Check Engine Light--326 Code

[ricklee4570]

1994 Ford Explorer with 150,000 miles.

Check engine light comes on after the engine has run for about 10 minutes and stays on. Vehicle seems to be running great. I take it to a friend who has a computer scanner. He checked it and says it is showing a code--326.

The book says it is something with the EGR Valve.

How do I know if the problem is the actual EGR Valve, or the EGR Sensor?

The sensor costs about $70.00 and the valve about $50.00

Will not fixing this hurt anything?

Thanks for any help!

 

[mikeinri]

If no one here gives you a specific answer, my advice is to take that number to Autozone and ask for a diagnostic printout (typically comes out on a cash register tape). They can do this for any code, and what you will get will be a long list of items to check, including voltages on specific wires under specific test states, etc.

As for leaving it alone, it may affect your engine performance (may or may not be noticeable), gas mileage, etc. Leaving some sensors running incorrectly can foul others (O2 sensors, etc.) if the engine is running poorly enough.

Not to mention, if you don't fix it, you will ignore the CEL light, which eventually may be trying to tell you something else.

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[MrShorty]

326 was the only code? Can I assume it was a CM code? Did you run the KOER test? Did you get a pass 111 code from the KOEO test? (See my notes on pulling EEC-IV codes in the EEC-IV forum for description of the tests and acronyms if they don't make sense.)

The DPFE sensor is a pretty common failure on these, much more common than the valve itself. But a bad DPFE usually triggers a KOEO code as well, which is why I asked if you got a KOEO code or not.

Especially in the absence of a KOEO code, the first thing I'd check would be the vacuum and exhaust hoses to the EGR valve/DPFE sensor. Make sure all hoses are connected, free flowing, and otherwise intact. Make sure the connector at the DPFE is making good contact.