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P0401 Honda Accord V6 2000 also question about transmission

Model: Honda Accord V6 2000 Fault Code: P0401 Posted: 2005-06-06 17:56

Hello all! Glad I found this cool forum. I have a 2000 Accord and the check engine light came on. Honda told me it was error P0401 EGR Flow insufficient. Wish I had known about Autozone running the codes before because Honda charged me 65$!! Oh well. 86,000 miles so even the extended emissions warranty(80K) has expired. They also told me one of my front engine/transmission mount was broken and leaking oil. I have a few questions. First, I want to make sure I remember how to reset the lights(something to do with holding the reset knob in while starting the car?). Second, on my repair estimate it says I need an EGR kit. Where is the best place to have that done? Lastly, is the transmission mount a do-it-yourself job or not? Thanks!

Related fault codes
P0401
Comments (14)
Anonymous 2005-06-19 21:19

Hi, Did you get you EGR problem fixed? How much did it cost you. I have the same problem for a V6 1998. I was planning to buy the kit and do it myself. Discover more truck 2500 RAM Fuel About the mount, you can do it yourself. It is just a matter of having a support underneath the transmission and getting a bolt of. After that raise it slightlity with a jack so you can take the broken one off and put the new one.

Anonymous 2005-06-19 23:02

Haven't done it yet. Thanks for the tip, where are you getting the kit from? Do you remember how to reset the light? In my civic it was just holding down the button while turning the key.

Anonymous 2005-06-20 08:25

I have the same problem with the light comming on. I talked to Honda about doing a code read and they said it would cost me $106.00 just to do the reading. What a rip off. I went to Walmart and bought me a nice code reader that you just plug in front of the driver outlet and I got the code P0401. Which means a poor exhaust recirculation flow. So I cleared the error and the light went off. After few day later it came back on again. After some research I found that if you unplu fuse # 12 for few seconds and plugget back, this light problem goes away. The fuse is located under the hood at the passenger side. It is a small black box. Just open it. and the cover of this box there is a lay out of the fuses and respective names. it should say " Back up ACC" slot # 12. It worked for me. I don't think there is any problem with the car system. I think it may have been a design bug in the firmware of this vehicle. I have been running with the light on for more than a year and going for long trips with no problem. The only thing that bothered me is the light oin at night. This is why I went off and did find a solution that worked for me. Let me know if that also works for you all Ken

Anonymous 2005-06-21 14:02

I will try that but I notice a slight loss of power ever since this started. I am going to try that first though.

Anonymous 2005-06-27 14:13

Hi, Folks: I had the checjk engine on last weekend. Autozone were so nice to read the code for me. P0401, EGR low efficency. I went to Midas. However, they said they have to check it themselves. Well, OK. They found the EGR valve was fine. The problem is in the vaccum or something, whick I don't understand. Anyway, they clear the code and charged me for $65, $3 for the parts. I was strange to me, the reading is not accurate enough by using a $200 scan tool in autozone. They showed me theirs, which is much bigger, like a notebook. And they said it's more than $5000. Any idea? Thanks. Anyway, I am happy to fix it for $65. sw007

Anonymous 2005-06-27 14:15

Sorry, typo, their is more than $500. not $5000 sw007

Anonymous 2005-07-20 19:01

well first thing there is something wrong the egr system...also i think that midas should have a more expensive scan tool that $500. It should be more like $4500 to 5000.

Anonymous 2005-09-13 21:14

401 egr flow problem egr ports in intake are blocked remove upper intake and clean runner v6 hond are good for that to check if runner are blocked remove egr valve and start enging the enging should shout off if ports are clear if enging stays running the ports are blocked..

Anonymous 2005-10-18 17:42

So call me sucker compared to all of you but I had that 0401 code diagnosed at a local mechanic and confirmed at my Honda dealer. The dealer charged about $300 which is about what I have seen others paying. My 6 cylinder 2000 Accord has 153,000 miles so it is well past the 80K extended warranty. I'm not sure if I could have soaked my tubes or valves for a few dollars but this is my first major, non-service repair and my Honda has been been good to me up to this point so I bought the bullet and paid. Both my dealer and mechanic said they charge about 3 to 4 hours labor time (who knows how much time it really takes) and the repair kit is something like $80 to $100 dollars. Hope that answers some of your questions. Call me a fool for paying but I drive 130+ miles daily going at speeds which I really don't want to risk anything maintenance related.

