check engine, on and off every other day or so?? - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

jasonroman · 01-16-2016, 12:06 PM

check engine comes on every couple days on the way to work. some days no some days yes, some days in the morning some days on the way home. no rhyme or reason. does not seem to effect the ride at all.
any ideas where i should start looking.

GM-power · 01-16-2016, 12:29 PM

Read the codes. Sound like a egr issue. Might want to inspect the valve and solenoid.

jasonroman · 01-16-2016, 12:55 PM

light does not stay on long enough to read codes. go to work at 5am soon as i get to work and shut truck off, when i get out, light is off. might be a day or two before it comes back on.

Zane M · 01-16-2016, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonroman

light does not stay on long enough to read codes. go to work at 5am soon as i get to work and shut truck off, when i get out, light is off. might be a day or two before it comes back on.

If the light stays on for even a short amount of time before going off, there is likely a code stored in the computer memory that you can retrieve. The light doesn't have to stay constantly on for a code to store.

Cabnchassis · 01-19-2016, 05:33 PM

The code should be stored like the last poster pointed out. When my egr was disconnected. I would get an intermitten check engine light. Lean condition was the code it gave iirc.

**Mr_Rich** · 01-20-2016, 03:15 PM

There's a big difference between OBDI & OBDII, and even then you might not catch the problem. I've never found the systems in my vehicles to store codes. The closest it came to that was on my newer OBDII vehicles the history shows the last time a code was cleared. No mention in the system of what it was. You might need to drive around with a compatible code reader to catch the problem at the immediate moment it shows up. You might also check the monitors which are "pending codes". That may yield a clue.

jasonroman · 01-23-2016, 09:03 AM

took egr off and cleaned it up. checked to see if spring still had some spring to it. seemed ok so i put it back in. still every day or every other day, half way to work, engine light comes on. do notice the truck has a low idle from time to time.

speedygonzales · 01-23-2016, 09:25 AM

What year? What code?

jasonroman · 01-23-2016, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedygonzales

What year? What code?

94
not sure code. don't have a scanner, and it only comes on in the morning. once i shut truck off and go in to work, when i get done light is off ....for a day or so until next morning ride to work.

il have to find out how to do the jump thing with paper clip and count lights i think.

ChevyTech · 01-23-2016, 10:14 AM

Your 1994 is an OBD1 system and has memory for storing codes if the light is on or not. It does not matter if you turn the vehicle off, the code will still be in the memory.

Here are instructions on how to read the codes without a scan tool.
http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/sh...php?tid/273660

Let us know which transmission your trucks has because it makes a difference in which computer system it has.

Let us know which engine too.

There are people here that can help if you give us enough information. So many threads, here on the board, do not have the information that is needed to take a guess at, much less give a good response.

crimsontide1966 · 01-24-2016, 05:17 PM

Agreed on the EGR being the possible culprit. I've got approx. 32 years as a tech. On the EGR, just checking the valve isn't enough. There's passages in the intake that always clog up. Can try holding a shop vac by the port, with a coat hanger, or similar, and dig at it. You don't really want those chunks of carbon falling into intake. Won't destroy the engine if some falls, but just be careful. I'm new to the forums, and always glad to be helpful, if I can. Nice to meet all

johnc486 · 01-24-2016, 11:50 PM

I have the same happening on my 94 K1500, throws a 32 code (EGR). Bought a new solenoid to replace tomorrow before replacing the EGR valve, if needed. The SES light may come on one day and not again for a couple days, have reset and still throws 32 code (only code stored) so I am satisfied its in the EGR area. A tale tale sign is my mpgs has fell off, not bad but noticeable.

jasonroman · 01-25-2016, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnc486

I have the same happening on my 94 K1500, throws a 32 code (EGR). Bought a new solenoid to replace tomorrow before replacing the EGR valve, if needed. The SES light may come on one day and not again for a couple days, have reset and still throws 32 code (only code stored) so I am satisfied its in the EGR area. A tale tale sign is my mpgs has fell off, not bad but noticeable.

what do you mean when you say bought a new solenoid? thought its a egr that would need replacing??

not sure right now which trans i have....
but its a 5.7

ChevyTech · 01-25-2016, 07:00 PM

Is the transmission an automatic, from the factory, stock? Manual? Tell us as much as you can.

