EGR valve

It's not a good idea to replace either the valve or the 'sensor', based on what the 'dude' at Napa said after hearing what the 'dude' at Autozone made out of the trouble code. In fact, it's a bad idea to replace any parts without actually determining first that they are defective. Contrary to what some may believe, the self-diagnostic capabilities of today's engines are not yet at the point of determining which part is bad. All they can do is point a general direction. It still takes some skill, time and tools to figure out what is actually wrong. If you want advice, please post the details of the vehicle (year, engine type, mileage), the actual trouble code, and any other description of the problem besides the fact that the CEL is on (does the engine hesitate at idle, miss, accelerate poorly?)

IK

Thanks for stating what I suspected anyway!!

There really are no symptoms other than the light on the dash is on. In fact, it was off for a period today, then when i got gas it came on again. I made sure the cap was on securely and correctly. Until other symptoms show up, should I just ignore the light?

Thanks

Don

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but no, you should not ignore the light. It's telling you that something is wrong with your vehicle, and it needs to be diagnosed and repaired. It could cost much more if you ignore it, or even leave you stranded somewhere. So be nice to the air that we all breathe (to quote Jim Warman), do us a favor and fix it, OK?

IK

I must assume (dang, doing that lot's, somedays...) that the code you received is P0401 (a year and engine size might help....).

There are many things that can trigger most of the EGR related codes - OBD1 and OBD2 are light years apart in self testing capabilities.

There's just not much to be said without some more information.

-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

The girl who connected the tester didn't show me the code, but showed me that the display said "EGR valve".

I guess I need to take the vehicle into a certified shop and have it tested. they say it takes about an hour to connect to the computer and do a complete test. So basically it's a one hour labor charge. Then I get to have it fixed. For sure I have to do it before state emissions test in April so I can renew my tags.

Don