Just followed your step by step process on an 01 accord v6. It went exactly as you said. Seems to have had the fix when previous owner had the car. I don't know a thing about cars but the mechanic at the smog place wanted 3-400 to fix. Took me a few hours but worth it. Actually like driving my car again. A sincere thanks to you. After 100 + miles of driving no ck engine light. Wish I knew a mechanic like you. Peace
I just cleaned out the passages on my 01 accord v6 this morning and without this video, i'd have never been able to do it myself. I also checked with throttle cleaner, and no vacuum leaks. You're the man and thanks to you, today, I got dirty. Thanks for all you do. Have a good one, man
You and ChrisFix has opened a whole new world to me. It has made me love life so much more. Encouraged me to work on my own car. I know Mechs lose money each time a person finds the confidence to do this stuff ourselves, but I really appreciate it.
Half of them are rip off artists anyway and all the honest good ones charge too much sadly. It's good to do the easy stuff yourselves and leave the difficult jobs to the pros that know what they're doing.
Well after watching your vid and taking a few notes (what size bolts at what locations) I tackled this job this weekend.I was shocked at how simple it was versus the price the mechanic wanted.With a few small differences I made,this vid was spot on.It literally saved me half a thousand which is awesome.That along with the fact that I could strut in front of the wife and make "demands" that I normally couldn't was awesome! Thanks dude........you rock!!!!!!!!!!
great video Eric. Just completed this on my 99 Acura 3.2 TL and it worked like a charm. Ports were almost completely clogged. Check engine light stays off now and car runs great. Thanks!
@TeDuaMalakie It's actually all of north america that is Acura and they started that line in 85 because they didn't believe the American car market would be willing to pay for a luxury Honda line under the Honda name so they came up with Acura.
ETCG... Your videos are nothing short of awesome. I bought a video from you to change the timing belt on my 6 cylinder Honda Accord 1998...Followed it step by step and saved me a boat load of money. Just thought I chime in and comment that DIY stores like Home Depot sell these long thin metal brushes to clean anchor bolt holes... that little brush and the carb. cleaner left my intake manifold like new. Thank you very much and keep up the great work.
Thank you Eric! Very easy to follow instructions, and I do not even change oil myself. 1999 TL with 130k miles, figured I would try it and save the $400+ I was quoted for p0401 work. I only did the top manifold port originally (the bottom looked OK), but the CEL came on again in a couple miles. So I did it again and removed the EGR valve this time and cleaned the bottom port with a wire and flooding it until cleaner came out where the EGR valve is freely. Used a shop vac to dry it out. It was nothing like the top, but there was stuff in there. Put it all back together again and working great, no more CEL. Less than an hour each time. Thanks again, much appreciated.
Had the rough idle problem after warm humid day here on my 99 Acura 3.2 tl in F and on restart. Cleaned the ERG ports and replaced ERG valve and still had rough idle problems only worse. So I replaced the Fuel Pressure Regulator and now it runs fine,!!!! Give this a try you will be happy, happy, happy.
@joe2mercs It's not the EGR that set the DTC, it was a flow code not a lift code. Honda does not use a DFPE but looks at the O2 sensor readings at a given set of conditions to set the code. I've done more of these than I can count that's why I knew where to go. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks a bunch for this. This is the second time we had this on my wife's 99 TL. First time I took it to the dealer.... Anywho, this took me about 90 minutes total and your thoroughness is much appreciated. I did a screwdriver first but then also did the drill bit method posted in another comment. Works great. There was a whoooole lot of hard gunk in mine. Took a while to clean it all out. Thanks again.
This worked great for me. Instructions very clear. I had p1491 and also p0420 on my 1999 TL and after I cleaned up the fully clogged EGR port, both of them are gone. Thanks Eric. When I opened, the TB gasket was fully gone so had to replace it.
@13FravelJ A good set of quality hand tools is a MUST if you want to do any amount of automotive work. Don't worry about a scanner to start with as you can have that done at the auto parts store for free.
@DudeRanger1 Probably the heat shields on the cat or exhaust, I often just put a hose clamp on them to keep them quiet. However VTEC engines had issues with the A pipe coming off of the manifold that sometimes caused a noise like that, it won't hurt anything if you can put up with it, if not you have to replace the pipe.
@Goodwrench496 No worries, it really depends on the gasket, the ones for this engine are a hard plastic so they don't normally get damaged when you remove them, the only gasket to worry about with this job is the throttle body gasket as it is paper and will sometimes get damaged when you remove it.
@fooey88 I don't mind at all thanks for doing that. I hope to make a video on the updated version as well when the opportunity presents itself. After working on Acuras for 9 years I remember a couple of things.
