Hey guys im new here. I am from the south of texas and i currently have a 94 honda accord ex 2.2 vtec auto tranny. I have been having problems with my car for a while now. I had the water pump replaced and went ahead and changed the timing belt as well. I had a mechanic set the timing on the car once he replaced the belt. After getting my car i ran into issues with too much fuel consumption and the gears werent kicking in smoothly. I took car to my grandpa since he is a mechanic as well and checked saying the tensior and belt was loose so he helped me and set the timin right. After a couple of weeks everything worked fine. Car never used too much fuel but then CEL came on and checked the codes givin me 12 and 43. My car started using too much fuel again and i get this awful smell like raw gas so just want any suggestions or what i can do or check? I cleaned the egr ports already which were clogged so clean that an replaced gasket as well.

 

Code 12 is for EGR lift sensor. I don't think this has anything to do with it being dirty. That is the other code for insufficient EGR flow isn't it?

AFAIK this code could mean several things, I actually dealt with this issue three days ago and it turned out to be the last one:
1. The lift sensor is busted. Replace whole EGR valve. Not sure how to test for this.
2. The rubber diaphragm is no longer airtight. Refer to this video to test for vacuum.
Basically you unplug the vacuum line from the valve. Pull up on the rubber diaphragm so it compresses, then put your other finger over the vacuum nozzle. If the diaphragm is airtight, when you let go of the diaphragm (but keep your finger over the nozzle), it should stay up. If it falls back down, air is getting in somewhere other than that nozzle you're plugging, it is not airtight. Replace EGR valve.
3. There's a vacuum issue further "upstream." I traced the vacuum lines all the way around and found that one of the vacuum lines coming from the intake manifold was unplugged. Plugging it in got rid of this code for me.

While the EGR failure could mean bad mileage the other code is for fuel system which IMO sounds far more likely to be the cause of the excessive fuel usage based on what you said. The internets tells me code 43 could be caused by a bad O2 sensor.


AFAIK the O2 sensor is used by the ECU to determine the results of combustion which it uses to choose how much fuel to put in for the next combustion. Notice what he says: If the voltage is less than 0.5 it detects a lean condition. Could the O2 sensor be defective, returning 0.0v which tricks the ECU into thinking the exhaust is excessively lean? The ECU would then overcompensate by ramping up fuel output and you have an over-rich mixture now. Since you have more fuel in your mixture than optimal not all of it burns off which explains why you smell it in the exhaust. Since the fuel output is increased your tank is being emptied at a much faster rate. The symptoms seem to fit I'm almost positive this is an O2 sensor. I'd try it right away but I don't think they're cheap enough to just buy it on a whim. I see Denso O2 sensors running for less than $100. You might want to use this as a base and troubleshoot some more but I think this is heading in the right direction. Maybe you can even find your O2 sensor under the hood and check it out? Maybe while the work was being done on the car it was damaged? Maybe it was left unplugged? Doubtful since I think it would throw a code of its own in that case.

I think there is no doubt the exhaust is rich because you smell it. I'd figure this out fast, I hear over-rich exhaust will damage the catalytic converter, you don't want to add another code.

 

A code 12 is due to the engine computer not getting a proper signal that the EGR valve opened to the proper level.

The problem could be the a bad EGR valve. It could also be the components that provide vacuum to control the EGR valve. Checking the vacuum lines from the EGR valve to the vacuum controls is the first thing I would do.

There should be sticker under the hood showing the number on the vacuum hose that controls the EGR valve. Then you can trace that vacuum hose to see if there are any problems.

 

Alright thanks for the help guys ill try checking da vacuum lines and if everything is ok ill change the egr valve and give u update to see if this worked