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Cleaning an EGR valve

andy.lane1

andy.lane1

Members
Messages
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Location
Dublin,Ireland
Car
2001 1.8 SE Facelift
Hi Guys. Wondering if anybody can help me with this. my emissions light came on a few weeks ago during the heavy snow and the car is drinking petrol. it is currently in with a Honda garage for another matter, it started to pour oil from the timing belt area for no reason what so ever. while in there I had them look at the emissions problem and they have confirmed that it is the egr valve and to replace it will cost €450. So needless to say I came here and there are lots of mentions on cleaning it but no instructions. so hopefully somebody here can point me in the right direction.

Thanks for any help you can give me
 
Hi and welcome to TA.I don't think there is a write up on this yet only on the 2.2 diesel.On the old site there were a couple of members done this and had a DIY.But i don't think these members are here.Im sure someone here may be able to help in the meantime have a search and get to no the site.
 
Welcome along Andy,

Yep think all EGR cleaning is diesel related at the moment , however Si, did a DIY on cleaning the EGR plate, not sure whether on your Accord or not. From some information I've read, very rarely do EGR vavles actually fail, rather than need cleaning, but there are people on here better placed to answer that in respect of petrol.

Here's the link http://typeaccord.co.uk/forum/topic/1734-cleaning-egr-plate/page__p__20592__hl__%2Bcleaning+%2Begr+%2Bplate__fromsearch__1#entry20592

Hopefully a petrol guru like CJ (Pepster) maybe able to help out.

Maybe also something to do with the o2 sensor?

Hope you get it sorted, timing chain issue sounds a little worrying
 
Hi,

It's actually quite easy to clean the EGR.
If you just want to remove the EGR, you only need to remove two nuts that old the EGR and place and then clean it with carburettor cleaner.

If you also want to clean the EGR plate, its also easy, but a bit time consuming. You just have to remove fuel rail and the injectors, then you have full access to the EGR plate, just take it out, clean the intake manifold holes as well as the plate. Just be careful when taking off the injectors, there were a few cases where they got broken B)

There are a couple of good YouTube videos that show how to do it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8N-SE047VY

About the high fuel consumption, I would recommend you to check or replace the lambda sensor. I have replaced mine about a month ago, and it really improved the fuel economy. As the years and miles go by, they get old lazy, and the Check Engine Light would not come up, only when they are completely dead...
 
Here's another video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t8QzzLSq4Y
 
Firstly thank you to you all for making me feel so welcome. I love boards as they can be better than any manual most of the time. Thanks for all the info on cleaning the valve I will see to it as soon as I get the car back from Honda. hopefully Monday. Pedro I see on other posts you have experience replacing the Lambda sensor. Is it easy or hard? I have the 1.8. I believe it is the same car as yourself. Again thanks for all the help guys.
 
Actually one more question. When I clean the egr of change the lambda or both will the service light go out of its own accord or will I have to get it reset? and if so how or is it easy. Again thanks for all your help on this issue.
 
Andy said:
Firstly thank you to you all for making me feel so welcome. I love boards as they can be better than any manual most of the time. Thanks for all the info on cleaning the valve I will see to it as soon as I get the car back from Honda. hopefully Monday. Pedro I see on other posts you have experience replacing the Lambda sensor. Is it easy or hard? I have the 1.8. I believe it is the same car as yourself. Again thanks for all the help guys.
Click to expand...

Yeah, its quite easy, you just need to get a lambda sensor socket wrench to remove the old one and install the new one. You might me able to get it out with a regular spanner, but I would not risk it, it might be quite stuck.

This is the one that I bought: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Oxygen-lambda-sensor-removal-fitting-sockets-22mm-7-8-/390268540211?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item5addd15533 I had to use the one with the biggest "arm", so I could fit the socket wrench in there. There is also this one, it seems pretty good: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/22mm-Lambda-Oxygen-Sensor-22mm-Socket-Wrench-/360253875359?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item53e0cde49f.

With this ones, you don't have the room to fit a wrench on top of it, so I don't recommend it. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Draper-55540-Lambda-Oxygen-Sensor-Socket-22mm-3-8-/150542400149?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item230d06ba95

Yes, it is the same car, but yours might have two lambda sensors, if so, I guess that the most important is the one before the catalytic converter, between the engine and the catalytic converter. Mine only has one.

Also, if you buy the lambda sensor, make sure you go for a NGK-NTK, do not use the universal type or Bosch sensors, the car might not like them :ph34r:
 
Andy said:
Actually one more question. When I clean the egr of change the lambda or both will the service light go out of its own accord or will I have to get it reset? and if so how or is it easy. Again thanks for all your help on this issue.
Click to expand...

I am not sure on this one, but I guess that you will have to reset it. I guess that you cat unplug the battery for a while(30m - 1:00h) to reset the ECU, it will probably make the light go out(I guess). You could also remove the fuse nº 13(Clock Backup - 7.5A) under the glove box for 10 seconds(make it a little more :) ) to reset the ECU. Do this with the ignition off.

Be aware that this will probably reset your radio, and if you have any code in the radio, you will probably need that code to turn it on :ph34r:
 
Pepster said:
if the oil contaminates the belt it will slip and cause engine damage ..
Click to expand...

I agree, if you get oil on the timing belt, it cat deteriorate easily and snap... and then, bye bye eninge :ph34r:
 
Pepster said:
Andy the biggest concern you have at this moment is to curb and fix the oil leak from the timing belt area. it most liking a seal which has given away.

ERG cleaning is least of your worries at this moment in time , if the oil contaminates the belt it will slip and cause engine damage ..
Click to expand...