@Aucteg Not the valve no but clogged passages might be at issue but to be honest I would be checking fuel pressure as the stock pump in that Civic was not made to run that engine, also some of those engines had an issue with the fuel pressure regulators, look for a black dot on the regulator, if you have one it's been updated.
I just did a 01 honda civic d17a1 and swapt it for a 1999 acura 3.0 cl engine. Acura and Honda engines are super fun and easy to swap and costomizing them is a great for perks.
@imthechandyman It is basically the same engine, if memory serves that is a vacuum operated EGR not electronic so be sure to check the operation of the actuator that works the valve.
Just worked for 2002 Accord v6. If you're competent please use Honda 06175-P8C-A01 EGR Pipe Kit as described in the video. 42.00 for aftermarket version kit. Clean from top to bottom ie. Intake port to EGR valve.
@motorman1700 You can disconnect the negative battery cable without any fear of problems, your suggestion is to prevent having to put the radio code back in but it won't harm the electronics at all. You can also clear the code with a scan tool.
@13FravelJ Depends, they have to hit the clear codes button in order to do that, if you want the light to go off they will, it's really specific to the situation I believe.
@holance I would look to the idle circuit, start with the idle air control valve, try tapping on it to see if the idle changes if it does I would recommend replacing it but some people just clean them.
@mrsargemeister Different manufacturers use different methods to detect EGR flow and lift sensors are one way but all makes are required to have an EGR monitoring system post 1996. In the case of this car there is a reading taken by the O2 under certain conditions to see if the EGR is detected, it does not use a lift or pressure sensor.
Thanks for the vid Eric, this code is so very common. I think you are right about the gunk, oil is leaking past the valves and rings and hence the oily build up instead of just pure carbon. I would expect this from such a high mileage car. A word about Seafoam, it does a really nice job of breaking up stubborn carbon, spray and let it work for a few minutes, it dissolves it nicely. Seafoam is just a very, very thin pure petroleum, FYI.
@denelvo Did you catch the part where this car had 270K? In order to fix that you would need to replace the lower air box cover and to be honest Im not sure the person that owns this car is really interested. Aside from all that any dirt that might get in would be minimal as the air box seals around the outside of the filter quite well actually. Thanks for your comment and input though.
Hey Eric the car guy I have an Acura 97 3.0 cl and roughly two months ago I cleaned my Egr ports on the intake manifold and under my Egr valve and I also replaced my Egr valve. All by myself I made sure I was cautious. I replaced my Egr valve and cleaned the ports but I couldn't take my throttle body off but I still managed to clean it really good. After I did that I took it for a spin and a CEL came on regarding cylinder 2 misfire and my engine was idling not too rough and it NEVER turned off.
@mikeyz75 I believe you are mistaken as an EGR can help you run a higher compression ratio without detonation and preignition, other than that you would have to make the mix VERY rich and that's not good.
Doing mine now. Has code 401 and 1709. Acura did have a recall that is now “ Dead” for the 1709. Gear shift sticking. I’m livid because this is not that hard but time consuming and I paid someone to replace all plugs coils and gaskets due to oil leak. Some stuff you just do yourself because having a trusty mechanic or taking to the dealer (Honda will not work on Acura) Acura dealer only. So thanks for this and I’ll post my own as well , not as detailed as yours but if u have a video of the 1709 email it to me. Thanks ERIC 💯💯Aye🎥” the weird thing is my engine light isn’t even on. It was at one time. Went and got another Acura from a friend and had to fix the iacv and v tech solenoid. 5 speed rsx. Broke bolt in the solenoid so I’m out here fixing my baby. 💯💯👋🏼
@americantractors Actually that system was originally made so that the US government could drive their Jeeps underwater. Anytime you have things moving inside of a closed space you need to have a vent on the outside of the case if not it will blow every seal because pressure builds up, old cars used to just have a tube that just ran down the back of the engine (AKA oil draft tube), now we recirculate the crank case pressure back into the engine with the PCV system.
@45ralphher Not yet but I plan to make one. It's actually easier on that engine than it is on the one in this video because all you have to do is remove the upper plate on the top of the intake and clean it out and your done, you don't have to remove the entire intake like in this video. Good luck.
@seagull883 I show in the video how to remove the 'stuff'. I have not had issues with stuff that got into the intake during this procedure but you can use a shop vac to get it out.
It seems that EGR problems are quite common in the Honda V6 engines (Oddessys particularly). Side note, I did my license exam today (equiv. of ASE in the US)!! Got to be positive!! Thanks Eric for the good video, great amount of detail.
@Jcal022 It's a Snap-on I think. There are torque specs for the manifold but I have never used them or a torque wrench, I'm not saying I'm right in doing it this way I'm just saying that I've never had a problem doing it this way.
