EGR Vacuum Modulator

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Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

BoSoxGal wrote:Has anybody here ever replaced damaged seatbelts in a vehicle with used retractor units sourced from a salvage yard?
Yes. Look for a RAV that was scrapped due to something other than a wreck (rust, bad engine) and make sure they function properly before removal.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

I ended up choosing to keep my own retractor units and sent them to SafetyRestore.com in Westfield Massachusetts for replacement webbing. They charge $75/belt and in addition to inserting new webbing that is identical to OEM equipment, they also service the retractor unit so it operates like new in terms of ease of retraction, etc. I paid a custom auto shop $80 for taking them out and reinserting when repaired - that’s not done yet as the belts just got sent to SR.com last Thursday - should be back by next Thursday at latest, they do a guaranteed 24 hour turnaround. I thought about driving them over in my cousin’s car to save the shipping time, but the only place I absolutely had to go in my car without belts was to work this weekend which is 7 miles from home on mostly 35mph roads, so I decided to save myself the 12 hours of driving (RT X2) and the gas cost.

It’s so weird to get in the car and not have a belt to reach for - which makes me shake my head knowing that the first 10-15 years of my life none of us wore the safety belts, I remember being the one who lobbied my parents to get in the habit after a MADD presentation at my school.

It ended up the dog also chewed the back belts (ARGH!) so I’ll have to get those fixed too, but waiting until after Christmas for those as I haven’t been taking my niece anywhere recently so can live without them for the short term.

The dog is really sweet and I can tell she’s going to be a wonderful buddy for the long term, but it’s been a long time since I had the aggravation of a puppy who chews on things you can’t even fathom - despite having toys and bones for more sensible options. :shrug
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Bicycle Bill
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Just curious, BSG, did the police give you a temporary exemption for not having belts (as they are being repaired)?  I would have thought they would have made you park it until repairs were made, just as if you had failed to pass an emissions test or if the brakes were missing.
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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

Bicycle Bill wrote:Just curious, BSG, did the police give you a temporary exemption for not having belts (as they are being repaired)?  I would have thought they would have made you park it until repairs were made, just as if you had failed to pass an emissions test or if the brakes were missing.
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I’m sure if I were stopped I’d be ticketed, but I drive in such a fashion that I haven’t been stopped in over 15 years (I used to have a bit of a lead foot).

No, the custom auto shop didn’t call the cops on me when I left there. No, I didn’t report to police I didn’t have belts in my car for the next 7 days.

Just saw a report on the news about an unbelted teenager, traveling with adults, who went through a windshield and was killed on the highway in a road accident two days ago. You think maybe police (and you) should be more worried about idiots who routinely refuse to use their functional safety belts than about a middle aged woman living in poverty who can’t afford to miss work or spend her limited income on a rental car or Uber for two days that she has to drive without her belts. :roll:

eta: I’m sure if you go back through my posts you can probably glean enough information about where I live and what I drive to make a report to MSP about me driving without belts today and tomorrow so I can get to work and back, and back to the shop to have them reinstalled. C’mon Chicken Steve, I’m sure you’re up to the task.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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Bicycle Bill
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Judas priest, woman, it was just a question.  I got stopped once in Iowa for having no taillights/brake lights and got escorted to the next town where I was given the choice to get a motel and then fix it the next day, or to accept a warning ticket with a provision to provide proof of correction within ten days, so I was curious was all.

Leave it to a lawyer to try to find an ulterior motive in anything and everything.

And just to save the wear and tear on your fingertips, there's no need to bother posting your usual "fuck you" reply.
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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

Bicycle Bill wrote:Judas priest, woman, it was just a question.  I got stopped once in Iowa for having no taillights/brake lights and got escorted to the next town where I was given the choice to get a motel and then fix it the next day, or to accept a warning ticket with a provision to provide proof of correction within ten days, so I was curious was all.

Leave it to a lawyer to try to find an ulterior motive in anything and everything.
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Yup, because after more than 2 decades in and around the legal system and almost 2 decades online and almost 5 decades breathing, I know all too well that there are more assholes/idiots/scumbags in the human race than there are decent folks.
Sue me for being a very jaded realist.

