Tip for an EGR valve problem 3.8L

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Ted Mittelstaedt, Jul 8, 2004.

  1. Hi All,

    Just a short tip on an EGR valve repair.

    Couple years ago got a '95 minivan with a 3.8L in it. When I took it
    through
    emissions the Nox was sky high. Check engine light was not on. I replaced
    the
    EGR valve with a new one and it then passed emissions fine.

    Being the packrat that I am I threw the defective valve in my junk box
    instead of
    in the garbage.

    Last week the check engine light went on and stayed on. I put a scanner
    on it
    and got a "defective EGR valve" code.

    Suspecting that the problem was the EGR solenoid (ie: an electrical fault
    that
    the computer could actually detect) I took the EGR valve off and fished out
    the
    old defective valve from the junk bin. I took both valves apart and took
    the good,
    intact rubber diaphram from the "new" valve and used it to replace the old
    cracked
    leaky diaphram in the "old" EGR valve. I then put the old EGR valve back on
    and
    wha-la: no more check engine light.

    So the tip is if your EGR valve goes bad and you have to replace it, hang
    on to
    the old valve. Looking at the valve it seems to me there's only 2 parts
    that would
    fail, either the diaphram or the solenoid, it would seem to me that it would
    be
    unlikely that both would fail at the same time. The valve is easy enough to
    take
    apart to see if the diaphram is cracked and leaking.

    Ted
     
    Ted Mittelstaedt, Jul 8, 2004
    #1
Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.