@480789 You don't need to, if you removed the valve you would find that it is clean underneath it. The problem happens in the intake because that is where the hot exhaust gas combines with cold intake air and condensation happens thus the carbon buildup because the carbon drops out of the mix along with the water when this happens.
Good video Eric. I have a Honda Pilot 2004. This video was helpful in how to take the engine cover off and the top exhaust plate. The part at the very end was helpful where you describe if you have the "newer model" how much easier it is--just take of the top plate and clean out the carbon from the top plate in all the "ant runs" and also dowin into the hole where the air goes into the throttle body with throttle body cleaner. Worked like a charm--no more PO401 engine code and it's running much smoother. Note, I'm not a technician and I don't have a code reader/reseter so I had to disconnect the negative battery cable as you said. Note that if you do that, you'll have to resent the radio code--which I had on the side of the glove box. Fortunately if you don't have that, there are videos on how to reset the radio (anti-theft protection). Thanks for your video! It gave me enough confidence to do this job in short order.
Thanks Eric, great job! My intake was clogged up with hard deposits like you described, I placed an appropriate size drill bit into the hole and turned it by hand which broke up the deposits and pulled most of the gunk out - the deposits caught in the bit. It seemed to work well for me, maybe it will help someone else too.
wow bud, your video couldn't have been more bang on! i saved some time by not removing the air box, it made taking one throttle body bolt off a pain, but other than that it saved a few minutes. GREAT VIDEO!!!!
Eric, followed your video and just cleaned the air flow intake on my son's '99 Acura TL! Your instructions were spot on! You saved me a ton of jack. Would love to send you a Starbucks gift card. Thanks!
@GeneralCracka That usually means the cat is bad. Try taking the temperature before and after the cat on the exhaust, if the cat is working properly it should be 100º hotter at the outlet than the inlet, if not replace the cat.
@BigPython1986 I'd like to cover the basics first as I don't see much point in teaching modifications if you don't understand how they work. Thanks for the comment.
@buggsyspam I don't recommend that as I have a scar on my arm from when I used that on some cylinder heads years ago, it does remove the grease but if you get any on your skin you will be scared for life if not worse. It also makes some metals rust up after your done.
@moofushu If I'm honest this one really wasn't going to bring a bunch of dirt in even with just one fastener holding it down because the lip overlaps the filter and the low pressure created by the engine will actually help seal it but keep in mind this engine also has over 200K on it so I'm not too worried if I was I would have mentioned it.
@spelunkerd I often use air tools on this but thought I would draw the ire of some of the viewers so I didn't use them this time. Thanks for the comment.
Eric, My wife has a 2000 TL with about 180K miles and the "Check Engine" light has been on for a while. The performance or gas mileage doesn't appear to be affected. I bet this would solve the issue. Thanks Mate!
Another great video. Thank you for helping me with my car troubles. 2000 Acura TL passes smog and then wouldn't start and got the 1399 code. Time to do some cleaning!
@tubejim101 Normally it's a hard carbon buildup, the same stuff you see on the inside of your tailpipe but as the engine gets older and has more blow by you will see more of this 'gunk'. Seafoam really won't help because a worn engine is not going to be fixed by stuff you put into the fuel system.
Thanks Eric! I watched another vid and the guy left out all the details on detaching hoses and such. I also like the trick of leaving the three hoses on the triangle connection and just pulling the base off. Mine was a 2000 Honda Accord, but the steps were identical.
@tinydx95t2 Perhaps that's why they use less vacuum lines these days. I'm not sure if it holds in anymore heat than the hood itself but they are a pain to work around.
@MeowJW EGR problems are actually quite common on a lot of makes especially as they get older and have more blow by like this one did. Good luck on your exam, I'm sure you did fine.
Eric, This is just another in a long list of problems you have helped me with. I can't count how many times I've had problems with some one's car that your videos have made short work of the repairs. I'm a big fan and I have now subscribed to your web site. Thanks for all the help. Keep up the good work. Martin
@photograjockey Not exactly, you have blow by that comes from inside the engine cycled through by the PCV system, impurities in the air, and condensation coupled with the temperature difference between the hot exhaust and the cooler intake air. It's pretty much a recipe for gunk in the intake.
I just just did this on my 99 prelude, but also cleaned out the erg valve itself. MAN there was a lot of build up! Mine was hard like you said, and I had to shove a screw driver threw it. I used piper cleaners to get all up in there too. Goodbye engine light!
@americantractors New cars still have a PCV system they are just incorporated into the valve cover or intake assemblies, as for drag cars they really only run at WOT which a PCV will do no good with because you only have intake vacuum at idle. This is the second question about PCV so perhaps a video on that would be worth looking into.
@Doomcell3 I haven't seen intake manifolds so much as headers and I've also seen a supercharger for them also. Honestly though if it's an automatic I might try to find one with a stick as the automatics didn't hold up well under just the stock power output.
