Check engine light 02 mazda p5

[njaremka]

cel back on...

dont bother cleaning the egr valve, just replace it.

it may be hard to get to, but there is a how-to on the forum that helps with the R&R.

 

[us3r]

the cel was on this morning but now it isn't there. strange.

I'm going to get the egr valve cleaned or replaced when the weather warms up. the snow is back.

 

[us3r]

i finally had the chance to take a look at the car. i couldn't remove the egr but i did find cracks and a rip in the intake hose. the egr will be very hard to remove. do i remove the 4 screws on the black cap of the egr? i dont see the 2 bolts that hold the egr. actually i only see on of them facing the throttle body.

 

[Tekk]

^ theyre underneath, have fun getting at them theyre 12mm, try using a 1/4 inch drive to get the farthest one,

on a side note not trying to thread jack but well im tossing two codes;

P0507 Idle Control System RPM Higher Than Expected

P1569 VTCS Circuit Low Input

how would one fix those,

also potentially related, my car from cold start starts minty. once ive been driving a while turn it off to say, go buy a pack of smokes. come out to start, its crank and TRY to start but itll just die off, turn the ignition off pull the key out and start it quick itll start sometimes first try sometime 3 or four, what could cause this?

 

[Sailingsenses]

Does a bad EGR produce specific problem codes? I would think so...

Also, I'm new to this forum and I just posted a long description of my struggle with the CEL along with P0421, occasional P0300 and P0660. I'd like to post it here again...so sure people do that!?

Thanks.
NM

 

[Sailingsenses]

Here it is again. Hoping for some help, guys!

UPDATE 9/26/2012: AFTER cleaning the MAF with CRC, the idle is a bit rough. I don't get it. It wasn't before! The car runs great and now this, too? Pretty much immediately after...but of course, may not be the actual cause.


Post from yesterday:

Hello all.

Please help me out! :-(
I love my car!

I have a stock 2002 Mazda Protege5. There's no shortage of P0421 threads on this forum but I've yet to find someone who has actually FIXED the issue once and for all.

I've had a P0421 + CEL for at LEAST 3-4 years. Yep, years...but the gas mileage and general performance of the car has remained stable for all this time, despite the CEL and the P0421. Ultimately, it was a horrible idea not to tend to it right away-- but I didn't expect to keep the car this long.

Thing being, I now have to get it smogged, the CEL is getting in the way of doing so. I have a gut feeling that it would pass but you can't smog with a CEL.

Aside from some pinging at 2000RPMs and a bit of struggle on VERY steep hills (pedal all the way down and car has difficulties going up, especially if it's also hot out), the car runs great and idles quite nicely (even from a cold start). It has 255K miles on it and runs very well considering. (Sidebar: I'd love to resolve the pinging noise; tried higher octane already. No additives yet and probably won't go there.)

I just ordered the OEM precat and before I install it, I want to be sure that I've covered all my bases and won't ruin the new precat. I've also heard horror stories about people replacing the precat, O2 sensors, EGRs, etc.--and the CEL and P0421 issues persist. I simply can't afford to have that happen...not financially or otherwise.

Here's what I've completed thus far:
- Spark Plugs / 9-Jun-2012
- Wires / 9-Jun-2012
- Fuel System Cleaning (mechanic cleaned all lines, no additives) / 9-Jun-2012
- Coils (2) / 17-Sep-2012
- O2 Sensor, Downstream only / 19-Sep-2012
- PCV Valve / 22-Sep-2012
- Battery Checked, 12.9V = OKAY / 22-Sep-2012
- MAF cleaning (only) / 24-Sep-2012

I've reset/deleted the codes every time I've done a job and the CEL comes back on after some amount of driving (all monitors cleared). Here's a curveball, after resetting, I do get P0300 and P0660 as well but they eventually subside (intermittent, I suppose?). I haven't checked for these codes recently and they MAY have been resolved by the new coils.

I wanted to check and clean the EGR but it's way beyond my abilities. I'm not trained and most of what I've done thus far has been very easy and I've relied on the suggestions of others and knowledge I've gained from this forum.

I paid a pretty penny for the precat and I'm happy to make the investment on other parts, too-- especially if that means I can get more life out of the car and pass CA smog.

What else would compromise the (new) precat? If the EGR was "bad", wouldn't I be getting EGR specific codes?

Has anyone fully resolved this code/associated issues? Again, passing smog is my immediate goal but if I can prolong the life of this great car by doing some other repairs, I'll do it...

Thanks everyone.
NM

 

[MANDO28]

You best bet is really taking off the EGR value and yes you can only see one of the bolts, but too get too the bolt you cant see you can try, first remove your battery and battery tray and use a wrench preferably a ratchetable wrench and try to get it out its a small space, I recommend trying that before attempting to remove the intake manifold to take it off

The EGR valve is a tricky cause the computer cant always really see it failing but the rough idle is always a good indicator or of course vacuum leaks

 

[MANDO28]

if you need I can post a picture of the EGR valve with the Intake manifold off the car

 

[njaremka]

Here's what I've completed thus far:
- Spark Plugs / 9-Jun-2012
- Wires / 9-Jun-2012
- Fuel System Cleaning (mechanic cleaned all lines, no additives) / 9-Jun-2012
- Coils (2) / 17-Sep-2012
- O2 Sensor, Downstream only / 19-Sep-2012
- PCV Valve / 22-Sep-2012
- Battery Checked, 12.9V = OKAY / 22-Sep-2012
- MAF cleaning (only) / 24-Sep-2012

why not replace the front o2 sensor? according to the shop manual (which i recommend downloading), the following are potential causes for a P0421 code:
- CAT deterioration or malfunction
- Exhaust gas leak
- Loose front o2 sensor
- Loose rear o2 sensor
- Front o2 sensor malfunction

if you haven't replaced the front sensor yet, i would do that before replacing the cat.

 

[Sailingsenses]

Will replace the upstream sensor (front)...

Yeah, seems inevitable that I try that next (upstream sensor/front) + clean/assess the EGR. I'd rather build up from there than wasting an $800 part!

I'm hoping the EGR is just dirty...and that I won't mess anything up while trying to get in there!

My main concern would be to protect the new precat IF I end up having to install it.

I JUST ordered the EGR, gasket, and the upstream sensor. Stay tuned.

NM

 

[Sailingsenses]

Yeah, that would be great (to see the pic). I'll try it the easier way first, given I don't have experience.