I’m sure if I was stopped, I’d be ticketed and probably the car impounded too if the cop was a real dick - as many of them are. I’ve been driving around here enough in the past 3.5 years to know that if I drive the limit, use my signals and follow all the road rules I won’t get stopped - cops here have plenty of real crime, including OD deaths everyday, to harass drivers on no PC stops. Back in small town Montana there was a lot of that kind of harassment but not so much here - at least not for white people. Using my privilege where I can.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

Another car repair question:

(Disclaimer: please no posts about how I should ditch my car - that’s a dead horse. The things I am replacing and repairing over the past couple of years are routine maintenance items that were to have been expected/recommended many, many miles ago - the engine remains an incredibly reliable workhorse and I can’t afford a new car anyway.)

Still loving my new tires (SO quiet!) and new steering rack; however, about two weeks after that job was done and after enjoying relative silence for the first time in a long while, I started having a clunking/rattling (alternating) noise at times when going over bumps. Sometimes no noise, but noise about 50-75% of the time. I thought maybe it was the sway/stabilizer bar bushings having come loose again after they replaced that, but they checked and that’s still in perfect working order having just been done right after the rack.

They had her up and down on the lift and drove her around a bunch of times and couldn’t identify the origin of the sound. They definitely heard it though, and suggested that it’s most likely a bad strut. Struts on a RAV4 are recommended replaced between 60-100k miles; Reva has 193k miles and they’ve never been done despite years of washboard dirt roads in Arizona and Montana and now a few years of the absolute shit roads in eastern Massachusetts. So, this sounds entirely plausible to me. However, there are none of the symptoms I read about online for bad struts - no front bottoming at a hard stop, no swaying, no difficulty steering now the rack is new, no nothing - just the noise going over bumps.

I’m waiting on the estimate - he ballparked @ $500 for parts, but wanted to research the parts for me and get back with a detailed one. My questions are: is it possible to have a bad strut and not be able to visualize this on the lift? (I thought maybe it’s the top part of the strut has come loose and is knocking/rattling). Should I get a second diagnosis? This shop seems trustworthy to me, they did good work my first time and everything seemed fairly priced based on my research, but :shrug Is there an aftermarket brand of strut assembly that folks recommend? I followed advice from here on the shocks and am very happy with those. Or should I spring for discount OEM, since the Toyota assemblies lasted 20 years maybe it‘s worth the extra bucks to go OEM? Finally, is there anything else anyone can think of that I should have checked that might cause such an intermittent rattle/clunk underneath when driving (this is maybe a stretch because it does seem to be coming from the wheels area, passenger side front is where it seems loudest.)

Thanks. Again, I love Reva and she is STILL cheaper than new and should have another 50-100k in the engine so I’m okay with replacing parts that have lived well past their intended engineered lifespan.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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RayThom
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EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by RayThom »

This repair could very well be struts and/or strut bushings. Depending on how the vehicle is being driven at any given time it's not uncommon getting a different noise, or no noise.

OEM parts are fine, but very good quality replacement parts are available. Just stay away from the dealer for this repair. RockAuto.com or CarParts.com should show you all available choices.

Til next time.
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Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

BoSoxGal wrote:Another car repair question:

(Disclaimer: please no posts about how I should ditch my car - that’s a dead horse. The things I am replacing and repairing over the past couple of years are routine maintenance items that were to have been expected/recommended many, many miles ago - the engine remains an incredibly reliable workhorse and I can’t afford a new car anyway.)

Still loving my new tires (SO quiet!) and new steering rack; however, about two weeks after that job was done and after enjoying relative silence for the first time in a long while, I started having a clunking/rattling (alternating) noise at times when going over bumps. Sometimes no noise, but noise about 50-75% of the time. I thought maybe it was the sway/stabilizer bar bushings having come loose again after they replaced that, but they checked and that’s still in perfect working order having just been done right after the rack.