Awesome. As an owner of a '03 TL, I've run into this issue as well. I did my own, but there are many that will benefit from this vid. Hopefully you won't mind, but I'm going to post a link to this video on AcuraZine (largest Acura forums online, i believe). I see this issue being addressed a lot. There are DIYs, but I don't believe anyone has a made a vid clip for this process. Since you know your stuff, maybe this will put a stop to people always asking so many questions ;) Thanks Eric!
@jgfergus Pull the code first to find out what you're dealing with, don't assume that the CEL is on for the same reason as this one as it could be something completely different. Many auto parts stores pull codes at no cost BTW. Good luck.
Thanks Eric! my son Honda accord is shutting off while driving it. It showed that erg code about insufficient erg flow so I will be doing the same to his ride! Thanks for all your vids bro and keep up the good work
I did basically the same procedure on my 97 Acura CL 3.0. Worked great for a little while but, the code came back. I even went and cleaned the EGR valve itself but the code wont go away. Now im thinking i have a messed up hose somewhere. Anyway great video!
@brakedd Put too much cleaner in and you will flood the engine. If that is the case then put your foot to the floor on the gas as you start the engine to put it into 'clear flood mode' which turns off the injectors while you crank.
@Flysohighx21 So have you checked your numbers on the dyno and confirmed them or is this a 'seat of the pants' dyno that you are referring to because I find that very hard to believe.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Hands-down, this is the best Honda P0401 fix I've seen on youtube or the net altogether, and I watch a lot of them. Fixed my problem. Thanks, P.S. You the Man!
@ramrice You really shouldn't have had to replace the valve since they really aren't the problem. The code WILL come back but normally that takes about 60K for that to happen, it's really just par for the course really and there is nothing you can do to prevent that.
Do you have to use a torque wrench when bolting the manifold back on? Seems like most folks making videos about this cleaning procedure don't use one, but I thought it was required.
98 accord V6 J series So, I took off my throttle body and cleaned it up (used brake cleaner hopefully that doesn’t hurt anything), installed new IAC valve, new TB gasket, and reassembled. Reconnected battery and cranked car. Car is surging now. No vacuum leaks. I checked. Any idea???
The differences I made was that I didn't completely remove the manifold per sey.I just unhooked enuf that I could flip it over and get to the EGR passage easily.I used a shop vac to keep things clean and neat as I scraped and sprayed things down.As a foot note,my car had a COMPLETELY blocked passage on the block.Manifold was not bad though.I also cleaned out the throttle body crud since I had it off.Reassembled everything,reconnected the battery,CEL went off and has not returned since!!!!!!!!
I'm planning on cleaning the EGR ports on my car with the same type of upper-lower plenum EFI setup. I was wondering if there would be an issue with spraying too much of the cleaner in the port in the lower intake? Dislodging/dissolving the buildup and just having it run down the EGR passage to the cylinder head. The obvious solution is to pull the lower intake as well and clean that while it's off but if I can avoid it I would like to. Thanks!
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Just followed your step by step process on an 01 accord v6. It went exactly as you said. Seems to have had the fix when previous owner had the car. I don't know a thing about cars but the mechanic at the smog place wanted 3-400 to fix. Took me a few hours but worth it. Actually like driving my car again. A sincere thanks to you. After 100 + miles of driving no ck engine light. Wish I knew a mechanic like you. Peace
I just cleaned out the passages on my 01 accord v6 this morning and without this video, i'd have never been able to do it myself. I also checked with throttle cleaner, and no vacuum leaks. You're the man and thanks to you, today, I got dirty. Thanks for all you do. Have a good one, man
You and ChrisFix has opened a whole new world to me. It has made me love life so much more. Encouraged me to work on my own car. I know Mechs lose money each time a person finds the confidence to do this stuff ourselves, but I really appreciate it.
Half of them are rip off artists anyway and all the honest good ones charge too much sadly. It's good to do the easy stuff yourselves and leave the difficult jobs to the pros that know what they're doing.
David Braga they don’t loose money!! Thay loose victims!!
ruclips.net/video/ASZckaT2_HM/видео.html
Well after watching your vid and taking a few notes (what size bolts at what locations) I tackled this job this weekend.I was shocked at how simple it was versus the price the mechanic wanted.With a few small differences I made,this vid was spot on.It literally saved me half a thousand which is awesome.That along with the fact that I could strut in front of the wife and make "demands" that I normally couldn't was awesome! Thanks dude........you rock!!!!!!!!!!
great video Eric. Just completed this on my 99 Acura 3.2 TL and it worked like a charm. Ports were almost completely clogged. Check engine light stays off now and car runs great. Thanks!
