Engine light is on. I'm getting 0302 ecu codes which is supposedly some egr issue.I know its not the egr valve because I replaced it with a known good
one. I took the car to the dealer and they ran diagnostics. Couldn't find
at problem at first so they ran longer diagnostics.. They told me
that they have to clean all the carbon out of the engine to stop the engine light from comming on.. Its 3 hours work and it will cost $270. Can anyone verify this claim as accurate? Will it stop the engine light and is it worth $270, and can I clean the carbon myself?

thanks

 

Just reading the title of your post is reason enough for anyone to come in here and tell you yes they are trying to rip you off.

Just do a good intake cleaning...if you're mechanically inclined the cleaning will cost you <$10. Get some intake cleaner and go to town on your intake manifold.

Other than that I don't know...have you reset your ecu yet?

 

The pontiac dealer tried to bill be $300 for a new plenum for my wife's Grand Prix due to "clogged egr passages". They told me they couldn't clean the plenum - it had to be replaced.

Took me 10 mins with TB cleaner and some plastic scrapers.

Can you see if the manifold where the egr passages are is clear?

 

The dealer might have been trying to sell you a service such as a motor vac, wich cleans out all of the fuel lines and intakes. It is a great service to do for your car if you have over 60 k miles but should only cost about $150.

 

You can get that same engine cleaning for like $80 at STS. And unless your car is warrenteed at or by the dealer, NEVER go to the dealer for anything. They seem to me like they are more like salesmen then mechanics. JUST MY .02

 

I always try to do stuff myself. The problem with places is that lets say you go in for a job. In their book they have an hourly rate for each job that they do. So lets say they're chaning a valve cover gasket. The book says charge the customer for 1.1 hours or something. Well some dude thats doing a superquick job might do it in 20 minutes but still get paid for 1.1 hours of work. So this kind of billing to me really decreases quality of work and increases the chances of errors that may happen.

If you have to go to get something done, I usually like to be out there in the shop with the mechanic when hes doing it. This way you can watch what he does so he wont mess anything up and you can possibly gain some experience from him at the same time. Many mechanics and places will frown upon this becuase of either insurance reasons (whatever) or becuase they want to hide something. Just keep searching for a place where the guys will let you watch. I would even rather pay extra money to be able to watch, and make sure its done right the first time.

 

also, dealers have a s.o.p. generic laundry list service regimen that they are bound by corporate policy to uphold and recommend. and this may not be the exact procedure that you need, but is part of their process of elimination (at the customer's expense). and if they find anything out of spec, they are obligated by corporate policy, too, for legal reasons, to recommend such corrective service. once, they recommended i replace all of my tires because they ran a tire gauge on the tread depths. i had just purchased them used and they handled perfectly and lasted two years thereafter.

 

All dealers try to rip off everyone

 

I bet if you gave them more money they would probably take it. HAHA. Well I guess thats what dealerships are here for. My local nissan dealer tried to charge me $180 to diagnose a CEL light and that didn't go toward the labor. I ended up leaving and said that is rediculous. Nick

 

Get some SeaFoam

 

0302
Diagnostic Trouble code 0302 points to a problem with the Exhaust Gas Recirculation system. The malfunction is detected by the Engine Control Module when no EGR flow is detected under conditions which call for EGR. Possible causes include:
- The electrical harness or connectors (valve circuit open or shorted)
- The EGR valve is stuck closed
- Weak or dead battery
- The EGR passage is clogged
- Faulty EGR temperature sensor circuit
- A leak somewhere in the exhaust system

The EGR Volume Control Valve may be tested with an ohmmeter. Disconnect the electrical connector. Looking at the connector half which is attached to the EGRVCV with the latch at the 12 o'clock position you will see two rows of three terminals. The top row is numbered 1-3, right to left. The bottom row is numbered 4-6, right to left. Measure the resistance between these terminal pairs:
2 1
2 3
5 4
5 6
... all resistance values should be 20.9-23.1 ohms at 68 degrees F.

Reconnect the EGRVCV connector halves. Turn the ignition switch ON OFF repeatedly. Verify that the EGRVCV shaft moves smoothly forward backward according to the ignition switch position.

The Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor may be tested with an ohmmeter. The specifications are ...
- at 32 degrees F, 0.68-1.11 Megohms
- at 122 degrees F, 0.09-0.12 Megohms
- at 212 degrees F, 0.017-0.024 Megohms