EGR Light

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Raddic

Raddic

10 Year
Joined
Jul 28, 2012
Threads
18
Messages
331
Location
Coeur d'Alene, ID
Ok I have searched and searched but can't find anything on it, but yesterday the EGR warning light came on. I can't find anything in the Haynes manual other then take it to Toyota. What causes this to come on and how do you reset it? 01/76 fj40 2f by the way.

Any input would be great.


Thanks,
BR
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Fast Eddy said:
Where the heck is that light? I've got a spot for it, next to the seat belt and brake indicators, but the lens is not labeled and there's no bulb in it.
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Yep. That's it.
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Funny. Do you have a speed marker (on the firewall, between the two halves of the speedo cable)? I think that's where the switch is. You need to open it up and operate the switch to the other position. :)

Or just remove the light bulb. :D
 
There is a speed marker on my firewall. I will give that a shot but do you know why it would come on? Is it really set to come on every 25k miles?
 
Yep, the speed marker has an odometer inside. It does nothing but actuate at some pre-set mileage. Looking at a '76 wiring diagram, they refer to it as the "Maintenance Interval Detector". You can disconnect the speed marker and the light will go out.

Over the years, a lot of vehicles have had similar mileage-based maintenance reminders. For the most part, they're just a pain in the ass for the poor soul that doesn't know how to turn them off. :D

Raddic said:
There is a speed marker on my firewall. I will give that a shot but do you know why it would come on? Is it really set to come on every 25k miles?
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Thanks. I will pop it apart and see if I can find the switch to flip back the other way to reset it. Is it pretty simple to see? Do you know if there is an exploded view of this sensor/counter anywhere? Didn't see it in the Hayes manual.

Funny thing is I just realized that this last weekend I turned over 75,000 miles. That's amazing that this thing was still counting the miles after all these years.

Thanks again
 
I don't think they show it anywhere. You can just unplug it, like I mentioned before. :)
 
So I've been wondering - what kind of maintenance does the EGR system need? Removing/cleaning of the EGR valve maybe?
 
You could clean the valve and associated piping. Cleaning of the valve is what really matters. If the valve is carboned-up and open all the time, the engine will idle poorly and erratically. The valve should only be open when the engine is at temp and running at some RPM above idle.

Caveat emptor --- Messing with the EGR system is pretty difficult. All of the parts and fittings are typically carboned-up or rusted to the point where they're almost impossible to take apart without damage and I think probably none of the parts are available new these days.

subzali said:
So I've been wondering - what kind of maintenance does the EGR system need? Removing/cleaning of the EGR valve maybe?
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I could just unplug it but kinda want to keep it functioning. So is the what it's really called? The speed marker?

I read something about soaking the EGR valve in carburetor dip without the rubber parts in it to clean it. But without testing it not sure if it needs it. Do you think you test that with vacuum?

I like the idea of locker indicator light.
 
Yep, speed marker (or, per the WD, maintenance interval detector) .

I've cleaned EGR valves using carb dip (although carb dip ain't what it used to be). Make sure you're just dipping the valve itself and not the diaphragm that controls it. Don't even mess with it if you don't have idle issues or issues passing smog checks, though. It's not worth it.

At idle, you may be able to suck on the vacuum fitting at the top of the EGR valve and notice a change in idle speed or quality.

Raddic said:
I could just unplug it but kinda want to keep it functioning. So is the what it's really called? The speed marker?

I read something about soaking the EGR valve in carburetor dip without the rubber parts in it to clean it. But without testing it not sure if it needs it. Do you think you test that with vacuum?

I like the idea of locker indicator light.
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Raddic said:
I like the idea of locker indicator light.
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Me too, though I might use my empty space as an on-board air compressor light :idea:
 
Roger that. My idle is smooth but gonna test it anyhow. Thanks for the info.
 
spotcruiser said:
Couple more.
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Wow. It actually shows the mileage in there? That cool.

So the little switch in there, do you slide it to the other position, or over then back to we're it was?
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Per the W/D, it's wired like a three-way switch. When the mechanism closes the automatic switch and completes the EGR light circuit, you throw the slide-switch the other way to open the circuit. The speed marker acutates the automatic switch back to it's original position when it hits the next interval, thereby completing the light circuit again.

Edit: I just went and looked at it more carefully. The white cam on the right side of the odometer wheels has a 180 degree lobe, which operates a microswitch. So the microswitch is either open or closed depending on the cam. The slide-switch is in a 3-way configuration with the cam-operated switch. Pretty simple. :D

Raddic said:
Wow. It actually shows the mileage in there? That cool.

So the little switch in there, do you slide it to the other position, or over then back to we're it was?
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Raddic said:
Roger that. My idle is smooth but gonna test it anyhow. Thanks for the info.
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Idle should be smooth. When you pull vacuum on the EGR valve you should hear it click and the idle should get somewhat rougher.
 
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