@TeDuaMalakie It's actually all of north america that is Acura and they started that line in 85 because they didn't believe the American car market would be willing to pay for a luxury Honda line under the Honda name so they came up with Acura.
ETCG... Your videos are nothing short of awesome. I bought a video from you to change the timing belt on my 6 cylinder Honda Accord 1998...Followed it step by step and saved me a boat load of money. Just thought I chime in and comment that DIY stores like Home Depot sell these long thin metal brushes to clean anchor bolt holes... that little brush and the carb. cleaner left my intake manifold like new. Thank you very much and keep up the great work.
Thank you Eric! Very easy to follow instructions, and I do not even change oil myself. 1999 TL with 130k miles, figured I would try it and save the $400+ I was quoted for p0401 work. I only did the top manifold port originally (the bottom looked OK), but the CEL came on again in a couple miles. So I did it again and removed the EGR valve this time and cleaned the bottom port with a wire and flooding it until cleaner came out where the EGR valve is freely. Used a shop vac to dry it out. It was nothing like the top, but there was stuff in there. Put it all back together again and working great, no more CEL. Less than an hour each time. Thanks again, much appreciated.
Had the rough idle problem after warm humid day here on my 99 Acura 3.2 tl in F and on restart. Cleaned the ERG ports and replaced ERG valve and still had rough idle problems only worse. So I replaced the Fuel Pressure Regulator and now it runs fine,!!!! Give this a try you will be happy, happy, happy.
@pberglin I'm very happy working as ETCG and do NOT see myself working for another auto repair facility.
@joe2mercs It's not the EGR that set the DTC, it was a flow code not a lift code. Honda does not use a DFPE but looks at the O2 sensor readings at a given set of conditions to set the code. I've done more of these than I can count that's why I knew where to go. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you for the upload! I have a 99 Accord but everything was identical! Only cost me my time and a $7 can of carb cleaner!
Thanks a bunch for this. This is the second time we had this on my wife's 99 TL. First time I took it to the dealer.... Anywho, this took me about 90 minutes total and your thoroughness is much appreciated. I did a screwdriver first but then also did the drill bit method posted in another comment. Works great. There was a whoooole lot of hard gunk in mine. Took a while to clean it all out. Thanks again.
This worked great for me. Instructions very clear. I had p1491 and also p0420 on my 1999 TL and after I cleaned up the fully clogged EGR port, both of them are gone. Thanks Eric. When I opened, the TB gasket was fully gone so had to replace it.
@13FravelJ A good set of quality hand tools is a MUST if you want to do any amount of automotive work. Don't worry about a scanner to start with as you can have that done at the auto parts store for free.
@DudeRanger1 Probably the heat shields on the cat or exhaust, I often just put a hose clamp on them to keep them quiet. However VTEC engines had issues with the A pipe coming off of the manifold that sometimes caused a noise like that, it won't hurt anything if you can put up with it, if not you have to replace the pipe.
@Goodwrench496 No worries, it really depends on the gasket, the ones for this engine are a hard plastic so they don't normally get damaged when you remove them, the only gasket to worry about with this job is the throttle body gasket as it is paper and will sometimes get damaged when you remove it.
@fooey88 I don't mind at all thanks for doing that. I hope to make a video on the updated version as well when the opportunity presents itself. After working on Acuras for 9 years I remember a couple of things.
@Aucteg Not the valve no but clogged passages might be at issue but to be honest I would be checking fuel pressure as the stock pump in that Civic was not made to run that engine, also some of those engines had an issue with the fuel pressure regulators, look for a black dot on the regulator, if you have one it's been updated.
@TCreatorO I've got plenty of crap in my head on the J series so don't worry about that. Thanks for the comment.
I just did a 01 honda civic d17a1 and swapt it for a 1999 acura 3.0 cl engine.
Acura and Honda engines are super fun and easy to swap and costomizing them is a great for perks.
@Perfectasthis Glad you liked it, thanks for the comment.
I like the fact that you talk little and show a lot. You talk while your doing and don't babble while explaining. Ready to fix 1997 acura cl.
@imthechandyman It is basically the same engine, if memory serves that is a vacuum operated EGR not electronic so be sure to check the operation of the actuator that works the valve.
Just worked for 2002 Accord v6. If you're competent please use Honda 06175-P8C-A01 EGR Pipe Kit as described in the video. 42.00 for aftermarket version kit. Clean from top to bottom ie. Intake port to EGR valve.
@motorman1700 You can disconnect the negative battery cable without any fear of problems, your suggestion is to prevent having to put the radio code back in but it won't harm the electronics at all. You can also clear the code with a scan tool.
@13FravelJ Depends, they have to hit the clear codes button in order to do that, if you want the light to go off they will, it's really specific to the situation I believe.
