Egr flow insufficient help

[flipstylex]

Got a check engine light today. Went to autozone and check the code.

P0401 EGR Flow Insufficient

Anyways, my mods are cobb sri and forge bpv. had the mods for 20k miles, im at 50k now.

anyways, I just cleared the code myself. But for future reference , is this something i should worry about ? car running for a week without cel, so...

if it does come up again, will the dealership fix this problem under warranty ?
and if not, is there a way i can clean the carbon buildup ? thx.

so far, car is running good...

 

[Boostfed_Mazda]

i have that code as well does it say air/fuel egr insuff. etc etc.?

 

[spdjnke]

I wouldn't worry about it after you reset, if it does come back just reset it again....until it comes back immediately then at that time replace the unit. I've been told the dealer doesn't take care of this issue unless it's under warranty...however it has to do with emissions and that's suppose to be covered up to 100k by federal standards....cuz the part is not cheap by any means.!!

 

[Boostfed_Mazda]

so would that make that happen? and what exactly does it mean? is it safe to drive with? the mechanic i had look at mine said the valve could be stuck open? or it could be a bad relay would either of those effect my car?

 

[meicalnissyen]

I wouldn't worry about it after you reset, if it does come back just reset it again....until it comes back immediately then at that time replace the unit. I've been told the dealer doesn't take care of this issue unless it's under warranty...however it has to do with emissions and that's suppose to be covered up to 100k by federal standards....cuz the part is not cheap by any means.!!

Hmmm, playing devils advocate, assuming you were near the end of your warranty and this happened. could you show up at the dealer all modded out and still get the egr serviced by playing the "fed card" ?

 

[f2t]

the reason you get that code is due to excessive carbon in the egr valve its self, its an easy fix just clean the egr valve with throttle body cleaner.

 

[Boostfed_Mazda]

what would be causing the carbon build up though isnt that not supposed to be happening ? especially with a proper running motor?

 

[oaklandopen]

Even the most properly running motor, gunk will inevitably happen

But this is also a rich-running turbo car, so buildup may occur faster or easier

Some maintenance precautions can be taken such asusing seafoam at normal intervals, that will help reduce and clean buildup

 

[t147]

BTW... as I advise everyone with this code, if it does not alleviate the problem by replacing or "cleaning" the valve or outer portion of the ports, There are passageways through the intake manifold that get clogged and the intake manifold must be removed in order to clean them. This is a common problem with Ford's EGR system. They have been having this issue since the early 90's.

 

[spdjnke]

Thats a very good question, I asked my service guy and he said he would take care of it under "power train", but then another member said OH NOOOOOO! my dealer said power train doesn't cover emission parts...so who knows I guess when the time comes I'll find out....

Hmmm, playing devils advocate, assuming you were near the end of your warranty and this happened. could you show up at the dealer all modded out and still get the egr serviced by playing the "fed card" ?

 

[jabba]

I went in to the dealer today for this exact code, but the engine light went out after I started the car in the morning (the CEL had been on for a couple of days). Dealer says he can't do much of anything without a code in order to get Mazda to pay. So I guess the car kept re-testing itself and found no further fault, and simply cleared the code itself? For fun, I asked the dealer how much he charges for replacing the valve: about $630 including labor. Ouch.

 

[spdjnke]

sounds about right...

 

[LittleRedWagon5]

I just installed the S/U EGR block off plate. I was amazed at how much carbon build up there was in the EGR tube and valce itself. These motors run VERY rich at start up and pretty much all the time. The tube was almost clogged shut at both ends with carbo build up and there was a lot in the intake manifold just past the TB . removal of the EGR and EGR tube is a PITA but if its clogged you'll need to clean it. A good fuel induction cleaning service or seafoam should clean it out.

 

[DreSEL]

Got a check engine light today. Went to autozone and check the code.

P0401 EGR Flow Insufficient

Anyways, my mods are cobb sri and forge bpv. had the mods for 20k miles, im at 50k now.

anyways, I just cleared the code myself. But for future reference , is this something i should worry about ? car running for a week without cel, so...

if it does come up again, will the dealership fix this problem under warranty ?
and if not, is there a way i can clean the carbon buildup ? thx.

so far, car is running good...

I would use a good fuel system cleaner like Chevron or Redline. I like Redline's fuel system cleaner because it says that some of the chemicals survive the combustion process and help unclug EGR systems. I have used for many years with good results. Also, use Seafoam to clean carbon build up in the intake manifold. It also a good idea to clean the throttle body. For the throttle body, I would use Seafoam spray (I think is called Seafoam Creeper), because some TB cleaners say not to use in Turbo charge engines.

 

[rdaex]

I just had this the other day..

I ran it real low on gas on the way home from work one day, and the next day it tripped the CEL.

Threw a can of seafoam in it the next day and a full tank of good 93 gas and it went off, hasnt returned since, and Im about ready for another tank of gas now.

Theres a great instructional post about removing and cleaning the EGR, but I didnt have a 22mm wrench the other day when my buddy and I were gonna do it, so its something that I may do at some point.

 

[jabba]

Theres a great instructional post about removing and cleaning the EGR, but I didnt have a 22mm wrench the other day when my buddy and I were gonna do it, so its something that I may do at some point.

I read that post that details how to remove and clean the EGR. If you read through all the pages, though, you'll find that the guy's CEL did come back. He thinks he didn't clean it enough (he was using brake cleaner). Even further down in that post there are people that use oven cleaner (since oven cleaner is supposed to clean off cooked on carbon deposits), which gets everything nice and shiny.

I might try cleaning it with the oven cleaner, but it appears that you have to put some effort into it, or else it won't be long before the CEL returns.

 

[rdaex]

effort is better than 700 dollars to replace it..

 

[08cosmic3]

I'm going to install a delete kit on mine next week.

 

[jabba]

Dealer replaced mine under warranty, CEL came back and this time it stayed on for the dealer to see.

Funny thing is, when dropping off the car, I go see the cashier for the rental and she asks me what is wrong with the car: I tell her it's the EGR valve, and thinking she won't know what that means, I begin to spell out the acronym (exhaust gas...) but she finishes it for me and tells me that they see a lot of cars come in for that issue.

Guess I'm lucky I made it while in warranty, another 2000 miles and I would have been out of luck. Otherwise I would have attempted to clean it, and if that didn't work, then the EGR delete kit. But doesn't the CEL stay on when you delete it? Don't you need something like the AP programmer to tell the ECU to ignore that code so the CEL doesn't come on?

 

[08cosmic3]

The AP will delete the CEL caused by the EGR delete, the HT won't.