I think it is jumping to a conclusion, to be worrying about the EGR, when you have not even checked the trouble codes yet.

If it does have a code 32, it does not mean the EGR valve is the problem for sure.

You can do a search and find many threads on EGR.
You can do a search with “Chevytech” and see what I had to say.

Here are some threads that you may find helpful.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=1#post5581262

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=347247

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=348308

jasonroman · 01-25-2016, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChevyTech

Is the transmission an automatic, from the factory, stock? Manual? Tell us as much as you can.

I think it is jumping to a conclusion, to be worrying about the EGR, when you have not even checked the trouble codes yet.

If it does have a code 32, it does not mean the EGR valve is the problem for sure.

You can do a search and find many threads on EGR.
You can do a search with “Chevytech” and see what I had to say.

Here are some threads that you may find helpful.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=1#post5581262

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=347247

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=348308

trans auto. to my knowledge the truck is stock. engine and trans. auto trans 200k. ill have to look and see if i can tell what trans it is.
maybe tomorrow if i get out in time ill try the pin thing and see what codes come up.
thanks for reply dude. you are def a helpful guy. i had a bunch of issues on my previous c10s and you always chimed in with knowledge.

jasonroman · 01-25-2016, 08:44 PM

read that if i take egr off and press it in, and hold finger over hole, it should stay. it did, this made me think maybe my erg is ok... maybe not, ??

ChevyTech · 01-25-2016, 10:01 PM

You're welcome!
Glad I was helpful in the past too.

If it is a 1994, C/K 1500, with an automatic, that is all stock, the transmission will be a 4L60E.

Quote:

read that if i take egr off and press it in, and hold finger over hole, it should stay. it did, this made me think maybe my erg is ok... maybe not, ??

That shows that the diaphragm is not ruptured but there are a lot of other things that can go wrong, that will set an EGR code.

What if the passages in the manifold are plugged with carbon? It won't matter if the valve opens or not.

What is vacuum never makes it to the EGR valve?

What if the modulation mechanism inside the EGR does not function correctly?

There is more to checking out the EGR system on these trucks then many people realize.

jasonroman · 01-30-2016, 12:34 PM

pinned it today. and sure enough code 32.
i don't have vacuum pump for test... should i just get a new egr and go from there?
will this help with the jumpy idle. seems a bit low to me at times. not all the time but sometimes yes
[IMG]

[/IMG]

should there be something on the end of this?

speedygonzales · 01-30-2016, 12:45 PM

No. You can test vacuum with a hose and your mouth. Remember there are a few components in the system, not just an egr valve. One thing I would do is clean the valve and the orifice put the valve back on and disconnect it to see how it runs without a functioning egr. Be sure to plug any vacuum lines that are disconnected.

jasonroman · 01-30-2016, 12:47 PM

[IMG]

[/IMG]

jasonroman · 01-30-2016, 02:55 PM

well after swapping out wheels, rallys now on, don't like the look or the tire size, anyway, for 90,bucks guess i can't complain. anyway, after swap i popped the hood that don't want to pop open anymore...and noticed,
[IMG]

[/IMG]
was not connected to the valve... now, the light was coming on and off before i took off valve to check if it still had play.
so, today i open hood and its not connected. i connect it and push a little harder then should and brake the line.
took if off so i could show auto zone guy what i need. and truck seemed to run fine. held a good idle at every stop or light.
funny how it seems to run a little better without connection.
did notice that when the truck is on, i cannot move valve. and when its off....i cannot move valve.

jasonroman · 01-30-2016, 02:57 PM

so the other end of hose that is not connected to the valve. but the little black box. the other nipple does not need to connect to anything?? previous pic.

ChevyTech · 01-30-2016, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonroman

so the other end of hose that is not connected to the valve. but the little black box. the other nipple does not need to connect to anything?? previous pic.

