Check Engine Light

[Warwick1]

1990 Camry 271xxx miles 2.0 dx 4 door sedan. automatic.

I recently had a Cat Convertor replaced, bringing my loss of power back. I also noticed the vacuum tube connecting EGR valve to EGR vacuum missing. I put one on there initially thinking my loss of power was due to that.

Since the cat convertor fix, my check engine light has been coming on after 15 minutes of driving. It seems to come on only during longer drives and at higher speeds.

I plan on doing the paper clip diagnostic blinking code and researching the code tomorrow.

Was I supposed to replace the missing EGR valve/EGR vacuum tube? Other suggestions/ideas? Thanks.

[white90dx]

Let us know what the code is and we can go from there.

-Charlie

[Warwick1]

I grabbed a steathing staple and formed it to fit into the female ends for Te1 and E1 in the little black diagnostics box located by the air filter.

I turned the key for accessories and watched the code. The flashes did NOT vary in speed, but the following sequence was noted.

2 flashes, pause, 5 flashes, pause, 2 flashes, pause, 6 flashes, pause.

This repeated indefinitely.

Also to note, after the Cat Convertor replacement, my car seems to smell a little "gassy" inside. Havent checked for any exhaust leak or anything like that...could be but I don't remember the gassy smell before cat fix.

Also, I intend on keeping the vacuum tube hooked up between EGR and EGR vacuum.

Hope to hear back soon guys, thank you a ton! Let's get the only wheels I can afford 100% healthy..!

[white90dx]

Carefully note the time of the 'pause' I think you will notice that there are two different lengths.

You are probably getting codes 25 and 26. Code 25 is for running Lean, code 26 is for running Rich.

How is the car running? You might have ignition issues, you might have a bad AFM, you might have a vacuum leak, you might have an EGR leak... there are any number of things that could cause the above problems. Reset the ECU and see if only one of the codes comes back, which will help take us down the right track.

-Charlie

[Warwick1]

You are right. I checked out the length of the "pauses". This is what I found in more detail.

For simplicity, let's say "one blink's worth of time length" is about one second. This is one full cycle of the blink. Ok, here we go...this is what I counted out.

2 Blinks
1 -blink Pause
5 Blinks
2 - blink Pause
2 Blinks
1 - blink Pause
6 Blinks
4 - blink Pause

Check Engine light was not on at all today, driving shorter trips to work and back, initially noticed it 15 miles into 70 mile trip over weekend.
Car seems to be running good, as it did before Cat Convertor replacement.

[white90dx]

That's exactly right.

Its .5s on, .5s off for a 'blink'
Its a 1 second break to end a digit
Its a 2 second break to end a number
Its a 4 second break to end the codes.

Constant .5s on .5s off is no codes stored.

-Charlie

[Warwick1]

Ok. so it sounds like I'm running rich AND lean... where do I go from here?

I can look for vacuum pinches, or leaks, etc..

I dont expect check engine light to go on until I drive out of the city a while so in the meantime.. I'll keep driving her around as is and update forum as soon as problem arises. Other recommendations?

[white90dx]

Those codes are thrown only when the long term fuel trim setting goes out of range (when the ECU is trying to make more than say a 10% adjustment to the fuel). It generally means that there is just a sensor problem.

Does the car have any other symptoms?

-Charlie