I understand this. That is why the car is in with Honda. even if it is the oil seal under the cam cover which i believe it is the engine will have to be retimed. I think the idiot that had the car before me (I have owned it just shy of 2 months) had some back shed guy replace the timing belt and more than likely he left it loose. it was only changed just before I bought the car. It had a full Honda service history before that. Why would you let some monkey near your own car i ask? Thanks for the info Lads. you really are a mine of information
 
Well a quick update. Honda called today and all the seals on the oil pump have gone. Even stranger is that it is only a new oil pump. Something I was never told about when I bought it. My ***umption is when the timing belt was changed the oil pump was also and not fitted properly. So at least it will be sorted admittedly to the cost of €650 including a new timing belt. between this and the EGR (hopefully a clean will do it) and possibly a new lambda sensor inside two months it is not what i had in mind when I bought a Honda. I moved away from a Volvo s80 diesel because of the bills it brought on me in the first year.
 
Andy said:
Well a quick update. Honda called today and all the seals on the oil pump have gone. Even stranger is that it is only a new oil pump. Something I was never told about when I bought it. My ***umption is when the timing belt was changed the oil pump was also and not fitted properly. So at least it will be sorted admittedly to the cost of €650 including a new timing belt. between this and the EGR (hopefully a clean will do it) and possibly a new lambda sensor inside two months it is not what i had in mind when I bought a Honda. I moved away from a Volvo s80 diesel because of the bills it brought on me in the first year.
Click to expand...

That's a bummer :D

Probably they replaced the oil seal and it was not installed properly... I now cases of oil seals in Honda's that last over 300000kms with out a leak. I have also read somewhere that it's safer not to replace, because it's very easy to make a scratch on the seal housing, and then it's almost impossible to stop the oil leak.

See things on the positive side, you will have a new timing belt fitted that will last for years ;)
 
skhell said:
That's a bummer :D

Probably they replaced the oil seal and it was not installed properly... I now cases of oil seals in Honda's that last over 300000kms with out a leak. I have also read somewhere that it's safer not to replace, because it's very easy to make a scratch on the seal housing, and then it's almost impossible to stop the oil leak.

See things on the positive side, you will have a new timing belt fitted that will last for years ;)
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Very true sir very true. I will update when I get the car back on Saturday and finally get a look at the EGR valve and plate. And again I would like to thank you for all the information.
 
Pepster said:
Why would a petrol engine ever need a new oil pump!!!

I have a feeling the previous oner has missed a engine oil or two and oil circulating in the engine was close to carbon sludge!! i bet if you take oil pan off and look at the oil strainer mesh that will tell all.

When you rev the engine hard do the big ends clatter? I have a strong felling this car has been neglected so badly when the poor car did stop it been bodged and put back together to get rid off.

Can you get pictures of the oil pump , by looking at the oil stains of the aluminium surfaces could confirm my suspicions.
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Thanks for putting my mind at rest man:) The service book is fully stamped and up to date from a Honda garage. That is until last year. The first owner was a priest and he had the car from new 2001 to early 2009 its last service stamped by Honda being april 2008. then there are two handwritten notes for 2009 one in June when it was serviced and one in September when the timing belt was changed. These clearly not done by Honda. I believe the local monkey with a wrench did those. I was never told about the oil pump until I got a call from the Honda dealer this afternoon. I had the oil pan off on before I sent the car to Honda as I thought it was the gasket that had gone when the oil started leaking. the oil had been changed. quite clean and little or no sludge. Also the engine runs very smooth, no rattles that is what impressed me with a car a little under 10 years old. I am perplexed why the oil pump had been changed too as it is a rare part to go on a petrol but given the cars confirmed history I have no reason to think that this is anything else but bad luck. As far as pics go as the car is in the dealership there is nothing I can go but wait for it to come home
 
Pepster said:
Well the engine could have been flushed a few times with flushing oil , once a badly neglected engine is given a flush it will leak oil like no tomorrow.

This is all ***uming your car had a neglected life. I have never seen a petrol engine oil pump failure or low pressure.
Click to expand...

Honda have confirmed all the stamps are genuine before I bought the car so apart from the last owner of about 8 months having a local guy rather than Honda deal with the car all the History is accounted for. so I don't believe it was neglected. As far as the pump goes I have seen them go but not very often. It was just the way the car went surprised me. Not a drip of oil ever since I bought it. then pulled into the garden 2 Sundays ago after a 15 mile drive and as i reversed the car to park it there was a huge pool of oil. needless to say it scared me as I had had a huge amount of trouble with my Volvo S80 and in the year i owned it €5000 worth of work went into it. most of it warranty but the reason I got rid was a €3000 bill on the way for replacing the rear sub-frame just to replace the bushes! and to have this trouble so early into ownership of the Honda worried me. But as Pedro says. At least the work is done and I no longer have to worry about it. So as long as i keep it serviced it 'should' be ok for the 2 years or so I plan to keep it.
 
Guys. I need your help again. Got the car back last night from Honda. They replaced the oil seals and the timing belt and tensioner belt. The car sounded a but rough when I picked it up. I put it down to the oil recirculating after being changed so drove it home. Started it this morning and it is running a lot better but there are two noises that where not there before I left the car in. in the cabin I am hearing a really bad noise which sounds like something vibrating against the body work bit I cant see anything that is causing this and the second is a rattling coming from the distributor that I don't believe was there before. I have been trawling the net all morning and there are few people with the distributor noise after timing belt changes but they are all American cars with much bigger engines. a lot of them have replaced the distributor and the bearing with no results. I just want to know has anybody here come across it and if so is it related to the timing belt change? was the car not timed correctly? or is this something new and more bad luck.

Again thanks for all your help
 
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