@holance I would look to the idle circuit, start with the idle air control valve, try tapping on it to see if the idle changes if it does I would recommend replacing it but some people just clean them.
Was this morning's work. Simple. Easy. Effective. The gunk I removed was super-nasty. Glad it's out! 248,000 miles on the way to 300,000!
@mrsargemeister Different manufacturers use different methods to detect EGR flow and lift sensors are one way but all makes are required to have an EGR monitoring system post 1996. In the case of this car there is a reading taken by the O2 under certain conditions to see if the EGR is detected, it does not use a lift or pressure sensor.
@eleeter Thanks for the tip, lots of people bring up seafoam, perhaps there is a vid at some point in the future. Thanks again for your input.
Thanks for the vid Eric, this code is so very common. I think you are right about the gunk, oil is leaking past the valves and rings and hence the oily build up instead of just pure carbon. I would expect this from such a high mileage car. A word about Seafoam, it does a really nice job of breaking up stubborn carbon, spray and let it work for a few minutes, it dissolves it nicely.
Seafoam is just a very, very thin pure petroleum, FYI.
@denelvo Did you catch the part where this car had 270K? In order to fix that you would need to replace the lower air box cover and to be honest Im not sure the person that owns this car is really interested. Aside from all that any dirt that might get in would be minimal as the air box seals around the outside of the filter quite well actually. Thanks for your comment and input though.
@vietcong4u It will help to clean instead of the carb cleaner but just dumping it in the tank won't fix this.
Just finished. EGR port completely clogged. Thanks for the video.
Hey Eric the car guy I have an Acura 97 3.0 cl and roughly two months ago I cleaned my Egr ports on the intake manifold and under my Egr valve and I also replaced my Egr valve. All by myself I made sure I was cautious. I replaced my Egr valve and cleaned the ports but I couldn't take my throttle body off but I still managed to clean it really good. After I did that I took it for a spin and a CEL came on regarding cylinder 2 misfire and my engine was idling not too rough and it NEVER turned off.
@mikeyz75 I believe you are mistaken as an EGR can help you run a higher compression ratio without detonation and preignition, other than that you would have to make the mix VERY rich and that's not good.
Doing mine now. Has code 401 and 1709. Acura did have a recall that is now “ Dead” for the 1709. Gear shift sticking. I’m livid because this is not that hard but time consuming and I paid someone to replace all plugs coils and gaskets due to oil leak. Some stuff you just do yourself because having a trusty mechanic or taking to the dealer (Honda will not work on Acura) Acura dealer only. So thanks for this and I’ll post my own as well , not as detailed as yours but if u have a video of the 1709 email it to me. Thanks ERIC 💯💯Aye🎥” the weird thing is my engine light isn’t even on. It was at one time. Went and got another Acura from a friend and had to fix the iacv and v tech solenoid. 5 speed rsx. Broke bolt in the solenoid so I’m out here fixing my baby. 💯💯👋🏼
@americantractors Actually that system was originally made so that the US government could drive their Jeeps underwater. Anytime you have things moving inside of a closed space you need to have a vent on the outside of the case if not it will blow every seal because pressure builds up, old cars used to just have a tube that just ran down the back of the engine (AKA oil draft tube), now we recirculate the crank case pressure back into the engine with the PCV system.
@thepopeis1 I love it when things work out like that. Thanks for the comment.
@OtherVincentLee I used to joke every year when a new model came out "look at our brand new redesigned engine cover!".
@SuperMegaCliff Good tip with the pipe cleaners, thanks for the comment.
@45ralphher Not yet but I plan to make one. It's actually easier on that engine than it is on the one in this video because all you have to do is remove the upper plate on the top of the intake and clean it out and your done, you don't have to remove the entire intake like in this video. Good luck.
@seagull883 I show in the video how to remove the 'stuff'. I have not had issues with stuff that got into the intake during this procedure but you can use a shop vac to get it out.
@Goodwrench496 I mentioned in the video that it's not necessary and out of all of these that I've done I've never had a problem.
@mss829 No, this normally comes with a random misfire. The videos I make are based on what comes into the shop and P0401 is a very common code.
It seems that EGR problems are quite common in the Honda V6 engines (Oddessys particularly).
Side note, I did my license exam today (equiv. of ASE in the US)!! Got to be positive!!
Thanks Eric for the good video, great amount of detail.
@Jcal022 It's a Snap-on I think. There are torque specs for the manifold but I have never used them or a torque wrench, I'm not saying I'm right in doing it this way I'm just saying that I've never had a problem doing it this way.
@480789 You don't need to, if you removed the valve you would find that it is clean underneath it. The problem happens in the intake because that is where the hot exhaust gas combines with cold intake air and condensation happens thus the carbon buildup because the carbon drops out of the mix along with the water when this happens.