Anonymous 2005-12-27 15:46

My 1999 Honda Accord V6 had same P0401 problem(which later included P1491) . I replaced the EGR (electric with built in sensor) but P0401 came back. I went to a Dealers' parts deptartment and got some free advice. It is a known defect that debris accumulatetes at the air-manifold. The mechanic hanging around in the parts room said my model did not need a Kit (which has some type of spacer) just take off the MAF (4 bolts) and all the hoses & connectors and all the manifold bolts. Lift off the manifold and set it upside down on a table. The port was truely plugged. I used a drill bit in my bare hand to ream out the manifold, then used a vacuum and dental pick to removed as much as possible from the block. I did all this in 2.5 hours which included a couple of the usual; where did that hose go & opps forget to reconnect that one. It is the first time I ever removed an intake manifold but I'm ready to do it again. Go ahead and buy a cheap ODB-II scanner I got a new one for $106 on EBAY and won't ever get gouged by a mechanic for something I can fix. I was using the free loaner from the auto parts store but with three cars over 100k it was a good investment.

Anonymous 2008-05-28 07:23

Wow, you didn't say who read your code or who told you to replace the egr valve or did you come up with that all on your own. so you buy an egr valve $$ and lo and behold your problem is still there... imagine. then you go for some FREE advice, and a mechanic tells you what the problem is AND how to fix it. and you say you got gouged. how about kudos to the guy who told you how to fix your own car. i wonder what you do for a living. it's hard to make a living when you tell people how to do your trade and not charge for it. sometimes the right button gets pushed and i just have to vent. i hope you come ask me for advice about your car, i will tell you to go to your precious autozone and ask for a knuter valve. maybe they can sell you one of those and how to replace it. Jake

Anonymous 2008-05-28 08:19

For those interested in EGR Low Flow in Honda, the code came back after 40k miles. This time I bored out the short passage in the manifold to remove the bumpy foundry texture it came with. It is not much wider but is now smoother. I hope this will slow accumulation of carbon. The Chilton manual advised replacing the EGR valve. The "gouge" comment is from paying $60-70 five times for mechanics to read and reset codes before I bought one. Example: Check Engine light is on, took to Saturn dealer, $70 for reading the code, $220 repair for Knuter Valve, $70 for resetting the code. That’s like a plumber charging $70 for ever time he uses his Curb Key to turn off or on the water. The Low Flow EGR problem has a Honda tech bulletin issued, had I taken it there before the emissions warrantee expired they would have fixed it for free. The people in that service department were considerate and I have recommended them often. We would need a new topic started to list the experiences I’ve had with shoddy work and lying mechanics. Charging $70 for resetting an OBD code would not even get a mention there.

Anonymous 2008-05-28 08:38

Look man, how insane is it to post like that in a forum completely run by techs? Yes, we all have heard a million times about everyone's problems with technicians and how they've been treated so terrible. The story usually starts with "I don't have any money" and ends with "that guy screwed me". Well, that's what happens when you pick the cheapest place. As far as charging an hour to hook up the scanner- that's life. Do you have any idea how much my scanner cost me? It wasn't no 150 dollars. Every year I have to buy updates for it just to keep up with the new models. So, my scanner was upwards of $4500 AND i have to keep it updated! EVERY YEAR! Let me tell you it's no 150 dollar plastic 'glove box' code reader. I gotta pay for that. So, no, Im not gonna pull your codes for free. No way. Do you have any idea how many bloody knuckles I've had trying to diagnose difficult codes over the years? That knowlege isn't worth 70$, it's priceless and Im not going to touch your car or pull any codes for less than an hour just for you to turn around and throw parts at it then come back for me to read your stupid codes again. Look, Post nicer next time and leave out the shop bashing or you'll get no help from me ever again.

Anonymous 2008-05-29 05:21

this dude gets the a$$=ole prize for the week! imagine a dealer tech giving you some free advice and not charging you for it! guys like you that bother the guys at my parts dept with no intent to buy anything unless the zone doesn't have it, it can't be bought on line or is cheaper at the zone really tick me off. Likely every dealer tech knows the fix for that code on your car and most good indy shops as well. Judging by the fact that you paid someone 7 times to clear a code means you either didn't want to pay them to fix it or they were too incompetent, either way if you're too cheap to pay for expertise then it's you that suffers, it won't be the tech anymore. Your fix is good advice for those here albeit your presentation and attitude sucks. If you have an investtment of 3 cars that total over 100k and you'vve been using a free loaner then you're definetly a tightwad and none of us professional techs would welcome you in our shops. You can continue being po'd but it's not welcome here.