PMG-FI Light?

[maxsideburn]

Just wondering, my PGM-FI light comes on after a few minutes of driving. What does this mean and what can it cause?

[Bglad420]

Holy smokes...........Your car is probally gonna blow a head gasket thats what it means, mine came on I thought nothing of it then like a week later boom.......j/k


Check under the drivers seat from the back, and find your ECU, look for a little flap (it may allreaddy be gone) turn your ignition off, then to the on position and count the blinks, there is a thread about the codes, just do a little searching before posting...

[maxsideburn]

Ok well I came up with a code 12, which means EGR Lift Sensor, problem is no parts place I can find has such a thing. How am I supposed to fix this problem?

[maxsideburn]

anyone? what do I do about this?

[tedhodges]

It's the EGR Valve, not the EGR Lift Sensor.
It's not a big deal, it won't effect anything unless you ignore it for a really long time.

[DBMaster]

I just went through this. Code 12 can mean any one or more of several parts of the "EGR System," the EGR valve (lift sensor is built into the top of the valve), EGR solenoid, CVC valve, vacuum leak, wiring issue, or problem with the ECU itself. After diangosing and replacing the EGR solenoid and CVC valve mine turned out to be the EGR valve. I understand that EGR valve failures are rare. Mine was just sticking a little during opening which caused the lift sensor to be read by the ECU as "not open." The EGR system was actually working, but just not smoothly. You can test this with a good EGR valve, if you can find one. I just bought a new one for $141. You might not want to do that if you are short on funds. Chances are your car will still pass emissions the way it is. This problem will not hurt fuel economy, usually.

I just can't stand having things wrong with the car. It keeps me from going out and buying a new one, so the $141 is cheap compared to monthly car payments!

[stereo]

Ok well I came up with a code 12, which means EGR Lift Sensor, problem is no parts place I can find has such a thing. How am I supposed to fix this problem?

first check to see if the egr valve holds vacuum if ok check the hose for vacuum by tapping the throttle idle -> 2k 86-87 only you should see 3-8 psi if not then check the air chamber in the black box (white cylinder thing with 3 hoses) clean it out with compressed air or replace and try again .

[leia]

Mine passed emissions no problem with the same issue. At first it freaked me out having the light come on, but I got used to it.

I hear thats a huge pain in the ass to replace anyway. My mechanic actually recomended not fixing it because of the money it would cost for parts and labor versus how important it actually is. And he's usually super thorough and knows I want everything working perfectly too. But oh well.....

[DBMaster]

The EGR valve is actually very easy to replace. At $140 for a new one it was worth it to me not to have to drive around with the light on. If the light was on all the time I would never have known about the collant temp sensor that needed to be replaced.

For me, it all beats buying a new car and making payments.

[shepherd79]

it is very easy to fix the problem.
remove the EGR valve, and use carb cleaner to clean the gunk.
make sure the valve opens easy with no problem. after that, use vacuum pump to verify that it holds the vacuum.
If the valve doesn't hold the vacuum, replace it.
You can buy a new one from Majestic or you can try searching at local junk yards (cheaper way, and make sure you have vacuum pump with you to check them before you remove it from junk car). The last you can look on this board for one.

don't forget to reset your ECU after you clean your old one or put a new one on.

[DBMaster]

I did clean mine first and it held vacuum. There was just a slight "sticking" point which was causing it to open less than 100% smoothly. That caused the lift sensor to signal the ECU that the valve was not opening. Somewhat frustrating because I know it was working and that it would have passed emissions, but I try to keep the car as close to 100% mechanically sound as I can. I agree with Click&Clack about old cars. As soon as you start settling for things being wrong - before you know it your car's a ghetto sled!

[maxsideburn]

Ok I tried removing the EGR valve so that I could clean it.......but there seems to be one problem. The bolts to get it of.....are partially UNDER the EGR valve! How in the hell am I supposed to get into that super tight space with a wrench and apply all of the force it takes to break those bolts free??

I tried with a long extension, but because the socket can't sit flushly down on the bolt it started to strip one of them.

There must be some way to get these off, I mean it was put together at the factory.

[DBMaster]

I think I may have used a universal joint socket adapter, or else I just let it be at an angle. I might have used my 1/4 drive set rather than 3/8 drive so the extension and socket would be smaller.

The bolts were not all that hard to break loose since they go into the aluminum intake. I did have to bend the metal bracket attached to two vacuum tubes out of the way to gain access to the front bolt.