should/can i make these repairs myself?

[carl669]

I've got a 99 Solara V6 with 191K miles that's due for an emissions test in the state of Washington. My engine light came on a while back, but I never got around to having it looked at.

Since washington does the OBD tests, i needed to get some things taken care. I bought an OBD tool and the following codes are showing up:

P0135 - O2 Sensor heater circuit
P0402 - Exhaust Gas Recirculation Flow (EGR) Excessive Detected
P1410 - EGR Valve Position Sensor Circuit Malfunction
P1411 - EGR Valve Position Sensor Circuit Range/Performance

my question to you all is, would I be able to make any/all of these fixes myself? i haven't done much work on my car, but i can be pretty adept when I need to be (read: when it saves me a lot of $$). i also don't have a ton of time to sit and make repairs, so that is a consideration. if there's a couple quick fixes i can make and then take the rest to a mechanic, that would work as well.

if you think it's easier for me to just take my car in somewhere, any idea of how much I should expect to pay? thge dealer wants to charge me $100 just to read the codes which i already have.

thanks in advance for any help. let me know if there's any additional info i can give to help get my questions answered. also, i'll take mechanic recommendations (those that do emissions...Taskar does not) from people that live in Seattle.

[littlebookworm]

First, you need a service manual so you can see what's involved. The EGR codes MAY simply reflect a dirty or lazy EGR valve. It's relatively simple to remove it, clean it, and reinstall it. If it's stuck open, which I have a feeling it is, you may have to replace it altogether. Either way, you need a new gasket. Pick one up before you begin. Has the O2 sensor ever been replaced? At 191K miles, it's probably shot. Again you need the manual to find it. You may need a special socket to remove and replace it, about $10. Cleaning/changing the EGR valve and changing the O2 sensor aren't difficult and you've got little to lose. Check in the manual how to clear the codes. You may have to disconnect the battery, reconnect it, and then drive the car through a "learning" sequence of up to 25 miles at varying speeds before you can even try to take the OBD test. After all that, you may still have the codes. At that mileage, anything's possible, but what have you lost? Do the replacements with the engine cold. Those two parts get really hot. Good lluck.