They had her up and down on the lift and drove her around a bunch of times and couldn’t identify the origin of the sound. They definitely heard it though, and suggested that it’s most likely a bad strut. Struts on a RAV4 are recommended replaced between 60-100k miles; Reva has 193k miles and they’ve never been done despite years of washboard dirt roads in Arizona and Montana and now a few years of the absolute shit roads in eastern Massachusetts. So, this sounds entirely plausible to me. However, there are none of the symptoms I read about online for bad struts - no front bottoming at a hard stop, no swaying, no difficulty steering now the rack is new, no nothing - just the noise going over bumps.

I’m waiting on the estimate - he ballparked @ $500 for parts, but wanted to research the parts for me and get back with a detailed one. My questions are: is it possible to have a bad strut and not be able to visualize this on the lift? (I thought maybe it’s the top part of the strut has come loose and is knocking/rattling). Should I get a second diagnosis? This shop seems trustworthy to me, they did good work my first time and everything seemed fairly priced based on my research, but :shrug Is there an aftermarket brand of strut assembly that folks recommend? I followed advice from here on the shocks and am very happy with those. Or should I spring for discount OEM, since the Toyota assemblies lasted 20 years maybe it‘s worth the extra bucks to go OEM? Finally, is there anything else anyone can think of that I should have checked that might cause such an intermittent rattle/clunk underneath when driving (this is maybe a stretch because it does seem to be coming from the wheels area, passenger side front is where it seems loudest.)

Thanks. Again, I love Reva and she is STILL cheaper than new and should have another 50-100k in the engine so I’m okay with replacing parts that have lived well past their intended engineered lifespan.
I recall it's front struts only-rear is regular shocks.

Step one-test the ones you have. Bounce one front corner of the vehicle, get it going pretty good, and let go. If it doesn't stop after one bounce, your struts are worn out. Repeat on other side. (This poster accepts no responsibility if doing this makes you think you look ridiculous.) :shrug If they're bad, skip the next steps.

Step two-Open the hood and look carefully at the top of the strut towers. (Top of the struts-should be pretty obvious where I mean.) Look for...basically, anything that doesn't look right. Rotted metal, streaks of rust, cracks, missing hardware, etc. If you find something...well, depends on what you find.

Step three-grab a good light and do the same in the wheelhouses, from below, if accessible. Again, looking for rust, cracks, missing hardware, oil leakage (if you fine that, they're done)-also, check for broken springs.

Step four-check for a loose exhaust pipe hanger. Having had one that sounded JUST LIKE a front-end rattle, you'd be amazed how far the noise can travel! :arg

If you need them, "quick struts" (strut and spring, ready to install) are usually easier (and less labor) than just struts. FWIW, a pair of Monroe quick-struts is ~$250, or about $170 for Ultra-Power (pretty sure those are private-label Gabriel). (I do not recommend FCS at all, their quality control is mediocre at best.)

Edit-depending on labor rates, you're probably better off with buying struts-and mounts, if needed-separately. Two KYB struts (same as rear shocks, top quality) are $100, two TRW struts (not bad) are $102.

Replacement mounts have the horribly-expensive cost of...about thirteen bucks each. (20 years old and exposed to salt, I'd figure on needing mounts and hardware.)

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datsunaholic
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by datsunaholic »

I'll second jaraxle on the exhaust being a possible cause of the noise- my pathfinder sounds like the rear end is falling off when I accelerate or take left turns... it's the tailpipe rubbing on the rear axle housing (it came loose at the pipe clamp on the back of the muffler). Didn't have the normal rattlemail of a looseries exhaust at all.
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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

I had asked the guy at the suspension shop if it was possibly something on the muffler but he looked at me like I had two heads. Anyway, after ignoring me for more than two weeks he just emailed to tell me he’s going to have an estimate for me by the end of the day on the struts.

I think I’m going to take it to my regular guy for a look before I do anything, see if he can see anything while it’s on the lift - bonus is that he usually shows me what’s what when he finds it.

