I didn't know that this car would be such a headache to pass smog. It fail twice. I've been driving it around with the expired tags and i'm just really irritated by it already. The first time i took it for smog, the CEL wasn't on and there was no indication for error code P0401 - Insufficient EGR flow. I seafoamed it and unfortunately, the transmission went a few days after. So i changed the transmission then took it for a smog since it is still due and it failed again and this time the results showed the CEL is on (the bulb is burnt) and read error code P0401. I cleaned the EGR and cleared the error codes and a couple days later the CEL and error code were back. My brother did some research and found the info on the EGR recall and it being extended to 150k miles or 14 years on 97's. I looked at post on here myself and am wondering if anyone has done this in a while. I really want to claim this for warranty considering it is a recall on Acura's part and it's causing the car not to pass smog. I just want it to pass already. It's really getting annoying and starting to cost me an arm & a leg already. I've never had problems since i've owned the car.

 

If youre talking about the TSB that was posted by Honda, regarding clearing the passage in the intake manifold, its not difficult to do, neither is it expensive.
You could actually take it to Honda/Acura and have them fix it, free. Thats if its the same TSB i'm thinking of

 

Do you know if there's a limit on the mileage for them to clean it for me? Thanks

 

Yes the mileage limit is 150,000 miles. It isnt a recall it is a TSB and they will act like real arseholes if the tell them it is a recall at the Stealership.
If your car is a 97 and has less than 150k miles, make an appointment to have your car looked at for code P0401. They will claim that they need to charge you $100+ for a diagnosis fee. Just nod your head and agree but it wont cost anything since it will be covered by the warranty extension TSB for EGR. I was told that they will pull the intake off and clean the ports, install a tube into the port by the EGR valve and replace the EGR valve.
When they did mine (which was 2 months ago) they only cleaned out the port closest to the EGR, put in the pipe and replaced the EGR valve. Didnt take off the manifold. No more CEL on. Make sure you tell them the CEL is burnt out or they will also try to be dicks about it. It has to be on to get the warranty extension.

 

BTW if you are over 150k, there is a really good post on here with pics and everything about removing the intake manifold and cleaning everything yourself and it will (should) resolve your problem. Plus your car will run like a champ. The write up is based on a 3.0, but is pretty much the same if not easier for a lil 4 banger.

 

I called and they told me that the warranty is expired due to my car being purchased in 96 not 97. They were really rude too when I asked if there were any way around this since the warranty has only been expired for a month. The supervisor I spoke with said I was already lucky that the warranty was extended for such a long period of time. I said I didn't know about it until recently and if I had known early on I would have taken it in. He even told me that there was no one higher than him there that I can speak with regarding this matter. I think he's full of shit. I'm thinking that maybe I'll be better off just taking it directly to a dealer and maybe they could help me out better than Acura Customer Service. I know that most places will still honor a warranty especially if it's only been a short time since it's expiration. I do not want to pay $300+ for this especially since it is a defect on Acura's part. I didn't think this would be such a headache. Ugghhh

 

i wouldnt get too pissed about it. The car is over 13 years old and with 100k miles. Besides if the final answer to you getting the work done thru warranty is NO, we the DIY that I spoke about only takes about an hour and the longest part is spraying it with 3 cans of carb cleaner.

 

I followed the DIY when I first got my CL (hence the nick P0401, thats the EGR error code) and it takes less than a hour to complete so no need to get upset about it if they don't honor the warranty. heck I think i would have probably done mine myself if mine had fell within the warranty period just because I would rather do things myself that way I know everything is done correctly. And if its not I don't have to drive across town to get them to check it out to fix it again, its already sitting in the driveway of the place that fixed it

 

I actually already had it cleaned out. But the check engine light and code came back after driving it a fews days after. Do you think I need to clean it again? Or do you think i need to disconnect the battery and remove fuse 13 for 15 seconds to clear the CPU? Or does the egr itself just need to be changed out completely?

 

If you actually took the entire manifold off and cleaned it out and all the ports and disconnected the battery to clear the code, yet the light still came on I would replace the EGR itself. The pcm is going a little far and wouldn't fix the problem.

 

I turned off the CEL right before I got it smogged again and it passed clean. The CEL went on again last night but I'm not going to worry about it at this point cuz the car passed smog already. I'll worry about it later.