There should be nothing on the other port of the EGR solenoid.
It is the vent port.
From the factory it had a little foam filter on the vent port.

crimsontide1966 · 01-31-2016, 11:54 AM

As Chevytech mentioned before, there are other variables to the system. When you pull the valve off, start the engine and see if it dies. There should be a major vacuum leak, which would cause it to stall out. If it runs, your ports in the intake are stopped up with carbon. I've never seen one that wasn't plugged up, unless engine or intake is fairly new

jasonroman · 02-03-2016, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crimsontide1966

As Chevytech mentioned before, there are other variables to the system. When you pull the valve off, start the engine and see if it dies. There should be a major vacuum leak, which would cause it to stall out. If it runs, your ports in the intake are stopped up with carbon. I've never seen one that wasn't plugged up, unless engine or intake is fairly new

guess i will have to try this this weekend.
i got a new valve and solenoid. lasted for a day. no light. no code.
disconnected battery to reset code. day later, the light came back on. and yesterday morning at a stop light. engine idle was weird.. seemed to rev up and down higher then normal. almost seemed like if i took my foot off the brake a bit, that the truck was gonna take off....not sure why or where this came from.

01-16-2016, 12:06 PM	#1
jasonroman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: sayreville nj Posts: 1,072	check engine, on and off every other day or so?? check engine comes on every couple days on the way to work. some days no some days yes, some days in the morning some days on the way home. no rhyme or reason. does not seem to effect the ride at all. any ideas where i should start looking.

01-16-2016, 12:29 PM	#2
GM-power Registered User Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Little Rock, Arkansas Posts: 770	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? Read the codes. Sound like a egr issue. Might want to inspect the valve and solenoid. __________________ 1979 Sierra Classic Heavy-half 1996 Silverado x-cab "the daily"

01-16-2016, 12:55 PM	#3
jasonroman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: sayreville nj Posts: 1,072	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? light does not stay on long enough to read codes. go to work at 5am soon as i get to work and shut truck off, when i get out, light is off. might be a day or two before it comes back on.

01-19-2016, 05:33 PM	#5
Cabnchassis Registered User Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Redwood City Posts: 242	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? The code should be stored like the last poster pointed out. When my egr was disconnected. I would get an intermitten check engine light. Lean condition was the code it gave iirc. __________________ 1991 R3500 3+3 C+C 6.2/4l80e/14ff Fleetside Dually 1992 K2500 ECLB 5.7/4l80e/14sf(g80) 8600gvwr 1991 CR500 (95 Burb wouldn't stop catching fire )

01-20-2016, 03:15 PM	#6
Mr_Rich Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yucaipa, Calif. Posts: 795	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? There's a big difference between OBDI & OBDII, and even then you might not catch the problem. I've never found the systems in my vehicles to store codes. The closest it came to that was on my newer OBDII vehicles the history shows the last time a code was cleared. No mention in the system of what it was. You might need to drive around with a compatible code reader to catch the problem at the immediate moment it shows up. You might also check the monitors which are "pending codes". That may yield a clue. __________________ 1989 K1500 Chev. EC Original owner; some of the aftermarket parts I've installed are Borla headers, Hypertech chip, Edelbrock water pump, and a Stillen rear disc brake conversion kit. 2009 Hummer H3T 3.7L 5M (sold) 1997 K2500 Chev. EC 7.4L/ 4L80E (sold) 2018 Dodge Ram 2500 HD R/C

01-23-2016, 09:03 AM	#7
jasonroman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: sayreville nj Posts: 1,072	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? took egr off and cleaned it up. checked to see if spring still had some spring to it. seemed ok so i put it back in. still every day or every other day, half way to work, engine light comes on. do notice the truck has a low idle from time to time.

01-23-2016, 09:25 AM	#8
speedygonzales Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Smithfield, VA Posts: 1,501	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? What year? What code? __________________ 99 Z71 (98 body style) Pride and joy

01-23-2016, 10:14 AM	#10
ChevyTech Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 4,621	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? Your 1994 is an OBD1 system and has memory for storing codes if the light is on or not. It does not matter if you turn the vehicle off, the code will still be in the memory. Here are instructions on how to read the codes without a scan tool. http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/sh...php?tid/273660 Let us know which transmission your trucks has because it makes a difference in which computer system it has. Let us know which engine too. There are people here that can help if you give us enough information. So many threads, here on the board, do not have the information that is needed to take a guess at, much less give a good response. __________________ For those of you that are wondering why you are not getting replies to your thread: Did you give the model, year, engine, fuel system type, and transmission information? If it is modified from what came stock from the factory, let us know that too. Last edited by ChevyTech; 01-23-2016 at 10:22 AM. Reason: Add more