I couldn’t get the front end to bounce at all - and I’m not a wimp or lightweight (sadly). The only symptom is the sound.
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RayThom
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EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by RayThom »

BoSoxGal wrote:I had asked the guy at the suspension shop if it was possibly something on the muffler but he looked at me like I had two heads...
Did he check the muffler bearings? So few technicians do.
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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

RayThom wrote:
BoSoxGal wrote:I had asked the guy at the suspension shop if it was possibly something on the muffler but he looked at me like I had two heads...
Did he check the muffler bearings? So few technicians do.
Har har hardy har!


I had a great driver’s education teacher in high school (love you Mr. Adler!) who taught us a fair amount about engines not just how to operate a vehicle - that’s why I’ve managed to avoid being taken advantage of by mechanics many times when they tried, I knew when things sounded hinky and to get a second opinion. So I don’t fall for jokes involving bearings for systems that don’t spin. :nana
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RayThom
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EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by RayThom »

But wait -- there's more...

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

:lol: :ok



eta: I’m pretty sure this guy is one of the guys whose videos I watched way back when I was replacing EGR components at the start of this thread.
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Bicycle Bill
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Well, I just replaced the front corner markers on my '99 Corolla (got 'em from J.C. Whitney; both sides for less than $30 including shipping), and I find out that I don't need to put blinker fluid in them any more.

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So I got about a pint left over; anybody want it?
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ex-khobar Andy
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Wow I didn't know blinker fluid was something you could do yourself. I usually let the guys at the shop do it, and whenever I go to those 'oil-change-while-you-wait' places they recommend it. Often though you can just bang on the blinker fluid receptacle with a wrench a few times and it dislodges the air bubbles which gives it another couple of thousand miles. Of course blinker fluid is subsidized by the EU which is why you find, if you drive in Europe much, the drivers there seem to be more profligate with their use of blinkers. So European blinker fluid is much cheaper than the US version and I understand that Trump is going to take that up with WTO or else we will see some new tariffs. That's why I tend to replace it every 5000 miles while many US users can get 10K or even more out of one charge.

Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

BoSoxGal wrote:I had asked the guy at the suspension shop if it was possibly something on the muffler but he looked at me like I had two heads. Anyway, after ignoring me for more than two weeks he just emailed to tell me he’s going to have an estimate for me by the end of the day on the struts.

I think I’m going to take it to my regular guy for a look before I do anything, see if he can see anything while it’s on the lift - bonus is that he usually shows me what’s what when he finds it.
Good idea. The other guy sounds...I don't know, sketchy.
I couldn’t get the front end to bounce at all - and I’m not a wimp or lightweight (sadly). The only symptom is the sound.
Hmm, odd. Visual aid:


That even looks like a RAV4...

Well, plan b: on a smooth road, get up to 25-30MPH and nail the brakes-full-force panic stop. If the front bounces after you stop...you probably need struts.

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BoSoxGal
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by BoSoxGal »

So if it’s difficult to bounce doesn’t that serve as a likely indicator of intact struts? I have tried the braking test a few times and there is no noticeable bottoming or bouncing. This is why I’m flummoxed.

I got the estimate today: $1100, $315/assembly + labor and shop materials. I’ve asked him to let me know what brand of quick struts he’s planning to order and haven’t heard back yet, but in my own research I’ve been disappointed to find there is no KYB quick strut for my vehicle, and I can no longer order Toyota original unless I want to reuse the 20 year old springs because springs for my car have been discontinued. The shop also indicated they prefer to install quick strut assemblies to avoid the potential danger involved in compressing springs.

So I’m really hoping when I take it to my usual guy, or the muffler shop down the road that my cousin recommended (not a corporate place) they’ll find it’s a loose muffler attachment or something else hopefully minor.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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Jarlaxle
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Re: EGR Vacuum Modulator

Post by Jarlaxle »

Take it to your guy...$1100 is obscene! Not sure where the hell they get their numbers, but that's $470 labor, which is a lot even in pricey Massachusetts. (In perspective, a DEALER quoted me less than that for struts on my Vic.)

I would reuse the springs. Honestly...I trust 20 year-old factory springs more than most replacements.

But yes, difficult to bounce DOES sound like the struts are fine!

Please check your PM's, BSG.

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