Most gasoline is Top Tier gasoline.
So, the octane or ethanol level of the gasoline has nothing to do with its ability to clean the fuel system and engine components.
Tester
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A few things have happen since making this repair:
- The engine is running smoother
- The coolant temp is staying cooler
- The fuel economy has gotten better
The coolant runs through a small port/tube in the valve and after removing the old valve, it’s obvious the carbon build up in the two ports along with the coolant tube is what was hindering the van’s performance. With this flawed design… we’ll prob have to replace this part every 3-4 years.
Good to hear your van is back to purring like a kitten. The whole concept of the EGR valve seems wacko to me. A finely calibrated passage is supposed to remain unfazed even amidst the exhaust gasses and heat it experiences on every drive? I’d be surprised any EGR valve more than a couple years in use is working correctly. Presumably b/c of this realization the designers of many newer cars have abandoned the EGR valve completely, and letting the car’s computer address the out-dated EGR.
The check engine light in my 1996 Dodge came on about ten years ago (P0401) when the back pressure transducer failed. The EGR system has been operating properly since the repair. 1996 has OBDII with an EGR monitor.
Many late model vehicles have EGR systems. The 2016 to 2022 Lexus RX450h has an EGR cooler mounted on top of the rear bank valve cover, this adds to the labor of replacing spark plugs.
My 30+ year old Corolla’s EGR remains original, never replaced or removed, is computer monitored, and never had a diagnostic code. But that doesn’t mean it remains working correctly.
Seems pretty unlikely after 30 years of continual exposure to exhaust gasses & high temperatures. I guess it depends on the def’n of “working correctly”. If “working correctly” means it passes the OBD test, then yes, my 30+ year old Corolla’s EGR is still working correctly.
Your PCM has a very basic EGR monitor, not the same as an OBDII EGR performance or readiness monitor.
This all boils down to using or getting bad fuel… the shops tell me to use gas/fuel line treatments. So I added some this morning… Wanted to use the redline product but can’t be found in our area… so I used the next best thing… Chevron fuel line treatment.
Set up an appointment with the performance shop to find out if in fact these TRQ red head will fit and work on the van. I’m also considering the Jet performance throttle body… I have seen vids from the focus guys taking the 2.3L ST throttle body and installing them on a 2.0L engine which is what we run… should be interesting to see.
Not only will you see shorts of several installs… but my talent in sewing interior customization and suspension upgrades for the 2020 Connect.
You’re not going to believe this. But I’m busy getting ready to have the new set of spark plugs and the TRQ coil packs installed this Fri… a thought came to mind and I’m glad it did. Seems there is a rash of counterfeit plugs going around and NGK just happens to the one targeted. After doing so research and video watching on others whom have had this same issues, we’ve concluded that we’re 90% sure these new plugs purchased from rockauto are counterfeit.
I sent word to rockauto and they claim they don’t sell counterfeit parts… the issue here is, rockauto doesn’t have a warehouse. Instead they outsource to third parties whom have these items on their shelves and these parts are then drop shipped to you. What’s missing here is that rockauto doesn’t have a quality control center to actually check these parts and this makes the second time rockauto or their third party vendor has sent us the wrong parts. I’ve since contact NGK corp asking how to proceed here…
In the mean time, before Fri we’re be turning to a new (old) brand of plugs and installing these with our new TRQ coil packs. Stay tuned…
This isn’t new. Counterfeit parts have been an issue for years, pre-covid. There was a rash of AC Delco counterfeit spark plugs that found their way into the supply chain even through name brand suppliers and warehouses. Buying things online just makes it easier.
When you account for shipping charges, delays while waiting for parts, and poor customer service I rarely see any savings to be had by buying from them.
Why would they help you? Unless Rockauto is a verified retailer for NGK you’re not their problem. Of course they have an interest in keeping fake parts out of the marketplace, but getting the wrong or counterfeit parts is between you and the place you bought them from.
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So… you do realize (if you’ve been here long enough) that if anyone quotes me… they win a free ignore…
Put me down for a pass . Why would I follow someone on Youtube that has as much trouble as you and give them clicks .
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I suspect your plugs would be shipped from a warehouse in the uk but not the same as the us. Yeah been warned for years on bad parts that are near identical but not totally identical. Avoiding Amazon, eBay, etc. can improve odds.
Several years ago Taryl warned of bad small engine plugs. Gold tipped versus silver. Don’t know but have both in stock. Hard to order just silver and kinda take what you get. First thing on a poor running small engine is just swap the plug these days.
Of course just the opinion of a non-certified internet non-expert (as most of us).
Hey Bing, thanks for being sociable during our conversations. and yep… seem the swap plugs is the only alterative at the moment. But with the new TRQ coil packs being installed at the same time as the plugs… we’re hoping for a bit more performance.