CEL code 12, now what?

[ignatsh22]

ok so i checked my cel code myself for the first time and i got code 12, thats the exhaust gas recirculation lift valve i believe. but now what do i check for when i look at it? what should i be expecting to do/replace or whatever?

[Cb7GHOST]

look at the valve. make sure its wires are connected/ not damaged. make sure vacumm line is connected. and worst case you might have to replace the valve.
how's the car running?

[tmc_cb7]

where is this valve at??

[NAiL05]

On your intake manifold. Get some carb cleaner and clean it out see if that helps. If not you might need a new valve or you can risk it and get another from a jyard. But a good thing to see is wiring also as mentioned first since that is the easiest thing to check.

[ignatsh22]

look at the valve. make sure its wires are connected/ not damaged. make sure vacumm line is connected. and worst case you might have to replace the valve.
how's the car running?

all the wires are connected and seem to be fine, and the vacumm line is too. the after the rpms have been up they come back down to idle and then go down even more almost to stall. it did stall once but just once. it also lacks in pwer sometimes when i start moving in 1st.

[Cb7GHOST]

since it seems that the wires and vacuum hose is fine then I'd say try another EGR valve and see if the CEL goes away.

[GhostAccord]

1. First check all of your vacuum lines.
2. If they are all ok Un-bolt the ERG and remove it from your intake.
3. Clean the EGR vlave thoroughly with carb cleaner and a wire brush. The valve can be pushed in by had so make sure you get it good and clean inside and out.
4. Replace the cleaned EGR re-using the same gasket for now.
5. Reset your ECU, pull the fuse or disconnect your battery for 30 seconds.

If your CEL comes back on with the same code try checking for lift at the EGR.

How to check EGR valve lift: With the car running at idle
1. Unplug the vacuum line going to the EGR. Disconnect it from the solenoid end not the EGR valve end. This way you will have some vacuum line available to apply vacuum to the EGR.
2. Using a vacuum pump or your mouth apply a small amount of vacuum...you don't need to suck that hard, you'll stall the car.
3. If the EGR valve is operating correctly your engine will start to stumble or even stall out completely. This is because there is too much carbon and unburned fuel mixing in with an aready lean AFR. Thus cutting out almost all oxygen and stalling the engine.

If you find that the EGR is opening and you still get the code it is something wrong with the solenoid or sensor not he EGR Valve itself.

[marcusv8thunder]

1. First check all of your vacuum lines.
2. If they are all ok Un-bolt the ERG and remove it from your intake.
3. Clean the EGR vlave thoroughly with carb cleaner and a wire brush. The valve can be pushed in by had so make sure you get it good and clean inside and out.
4. Replace the cleaned EGR re-using the same gasket for now.
5. Reset your ECU, pull the fuse or disconnect your battery for 30 seconds.

If your CEL comes back on with the same code try checking for lift at the EGR.

How to check EGR valve lift: With the car running at idle
1. Unplug the vacuum line going to the EGR. Disconnect it from the solenoid end not the EGR valve end. This way you will have some vacuum line available to apply vacuum to the EGR.
2. Using a vacuum pump or your mouth apply a small amount of vacuum...you don't need to suck that hard, you'll stall the car.
3. If the EGR valve is operating correctly your engine will start to stumble or even stall out completely. This is because there is too much carbon and unburned fuel mixing in with an aready lean AFR. Thus cutting out almost all oxygen and stalling the engine.

If you find that the EGR is opening and you still get the code it is something wrong with the solenoid or sensor not he EGR Valve itself.

Bump for good post, just helped me sort the code 12 out that came on end of last week thanks.

[F20Bman]

Another over looked maintenance procedure people dont do is clean out their EGR ports. Really makes a difference!

[trinistylez]

got code 12 today. Gonna give this a try. will post back with results.

[SanJoCaF22DrAcc]

Sorry to thread jack but this is related. I have had this code on for the longest time in my CB. EGR valve is fine, the ports have been cleaned out properly. I am curious what the next step is.

When I first got the code, I replaced the EGR for good measure. When my motor was rebuilt, I pulled the EGR passage way plugs and went to town with carb cleaner and some special brushes.

[Granite CB7]

^try swapping an entire known to be good map black box, that has the solenoid in it for the EGR. Yeah, cleaning the ports makes such a difference. Good tips GhostAccord for checking lift

[EsperHamid]

1. First check all of your vacuum lines.
2. If they are all ok Un-bolt the ERG and remove it from your intake.
3. Clean the EGR vlave thoroughly with carb cleaner and a wire brush. The valve can be pushed in by had so make sure you get it good and clean inside and out.
4. Replace the cleaned EGR re-using the same gasket for now.
5. Reset your ECU, pull the fuse or disconnect your battery for 30 seconds.

If your CEL comes back on with the same code try checking for lift at the EGR.

How to check EGR valve lift: With the car running at idle
1. Unplug the vacuum line going to the EGR. Disconnect it from the solenoid end not the EGR valve end. This way you will have some vacuum line available to apply vacuum to the EGR.
2. Using a vacuum pump or your mouth apply a small amount of vacuum...you don't need to suck that hard, you'll stall the car.
3. If the EGR valve is operating correctly your engine will start to stumble or even stall out completely. This is because there is too much carbon and unburned fuel mixing in with an aready lean AFR. Thus cutting out almost all oxygen and stalling the engine.

If you find that the EGR is opening and you still get the code it is something wrong with the solenoid or sensor not he EGR Valve itself.

Dear GhostAccord,

I am having that damn code 12 and yeah the car stalls ... I read that I should cleaning out the passages but mine is a cb7 1990 EX F22A4.... so I have to drill to reach the plugs. Could cleaning the EGR valve solve the problem as described by your post without cleaning the EGR ports ?

note: The car is eating a lot of fuel.
- Till now I cleaned the IACV and tightened the FITV
- fixed the timing with a timing light as per specs idle @ 750 rpm

awaiting your reply, nice post.

[NAiL05]

There is a kit from honda you can buy to drill it out. as i recall they retap them with bolts. Its been a while since I have worke on one....some of them you can get it in partially without damaging the plug and pop them out

[cb7attack66]

granite cb7 yes!!!!! i had this problem on mine turned out to be a bad cvcc valve(part in black box)...after black box code gone