Good video Eric. I have a Honda Pilot 2004. This video was helpful in how to take the engine cover off and the top exhaust plate. The part at the very end was helpful where you describe if you have the "newer model" how much easier it is--just take of the top plate and clean out the carbon from the top plate in all the "ant runs" and also dowin into the hole where the air goes into the throttle body with throttle body cleaner. Worked like a charm--no more PO401 engine code and it's running much smoother. Note, I'm not a technician and I don't have a code reader/reseter so I had to disconnect the negative battery cable as you said. Note that if you do that, you'll have to resent the radio code--which I had on the side of the glove box. Fortunately if you don't have that, there are videos on how to reset the radio (anti-theft protection). Thanks for your video! It gave me enough confidence to do this job in short order.
Thanks Eric, great job! My intake was clogged up with hard deposits like you described, I placed an appropriate size drill bit into the hole and turned it by hand which broke up the deposits and pulled most of the gunk out - the deposits caught in the bit. It seemed to work well for me, maybe it will help someone else too.
wow bud, your video couldn't have been more bang on! i saved some time by not removing the air box, it made taking one throttle body bolt off a pain, but other than that it saved a few minutes. GREAT VIDEO!!!!
@95ACM It sure is, thanks for your input.
Eric, followed your video and just cleaned the air flow intake on my son's '99 Acura TL! Your instructions were spot on! You saved me a ton of jack. Would love to send you a Starbucks gift card. Thanks!
@GeneralCracka That usually means the cat is bad. Try taking the temperature before and after the cat on the exhaust, if the cat is working properly it should be 100º hotter at the outlet than the inlet, if not replace the cat.
@BigPython1986 I'd like to cover the basics first as I don't see much point in teaching modifications if you don't understand how they work. Thanks for the comment.
@buggsyspam I don't recommend that as I have a scar on my arm from when I used that on some cylinder heads years ago, it does remove the grease but if you get any on your skin you will be scared for life if not worse. It also makes some metals rust up after your done.
@JTheGuitarPlayer Yea, do this long enough without the ability to laugh at yourself and you will become bitter and old. Thanks for the comment.
@moofushu If I'm honest this one really wasn't going to bring a bunch of dirt in even with just one fastener holding it down because the lip overlaps the filter and the low pressure created by the engine will actually help seal it but keep in mind this engine also has over 200K on it so I'm not too worried if I was I would have mentioned it.
@spelunkerd I often use air tools on this but thought I would draw the ire of some of the viewers so I didn't use them this time. Thanks for the comment.
Eric,
My wife has a 2000 TL with about 180K miles and the "Check Engine" light has been on for a while. The performance or gas mileage doesn't appear to be affected. I bet this would solve the issue.
Thanks Mate!
Another great video. Thank you for helping me with my car troubles. 2000 Acura TL passes smog and then wouldn't start and got the 1399 code. Time to do some cleaning!
This process, if not mentioned in the video, is also a good way to lower your NOx readings if you are failing emissions inspection in your state.
@tubejim101 Normally it's a hard carbon buildup, the same stuff you see on the inside of your tailpipe but as the engine gets older and has more blow by you will see more of this 'gunk'. Seafoam really won't help because a worn engine is not going to be fixed by stuff you put into the fuel system.
Thanks Eric! I watched another vid and the guy left out all the details on detaching hoses and such. I also like the trick of leaving the three hoses on the triangle connection and just pulling the base off. Mine was a 2000 Honda Accord, but the steps were identical.
@dnlbraden No idea, they may not be related, I'd have to give a look to form an opinion.
@tinydx95t2 Perhaps that's why they use less vacuum lines these days. I'm not sure if it holds in anymore heat than the hood itself but they are a pain to work around.
@MeowJW EGR problems are actually quite common on a lot of makes especially as they get older and have more blow by like this one did. Good luck on your exam, I'm sure you did fine.
@13FravelJ That comes later depending on your use but after your done with hand tools that is the next place to go.
@furious94ls Having worked for Acura for 8 years I might beg to differ but I'm not going to argue about your experience with your car.
@nevillesymes I will, thanks for the comment.
Eric, This is just another in a long list of problems you have helped me with. I can't count how many times I've had problems with some one's car that your videos have made short work of the repairs. I'm a big fan and I have now subscribed to your web site. Thanks for all the help. Keep up the good work. Martin
@orbiter8 I've seen a similar thing also with a happy ending, sometimes we get lucky I guess. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for the informative video Eric! Just finished this procedure and man that thing was clogged!! Wasn't too bad for a rookie like me..
@photograjockey Not exactly, you have blow by that comes from inside the engine cycled through by the PCV system, impurities in the air, and condensation coupled with the temperature difference between the hot exhaust and the cooler intake air. It's pretty much a recipe for gunk in the intake.
