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In my opinion your mechanic is being difficult. Yes, we know it's an old car but that doesn't mean you give up on it. This is basically a maintenance procedure, like changing the timing belt. Also, what does stalling on the road have to do with it? It won't pass emissions with the code 12 so it has to be done. Seems like an odd thing to say to a customer.
I don't really see any downside or danger in cleaning out the EGR ports or throttle body unless it is done extremely carelessly (allowing the crud to fall where it shouldn't). So I do not understand the mechanic's hesitation to do the procedure unless he just did not want to do it for some other reason. In my opinion, and based on what I have read online, additives are not going to be able to do much considering how long the carbon has been accumulating and also because of just how much it sticks to the passages. Physical cleaning is pretty much a necessity on cars of this age. And again, there is no downside I am aware of (if you are not careless about it). It is also (from what I have read) possible that an engine with improper EGR flow can hurt itself over time due to excessively high combustion temperatures (though this is only in certain specific situations).
I would take it to a trusted independent with a printout of the procedure from that PDF and ask what they want ($) to do the job.
-good luck
I hope I answered all your questions.
-good luck and don't forget to tell us how it goes!
Problem is I am in mntreal, Canada. I am gonna take to Canadian Tire (big store) today. I discovered this morning cooler is leaking extremely slow from the bottom of the engine.I found in a different forum a person with the same code 12 loosing bits of coolant on and off(not continuously). So I will take it to that place. Good idea about the manual and bringing to the mechanic...Somehow, I noticed they didn;t know what I was talking about when I said egr port plugs . I will keep you posted.
To give you an example. I could not find a slide hammer around here(Montreal). I had to ask a friend to mail me some throttle body gaskets (1.99) and a few egr gaskets(99 cents) from Miami because I couldn't find them here...they guy at the store told me to build the gasket myself from rubber and epoxy....go figure!
I left the car at the store, told them to call me when they were ready to look at it and give me an estimate of the work, as you told me I left the pdf file with them. 5 hours later I was called . When I got to the store they had gotten under the hood and did what I didn't even ask. end of story, I didn't pay for what they did since i was not even given an estimate. the argument got really rough, the guy in charge even told me that cleaning the egr passages will definitely damage the manifold. I guess they are used to ripping people off.
So the egr ports were not cleaned. I will buy the slide hammer and do it myself
I noticed a small coolant leak so I inspected and it is coming out of one of the ATF cooler hoses (the one on the condenser fan side) . The coolant looks like coming between the big nut that holds the pipe to the radiator. My question is Can I unscrew/screw over that pipe ? The manual I have doesn't show the dissemble of such part..I am posting the pic so you can see what I am asking about.
My question is . Can I take that piece off the radiator body, clean it, tighten it back or should I replace the whole radiator?
I had to replace the slave cylinder for the clutch.
it wasn't evaporating. (at least i don't think it can do that).
Is the brake pedal itself working freely, with spring return?
Are there some other clues here that you haven't given? Like dirt/rust got into the mastercylinder (and may be lodged in the line), or the car was in an accident (and may have a pinched brake line), or ???
This is my first ever post. I have an automatic 1991 Accord EX w/ 200K miles on it. The car no longer starts and it is stuck in park. I can shift into neutral using the key unlock mechanism on the shift console, but the car won't start in neutral either. All relevant fuses are OK. The engine cranks great but when you let go of the key at the last On position it completely dies. Also of relevance is the fact that my brake lights work and the volt meter shows the battery is plenty good when you're cranking it.
The engine light is not on but jumping the service port reveals the S light blinking codes 1, 2 7 and 8. These have to do with the lock-up control solenoid valves and the shift control solenoid valves. Following the trouble shooting guide in my Honda manual indicates all four wires going to the respective solenoids have a short in them between the TCU and the first connector in the engine compartment.
Has anyone had a similar problem? I am partly wondering if the TCU is just plain shot. I'm also wondering if I'm missing something. Even if these two solenoids are not working shouldn't the car at least start in neutral?
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!
You could open the TCU up and check it out. Usually the capacitors leak and there are easy to see black spots on the circuit boards.
Do you hear a click when the brake pedal is pushed (you should hear the solenoid in the console release when you push the brake pedal)? Do the brake lights work right? If not, the brake pedal position switch may be out of position or inoperative.
If anyone has experience replacing brake light switch on Accords please post instructions.
Thanks
If anyone has experience replacing brake light switch on Accords please post instructions.
Just out of curiosity, why wouldn't you just blow the $7 and buy the Haynes or Chiltons repair manual that will give you a step by step instruction and some pictures to boot?
I start out with a factory shop manual for each car or truck I own, and buy tools for testing as I need them. I haven't used a professional Mechanic in a long time.
http://techauto.awardspace.com/
The main relay is inside the car, so the engine being warm has no effect on it. When the inside of the car is hot, that's when the main relay will fail. After the inside of the car has cooled, the car will usually start. Did you click on the link, and read about the main relay?
Has location and removal info on the ECM and TCM, code lists for both straight from the Helms service manual (including #43 ), how to jump the service connector to get the codes to display, and good stuff like that. Hope this link helps!
-Keith
My '93 was on its 3rd distributor...I would check the output from the distributor.
Finally I found a mechanic that cleaned the 4 egr ports.90 $(he did a really good job). I Reseted the computer, still code 12. I will change the egr valve and see what it gives. :confuse: :confuse:
The manual says EGR valve activates when the car is hot and rpm is over 1800 , but doesn't mention anything whether car must be in gear or idle. Any suggestion?
It certainly doesn't hurt that you had the ports cleaned either so don't feel bad about spending money there. It was going to have to be done at some point in the near future anyway. Here is an excerpt I found regarding code 12.
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You are on the right track. Keep chugging, I will help you out a little.
The code 12 you are getting is indeed an EGR code, but cleaning your ports out will not fix THAT problem. What you did will eliminate any hesitation you may have been experiencing. (Very common on that accord, especially around 1,800 rpm when car is warm)
The code 12 has to do with the solenoid you mentioned and also the EGR valve itself. Even though the valve holds vacuum does not mean the valve is good. You see the valve has a "lift sensor" built into it. (this is the connector that you see on top of the valve) If the lift sensor goes bad, it will send a false reading to the PCM saying that the valve is not up, and in turn give you the code 12. There is a way to check the valve with a DVOM. I do not know the specs off the top of my head but you can almost bet your last dollar that it has a bad EGR valve. I have replaced quite a few of those myself. I would recommend you go to a salvage yard if you can't afford a new one.
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Anyway, good luck and let us know what happens!
-Keith
I would think you could remove a fuse to cut the brake lights, but I'd be afraid to do so. Disconnecting the battery is easy.