97 codes need fix

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Joe Cawley, Apr 9, 2005.

  1. Joe Cawley

    Joe Cawley Guest

    p0404
    p0301
    p1133

    what is the fix I need to do? also this is a SL1
     
    Joe Cawley, Apr 9, 2005
    #1
  2. Joe Cawley

    Bob Shuman Guest

    P0404 = EGR Circuit (Closed valve Fault)
    P0301 = Engine Misfire Detected in Cylinder 1
    P1133 = Oxygen Sensor (Too few switches)

    When was the vehicle last tuned? How many miles? Did it just start acting
    up or has the service engine soon light been on for some time? If it just
    started, was any work done to it recently?

    I'd start with the basics since they are cheap: (1) New properly gapped
    0.40" OEM spark plugs, (2) New ignition wires if these are more than a
    couple years old (make sure they are routed properly), and 3) a good fuel
    injector cleaner (e.g. Techron).

    If this does not fix it, I'd take a look at the ignition coil tower. This
    can be easily removed (4 bolts) and
    then the connectors can be cleaned with a wire brush and some sandpaper.
    Make sure the engine block under the base, the base plate, and the bolt
    holes are also clean and shiny since they provide ground for the unit.
    (These can have a lot of corrosion preventing good spark and possibly
    causing the misfire on cylinder #1.)

    If you still have a problem, you can then try popping the fuel injectors at
    the connector and making sure they are all clean and tight. I've personally
    seen simply reseating a fuel injector connector solve a misfire on this
    engine.

    If still no luck, then you might try to remove and clean the EGR valve. The
    gasket is cheap and should be replaced when you do this.

    As a last resort or if the P1133 code remains, you can try to replace the O2
    sensor.

    Good Luck!

    Bob
     
    Bob Shuman, Apr 10, 2005
    #2
  3. Joe Cawley

    Bob Shuman Guest

    Note: gap on plugs should be 0.040" Sorry about the typo...
     
    Bob Shuman, Apr 10, 2005
    #3
  4. Joe Cawley

    Joe Cawley Guest

    thanks for the info

    the car has 172,000 miles light has been on for a long time need to fix for
    inspection I did replace o2 sensor upper one fixed the light a little on and
    off now steady again will let you know how I make out
     
    Joe Cawley, Apr 10, 2005
    #4
  5. Joe Cawley

    Bob Shuman Guest

    The mileage helps, but you do not indicate when the plugs were last replaced
    or the wires. My guess is that you will also definitely need to remove and
    at the minimum clean (worst case replace) the EGR valve.

    As background, my son's '96 Saturn 1.9L had 115K miles when the EGR failed.
    When I removed it it was pretty coked up in the passageway and was
    definitely sticking. I used a small flat blade screwdriver to chip most of
    the stuff out and then used a small dermal tool with a wire brush attachment
    to polish up inside there as best I could. When I was done I used some
    throttle body cleaner to dissolve whatever else might have been in there.
    When I was done I cleaned the passage ways to the intake and exhaust
    manifolds with a small "battery" type wire brush (for cleaning inside the
    battery clamp). The EGR valve operated manually beautifully when I was done
    and everything was pretty clean. The new gasket cost us about $3 and when
    we put it all back together it worked fine and the code (different from
    yours, but my guess is your EGR is so bad it won't operate at all any more)
    disappeared.

    My point here is the EGR is pretty simple to remove and may be reusable. He
    has subsequently driven the car for about 1 1/2 years without this
    re-occurring.

    My last thought here is if it has not been done lately, replace the PCV
    valve since these have a tendency to clog and can cause oil burning which
    can cause spark plug fouling and accelerate the EGR problem.

    Good luck. Most everything I've suggested here is low cost and easy to do
    yourself.

    Bob

    PS The fuel and air filters are other things which should be changed
    regularly. The air filter is a breeze to change, but the fuel filter can be
    difficult due to its location.
     
    Bob Shuman, Apr 10, 2005
    #5
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