01-24-2016, 05:17 PM	#11
crimsontide1966 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Tuscaloosa, AL Posts: 15	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? Agreed on the EGR being the possible culprit. I've got approx. 32 years as a tech. On the EGR, just checking the valve isn't enough. There's passages in the intake that always clog up. Can try holding a shop vac by the port, with a coat hanger, or similar, and dig at it. You don't really want those chunks of carbon falling into intake. Won't destroy the engine if some falls, but just be careful. I'm new to the forums, and always glad to be helpful, if I can. Nice to meet all

01-24-2016, 11:50 PM	#12
johnc486 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Harlem, Ga Posts: 3	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? I have the same happening on my 94 K1500, throws a 32 code (EGR). Bought a new solenoid to replace tomorrow before replacing the EGR valve, if needed. The SES light may come on one day and not again for a couple days, have reset and still throws 32 code (only code stored) so I am satisfied its in the EGR area. A tale tale sign is my mpgs has fell off, not bad but noticeable.

01-25-2016, 07:00 PM	#14
ChevyTech Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 4,621	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? Is the transmission an automatic, from the factory, stock? Manual? Tell us as much as you can. I think it is jumping to a conclusion, to be worrying about the EGR, when you have not even checked the trouble codes yet. If it does have a code 32, it does not mean the EGR valve is the problem for sure. You can do a search and find many threads on EGR. You can do a search with “Chevytech” and see what I had to say. Here are some threads that you may find helpful. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=1#post5581262 http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=347247 http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=348308 __________________ For those of you that are wondering why you are not getting replies to your thread: Did you give the model, year, engine, fuel system type, and transmission information? If it is modified from what came stock from the factory, let us know that too.

01-25-2016, 08:44 PM	#16
jasonroman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: sayreville nj Posts: 1,072	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? read that if i take egr off and press it in, and hold finger over hole, it should stay. it did, this made me think maybe my erg is ok... maybe not, ??

01-30-2016, 12:34 PM	#18
jasonroman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: sayreville nj Posts: 1,072	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? pinned it today. and sure enough code 32. i don't have vacuum pump for test... should i just get a new egr and go from there? will this help with the jumpy idle. seems a bit low to me at times. not all the time but sometimes yes [IMG][/IMG] should there be something on the end of this? Last edited by jasonroman; 01-30-2016 at 12:47 PM.

01-30-2016, 12:45 PM	#19
speedygonzales Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Smithfield, VA Posts: 1,501	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? No. You can test vacuum with a hose and your mouth. Remember there are a few components in the system, not just an egr valve. One thing I would do is clean the valve and the orifice put the valve back on and disconnect it to see how it runs without a functioning egr. Be sure to plug any vacuum lines that are disconnected. __________________ 99 Z71 (98 body style) Pride and joy

01-30-2016, 12:47 PM	#20
jasonroman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: sayreville nj Posts: 1,072	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? [IMG][/IMG]



Register or Log In To remove these advertisements.

01-30-2016, 02:55 PM	#21
jasonroman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: sayreville nj Posts: 1,072	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? well after swapping out wheels, rallys now on, don't like the look or the tire size, anyway, for 90,bucks guess i can't complain. anyway, after swap i popped the hood that don't want to pop open anymore...and noticed, [IMG][/IMG] was not connected to the valve... now, the light was coming on and off before i took off valve to check if it still had play. so, today i open hood and its not connected. i connect it and push a little harder then should and brake the line. took if off so i could show auto zone guy what i need. and truck seemed to run fine. held a good idle at every stop or light. funny how it seems to run a little better without connection. did notice that when the truck is on, i cannot move valve. and when its off....i cannot move valve.

01-30-2016, 02:57 PM	#22
jasonroman Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: sayreville nj Posts: 1,072	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? so the other end of hose that is not connected to the valve. but the little black box. the other nipple does not need to connect to anything?? previous pic.

01-31-2016, 11:54 AM	#24
crimsontide1966 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Tuscaloosa, AL Posts: 15	Re: check engine, on and off every other day or so?? As Chevytech mentioned before, there are other variables to the system. When you pull the valve off, start the engine and see if it dies. There should be a major vacuum leak, which would cause it to stall out. If it runs, your ports in the intake are stopped up with carbon. I've never seen one that wasn't plugged up, unless engine or intake is fairly new

Register or Log In To remove these advertisements.