won't even have a spot for it.
There are 2 different manifold castings.
Notice how the runner with the EGR in the previous pic is a little thicker on the outside.
That is for the EGR gasses to travel through.
Does not exist if there is no EGR.

 

Deffinitely have the one without the EGR. So looks like I need the IACV then. Thanks for steering me straight! I was loosing my mind there for a sec! The "code" was given to the previous owner after she took it to a local shop and they told her it was the EGR vacuum solenoid. That shop has ripped her off before, so that doent surpise me now. I assumed thats why the check engine light was on and Im having the irratic idle issues that go with the misdiagnosed problem.

 

Do you know how to check for the check engine codes? Maybe you are not even getting a code 12 at all. Pull back the passenger carpet to find the ecu and count how many times the ecu red light blinks. Come back and post your results and we can tell you exactly what ecu code it is throwing.

 

Ok, I checked the codes. 6,7,10,14,19

 

Wow. That's a lot of codes.
Car is an automatic? Code 19 is for auto only.
If you don't have an auto, then somebody has be swapping parts out.

You have big wiring issues. Almost like most of the sensors on your engine are not hooked up.

#10 is pretty easy. IAT
on this pic http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...Calif_DPFI.jpg
It's the sensor on the middle right runner. Is it plugged in?

Is the color of the connector the same milky white/yellow as in this picture?
http://imageshack.us/scaled/landing/...ithegr26lk.jpg


Also, check the main harness plugs the connect to the cabin harness.
Disconnect them and inspect for corrosion inside.
These are the big connectors located on both sides of the engine bay near the firewall.


Also, check the groundS on the thermostat housing.
There is a common ground for a lot of sensors. Since you have several sensors out, it might be that they are missing ground.
(nevermind the red box - just an image I found on the internet that shows the grounds really well)
https://honda-tech.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1303077012

 

It's automatic. #10 is plugged in and is the color you described. Kinda off white/yellowish.

 

My money is on a bad ground wire at the thermostat.

 

Did some looking and the 6 code was for the ECT. so i checked it and low n behold, it was unplugged! Plugged it back in, disconnected the battery, reconnected battery, checked codes. 7 and 19 only. 7 is TPS. now its running a lot better! Go Figure! Thanks so much for your help!!