P0401, tune-up, etc.

[450 Cruiser]

My 3 month old LX450’s been throwing a P0401 for a month now. With this long weekend in mind, I ordered a blue-top EGR from Dan along with some other tune-up parts including plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and PCV / grommet. Also replaced the piezo beeper and installed a new OEM cup holder . Here are a few pics.

EGR had very little carbon build-up so either the green-top EGR was not the cause of the 401 or it was faulty as some have mentioned. I feel pretty good about my carbon situation. Even though I have low miles, I still had very little carbon in the lines.
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PCV was a headache to get out. The hemostats worked VERY well at grabbing the grommet chunks in valve cover. They are narrower than most needle-nose and have clamping capability.
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Number six is indeed a bitch. I found it was easier to run the socket extension behind the u-shaped heater hose rather than pushing it back. There was less stress on the hose and the extension this way, giving me better ‘feel’ and centering the socket in the hole. I found placing my right foot on the bumper and my left on the frame rail between the header and air-cleaner box (straddling the radiator in essence) was the easiest way to access #6…and 5…and 4.
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[450 Cruiser]

continued...

To remove the plugs, I duct taped a spark plug socket to the extension to keep the socket attached. I installed the new plugs by removing the ratchet from this set-up, placing the plug into the socket and threading by hand.
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Plugs 1-6, left to right. Might be the original plugs? They don’t look too bad. Neither did the wires. I feel better, however, knowing they’ve been replaced.
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Here’s a picture of the piezo for the curious. It was wrapped in grey foam with a zip tie near the brake booster. The new one works every time now without sounding like a frog that got kicked in the nuts.
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[MLX450]

Still have the 401? might be the VSV.

 

[450 Cruiser]

Still have the 401?

It's too early to tell. The CEL was not on when I installed the EGR and I've only put 20 miles on since. If it returns I'll give it the full scale investigation. My logic was to replace the green top and hope 401 goes away. Since green tops are suspect, I would have replaced it anyway.