I just just did this on my 99 prelude, but also cleaned out the erg valve itself. MAN there was a lot of build up! Mine was hard like you said, and I had to shove a screw driver threw it. I used piper cleaners to get all up in there too. Goodbye engine light!
@americantractors New cars still have a PCV system they are just incorporated into the valve cover or intake assemblies, as for drag cars they really only run at WOT which a PCV will do no good with because you only have intake vacuum at idle. This is the second question about PCV so perhaps a video on that would be worth looking into.
@Doomcell3 I haven't seen intake manifolds so much as headers and I've also seen a supercharger for them also. Honestly though if it's an automatic I might try to find one with a stick as the automatics didn't hold up well under just the stock power output.
@RoberTastic Good idea, probably later on when I cover automatic transmissions.
Awesome. As an owner of a '03 TL, I've run into this issue as well. I did my own, but there are many that will benefit from this vid. Hopefully you won't mind, but I'm going to post a link to this video on AcuraZine (largest Acura forums online, i believe). I see this issue being addressed a lot. There are DIYs, but I don't believe anyone has a made a vid clip for this process. Since you know your stuff, maybe this will put a stop to people always asking so many questions ;)
Thanks Eric!
Thanks it took me about 1 1/2 hours to complete the job. The port was about 99.5% plugged but it is clean and clear code now.
@mike797 No, I made this video because I had the opportunity to make it not because anyone else did it.
Just did this yesterday. Great video Eric. Was glad to see my EGR wasn't as bad as in this vid.
@jgfergus Pull the code first to find out what you're dealing with, don't assume that the CEL is on for the same reason as this one as it could be something completely different. Many auto parts stores pull codes at no cost BTW. Good luck.
Thanks Eric! my son Honda accord is shutting off while driving it. It showed that erg code about insufficient erg flow so I will be doing the same to his ride! Thanks for all your vids bro and keep up the good work
@iColorado303 Yes they are, it's worse in western NY or PA where I've also worked.
I did basically the same procedure on my 97 Acura CL 3.0. Worked great for a little while but, the code came back. I even went and cleaned the EGR valve itself but the code wont go away. Now im thinking i have a messed up hose somewhere.
Anyway great video!
@seagull883 Sweet, I love a happy ending. Thanks for the tips and for the comment.
@brakedd Put too much cleaner in and you will flood the engine. If that is the case then put your foot to the floor on the gas as you start the engine to put it into 'clear flood mode' which turns off the injectors while you crank.
@Flysohighx21 So have you checked your numbers on the dyno and confirmed them or is this a 'seat of the pants' dyno that you are referring to because I find that very hard to believe.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Hands-down, this is the best Honda P0401 fix I've seen on youtube or the net altogether, and I watch a lot of them. Fixed my problem. Thanks,
P.S. You the Man!
@itneverwasme Yep but easier as all you need to do is remove the upper intake plate I was talking about.
@ramrice You really shouldn't have had to replace the valve since they really aren't the problem. The code WILL come back but normally that takes about 60K for that to happen, it's really just par for the course really and there is nothing you can do to prevent that.
Dude you don't even know what the fuck you're doing
Do you have to use a torque wrench when bolting the manifold back on? Seems like most folks making videos about this cleaning procedure don't use one, but I thought it was required.
I use a 5/16 drill bit and drill out the carbon,works perfect.Also remove egr and blow out passage.
98 accord V6 J series So, I took off my throttle body and cleaned it up (used brake cleaner hopefully that doesn’t hurt anything), installed new IAC valve, new TB gasket, and reassembled. Reconnected battery and cranked car. Car is surging now. No vacuum leaks. I checked. Any idea???
@crombieposterboy If it's a Honda replace the IAC valve but look for vacuum leaks first. BTW I shot this video almost 2 months ago.
The differences I made was that I didn't completely remove the manifold per sey.I just unhooked enuf that I could flip it over and get to the EGR passage easily.I used a shop vac to keep things clean and neat as I scraped and sprayed things down.As a foot note,my car had a COMPLETELY blocked passage on the block.Manifold was not bad though.I also cleaned out the throttle body crud since I had it off.Reassembled everything,reconnected the battery,CEL went off and has not returned since!!!!!!!!
@jambe1234567 Nope it depends on the manufacturer but there are may ways to measure and calculate EGR flow, Honda uses the O2 readings.
I'm planning on cleaning the EGR ports on my car with the same type of upper-lower plenum EFI setup.
I was wondering if there would be an issue with spraying too much of the cleaner in the port in the lower intake? Dislodging/dissolving the buildup and just having it run down the EGR passage to the cylinder head.
The obvious solution is to pull the lower intake as well and clean that while it's off but if I can avoid it I would like to. Thanks!