Check Engine Light Horror

The check engine light came back on in my '98 Rav4 (P0401). Years earlier, I was able to get it to turn off by filling up with ethanol-free gasoline as ethanol has been proven to cause emission-related problems among other things. I replaced the EGR Valve, EGR Modulator, Vacuum Switching Valve, and some of the vacuum tubes to no avail. I spent a full day cleaning the throttle body as I was sure it was clogged. It was dirty, but cleaning it didn't solve the issue. I finally took it to a mechanic, which I absolutely hate doing because I don't trust any of them. To my surprise, he actually fixed it. I believe he replaced some of the circuitry related to the EGR.

I also decided to get a tune-up as the performance wasn't what it used to be. As I was replacing one of the spark plugs, my socket came off of the driver and lodged itself deep in the spark plug well. I inserted the socket-driver again, and couldn't retrieve it. I panicked for a few hours. I tried using glue and a pencil, but didn't wait long enough for it to bond. I realized part of the old plug was poking through the socket and causing the driver to disconnect. I was able to use an elongated screw puller to remove the old plug and reinsert the driver to pull the socket out. I had to repeat this process for the remaining holes. If you get something stuck in your spark-plug well that you cannot retrieve, you've essentially totaled your car.

I reset the check engine light via my ODB2 scanner which meant I had to complete another cycle or two. I drove about 180 miles and everything cleared except the EVAP. After looking up instructions on how to pass the EVAP, I figured out the secret pattern. I started the car, idled for 10 minutes, drove at 55 mph for 5 minutes, idled for 5 minutes, drove at 55 mph for another 5 minutes, idled again for 5, and then drove about 50 miles at 55 mph. It sounds ridiculous, but the EVAP cleared. It also made me realize two things: 1) I don't enjoy driving like I did when I was twenty-six. 2) People were surprisingly patient with me when I was going slow on the free-way.

September was a horrendous month, but my car finally passed emissions. The EGR problem should now be resolved for the life of the car.