octoher12

Ok here's the deal. My check engine light popped up about a week ago, i got the code scanned and it was for my egr valve.

So i did some searching and found good reviews about a shop. I decided to take my car in for service, they read the code and told me i should clean the ports before we assume its the actual egr going bad.
I call to pick up my car and the tech tells me that he cleaned the ports but the egr valve itself has too much carbon billed up inside and i should replace the whole valve. I gave him permission to replace the egr. Once i got my car back it felt a lot smoother no problems what so ever.
When i was on the highway going about 70 mph my check engine light popped up again. The code that popped up was P0138 for a oxygen sensor bank 1 sensor 2. I called the shop they told me to bring it in to clear the code. He clears the code and the light popped up aging This time with 2 codes the egr and the oxygen sensor. The tech told me if the light keeps coming on i would have to replace the sensor as well.

Am I getting spun around with this?
I never had a oxygen senor problem untill i took it in to this shop that replaced my egr valve. Is the EGR valve a conjunction with the oxygen sensor?

d4atls

I don't think they're related. What year and model car? they could have disconnected the wire for the O2 sensor by accident or something or it could be a coincidence. But the EGR code coming back says to me that someone didn't install it correctly....

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

just for shits and giggles, pull the negative cable from the battery for like 1 minute then re-connect.

it should clear your codes. see if they come back.

octoher12

will do justin.

Its a 1999 TL-P.
When i got the code read after the EGR repair at autozone. They told me its probably a loose connection. So i was thinking the same, maybe they didn't plug something back up. The tech was telling me that there's 2 ways of cleaning ports. UP and UNDER, im more familiar with taking of the intake off to clean which is going Up. I've never herd cleaning for UNDER? I'm just curios to why the oxygen sensor all of a sudden went bad after the EGR repair.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

although they are both "exhaust" sensors.
they dont work in tandem.

Oxygen sensors do go bad over time.
and it just might be a coincidence.

but pull the neg. terminal from the battery and see for yourself if they come back.

agreed with EGR, if replaced, no code should pop up for it, unless not replaced or wire harness disconnected.

01tl4tl

only way I ever heard for our car and especially the single egr port 99
is remove the intake manifold and clean port(s) and passage thru inside of manifold
with carb cleaner and a wire coat hanger (or correct shop tool and solvent tank)

egr valve gets removed and cleaned and lubed- it sits on top of 2 small holes at one end of the egr pathway on manifold

a few sensors get removed in the process of doing the job all the way, the shop should recheck their work FREE, if you still trust them

sounds like not an acura specialist- they are going just off codes, not clues
get the actual codes from zone/wherever and post them in this thread

01tl4tl

What if the tech pushed some crud loose without removing manifold
that would get blown thru and past = attach to the O2 sensors = clogging sensor and creating fault code

I would try seafoam `Blast` master vac port method with spray can called Deep Creep. along with a full can of liquid seafoam in 8 gallons fuel
together they will clean all the internal fuel and combustion areas plus cleans O2 sensors and the cat

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

that I can see!
debris getting knocked loose and traveling down stream.

ErickUa5

Are you sure this procedure was followed ?

I would work on the EGR system first then Oxygen sensor.

octoher12

^^ when you put it that way its sounds exactly like what happened.

Well for a little update. I took my car back in to the shop in question today, i asked if he cleaned it with the intake manifold off and he told me " i cleaned the ports from top to bottom". He said there might of been some carbon that got stuck some where causing a internal leak which makes the oxygen sensor pull up a code?
Lets just say there is a problem with my sensor because the way he cleaned the EGR, he would typically owe me a new sensor because of his wrong doing? or am i shit out of luck?
He really seems like he has no problem checking out his work but its annoying going back and forth with this guy. I went there 4 times already and left with a check engine light. After today NEVER GOING BACK.

ErickUa5

I have done some crazy clogged EGRs before and never experienced that but it is possible.
What is the exact EGR code you're getting ? theres insufficient flow, Lift etc..

3.2TLc

Hey Octoher12, Try running some fuel system cleaner such as Seafoam in the gas to help clean any internal deposits. Clear codes and if they come back, take the car back to shop and have them recheck their work on the EGR system, maybe a loose connector.

How's your gas mileage ? The old O2 sensor may have got some carbon on it causing it to throw a code. O2 may burn off or might need replaced if old and out of operating range, the shop can test it.

01tl4tl

reset the ecu-clear the codes and drive it with 1 can seafoam to just under half tank of gas
that will clean the o2 sensors as part of all the things getting cleaned

I bet that's what he did was shove a reaming brush thru somewhere and called it good.
a load of crud went down and got stuck in a warm exhaust on the front o2
got to get it hot to burn off the crud!

o2 sensor will normally self clean, but...

if he removed the egr valve to access the port there, the gasket may be damaged = leaking air/vac ??

01tl4tl

then you can diy the job correctly by removing the intake manifold

99s are prone to egr port clogging since there is only 1,,later years got 6
plus the oe port was small and rough- a recall bored an 8mm hole and installed a clean surface for gasses to pass over, it helped but still needs to be done every 75kmiles on 00 and later, 75 max on 99s
3 cans carb cleaner and a wire coat hanger- no kidding

octoher12

Gas mileage has been horrible ever since this egr problem occurred. I ended up picking my car up from the shop and he told me he did another cleaning to see what would happen. Everything was good, no check engine light until today.

The same code popped up-- P0138 02 circuit high voltage, (bank 1 sensor 2). I am going to try your method of using seafoam in the gas tank to see if that would be any help to save the sensor. If not ill just replace with a new one. The same shop told me, the labor will be more then what the sensor is because of where the sensor is located? don't know if that's true but they are not touching my car agin lol


I also had another guess on what happened at this shop. The owner owned a tl just like mine, maybe he swapped my good sensor with his bad? This is me just being pissed off and curious. All i know is that im out a sensor and I am never going back to that shop!

Thanks for the help and advice guys.

ErickUa5

Thats the catalytic converter sensor, So I doubt theres any EGR goop there.
If it was me Id go under the car and inspect the wiring and sensor for evidence of tampering.
Or it can just be coincidental that it just failed.

I changed an Accord transmission and soon after I got a Heater circuit code for the same sensor and couldn't figure out why did it fail if I wasn't even near that sensor, Did some testing and replaced it code never came back.

ErickUa5

Sensor 2 is on the Converter. You'll only see one.

01tl4tl

sensor 1 cks the mixture coming out of the engine and send info to adjust things thru the ecu
sensor 2 cks the cat output- to determine if cat is working to reduce emissions to spec

anything going out the exhaust goes past the O2 sensors and can get stuck on it - fouling it
if a can of seafoam in half a tank of gas doesn't fix it, its time for a sensor

they are ~50 bucks iirc,,anyone do a replacement recently have a price???,
use Denso, its the oe brand and total plug and play, any parts store or our sponsor dealers will hook you up,
its not unusual to replace a front/sensor 1 O2 after 100-150kmile, other brands of cars require them at 50kmiles !!!

a special socket/tool is available at any parts store to make changing easy

The shop owner, who can buy parts at far less than you pay- isn't going to steal your sensor and do double labor in the process

01tl4tl

you can try the seafoam BLASTER method- vac port at TB- include the `2000 rpm method`- www.seafoamsales.com tech section for details
see if that cleans the front sensor enough for you,,usually gas tank method works best but lets try this

remember codes are clues---- not diagnosis -----and often lead you astray!
lets say the front sensor is loaded up as suspected, so bad info to ecu will result in wrong fuel mode/rich mixture, rear sensor gets bad reading and sets code for itself
but the real problem is upstream