By November 3, 20067 Comments Read More →

Honda Accord Check Engine Light and EGR Valve Code

Reader Question I have a 1999 Honda Accord and the check engine light seems to not want to stay off. I have taken it to the mechanics and the code that comes up is the code stating the EGR valve is bad.

This would all be fine if the solution was simply replace the valve, but after replacing the EGR valve the light still comes on after several miles of driving. The weirdest thing is that all summer the light was not on, and since September the light has been on.

The code is always the same, so now I am wondering if black electrical tape is the solution or could there be some other meaning to a bad EGR valve code. The engine sounds fine and the car doesn’t seem to drive any different than it did before the light came on. Any suggestions other than ripping the dash apart and removing the light is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely

Waylon

Hi there Waylon,

One thing I would have your mechanic check is the passage way under the EGR valve. I have seen this passage get stopped up with carbon build up and I had to soak the area in cleaner and practically chisel out the passage way so the EGR valve could operate. I would assume then probably just slapped a new valve on and did not look to make sure there was a clear passage under the valve.

Blessings,

Austin Davis

7 Comments on "Honda Accord Check Engine Light and EGR Valve Code"

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  1. Mitchell says:

    I have a 99 accord, was doing the exact same thing, replaced the ignition wiring from the fuse box to the ignition ($51.00 at auto zone). This is the immobilizer malfunction you were talking about. Mine also was putting out an egr malfunction code. I changed the wiring and it fixed the problem, car no longer dies and the check engine light went off with out touching the egr valve at all, which is great because I didnt waste the money on the $100 egr valve trying to fix it.

  2. kurt says:

    I have a 1997 Honda Accord with a little over 300k. I was getting the same code too. I had replaced a few parts and nothing happened. I cleaned out the entire egr system of carbon as well but still I got the light. I haven’t fixed it yet, however, I was talking to a mechanic and he had said that the egr system, as well as some of the things I was failing emissions for, was all controlled by heat. My car gets really hot, but it may be a bad coolant sensor or a thermostat in the engine. Both parts are only about 15 bucks a piece. I think it is worth a try if it is only 30 bucks for both.

  3. Nathan Supernois says:

    I have a 2000 Honda Accord that is not wanting to restart after being run for 30 minutes or so. But it is only not wanting to start after sitting turned off for 15 minutes or so. We have had it in the shop and the cleaned the EGR Valve and no codes showed up. But later on that day the car started acting up again. Would this be cause by this valve or not? Don’t really want to put the money into it if it’s not going to help.

    Thanks.

    • admin says:

      If the engine will spin over and over again and not start I would suspect a problem with the ignitor inside the distributor. You can buy a rebuilt distributor pretty cheap that contains the ignitor and all the other parts. Honda had a recall/problem with these distributors years ago and I would suspect you have one of the bad ones. If the engine does NOT spin over, I would suspect a problem with the starter motor or a battery or battery connection.

  4. Park says:

    I have the same problem Honda 1999 130K miles yellow light indicating EGR valve. The mechanic Opened up the valve, not much carbon cleaned ports also. Most of the replaced valves have not cure the problem so I am reluctant to replace the expensive valve as the car drives fine. What else could be done apart from the above suggestions.
    Thanks. HELP.

  5. Greg says:

    Have a 1999 Accord 4cyl with a check engine light on. I believe the code is P1491. car has 250K
    1) I have replaced the EGR Valve
    2) Cleaned runner from base of EGR to upper intake manifold
    3)Removed upper intake manifold and pulled a huge clog out of the egr port located on the lower intake. Still get light.
    4) Plan to take upper manifold off tonight and remove any blockage from the upper portion of the egr port on the upper half of the intake manifold.
    Any other suggestions? Need to get it through emissions. Mechanic friend suggested to remove a plate near injectors and clean three holes? I don’t think my car came with a version that has this plate. HELP

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