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So my SES light is on, due to the EGR, and has been on for a couple weeks. I got it scanned the day it came on, and it threw the EGR code. A few days later I had the light blink at me as the car was idling F'ed up, and then it calmed down, and the light stopped blinking, and just stayed on steady. I got it scanned again that day, and it didn't come up with the EGR code, but did have misfires, and also the evaporative purge canister code was thrown.
I want to clear the codes and see if the light will go off, now that I know why the light is on. How long do I have to disconnect the battery for?
I need a quick reply if possible please.
Thanks.

10min. If you didn't fix anything I don't really see the point.

Thanks MPB. I just wanna do it cause the EGR code was not thrown the last time it was scanned, and that was the reason it was on to begin with. Gonna do it and see what happens. I'll update a little later.

Ok, sounds good.

Will I have to do the idle relearn after I do this?

Really I have never had to do that after leaving the battery unhooked for longer than that. Hell it took me days to do an lower intake gasket/3400 intake swap and it started right up.

Well that didn't work, it was worth a try. I'm pretty sure the spark plugs are causing the misfires, as I think the mechanic we had replace them and the wires, used a lower grade of plugs. It calls for double platinums, and he must not have used the right ones. The wires are good. Denso brand, and are less than a year old. So I'll be replacing plugs soon, to hopefully clear up the misfires. Any idea what this evaporative purge canister code could be caused by? The guy at autozone who scanned it said it could be the gas cap, which is good, or a vac hose leaking somewhere. Any advice would be helpful, as I don't even know what to look for as far as the vac hoses go.

The misfire is not from your plugs because they're not "double platinum"........
Your evap canister and EGR are causing your woes. The ECM is giving you a direct solution. Check your EVAP vacuum lines and EVAP Solenoid (vacuum lines lead to it) and pull your EGR and clean it. Report back after.

To clear your codes the "old skool" way pull your negative battery cable for 10-15 minutes reconnect and restart. No, you should not have to do an idle relearn.....

Where is the evap canister, and what does it look like? A picture of an engine with it on it, or whatever, is really what I'm looking for. A general description of it's location would help though I guess. I've been searching for images of this thing online and I'm not finding anything. I found that the solenoid is on the back of the engine, under the coil packs, correct? If so, that is kind of hard to even see, so how am I supposed to inspect the lines that lead to it?
Frustrated!

BUMP
Anybody have any info on the above questions?

The canistor is under the coolant overflow tank. Not too much can go wrong with it. Still there are a few things that don't happen much. I wouldn't think to much about that just yet.
Yes the purge valve is behind the coils. Connected to the coil bracket. It has a little green cap on it.
There should be a white sticker under the hood that will show you where the lines are(it will also show the TB, PVC lines, etc). It is called the Catalyst. Yours could have fallen off. If so it can be looked up online.

Hey sorry for hijacking this thread, but I have a vaccum line that is not hooked up that runs to under the coolant tank, evap canister right? does it really effect anything not being hooked up? I do randomly get a SES out of the blue at times that just comes and goes as it likes.

Is there anything thats not hooked up when you buy a new car? Follow the lines and find a vac diagram for your year, I'm guessing your SES light is also either for EGR or Evap System, but with only saying the light comes on and off and not checking for stored codes then we can't tell you much.

I hooked it up after posting that..it was the evap canister vaccum hose. I just didn't know if it did much because it couldn't feel any vaccum when putting my finger over the end of it. I'll check for codes tomorrow I just haven't had the time, and trying to count the flashes is kinda a pita.

I just didn't know if the car's computer was smart enough to pick up stuff like that being a 89' and all. And if the evap canister did much on this car.

2.2H8TA wrote:Where is the evap canister, and what does it look like? A picture of an engine with it on it, or whatever, is really what I'm looking for. A general description of it's location would help though I guess. I've been searching for images of this thing online and I'm not finding anything. I found that the solenoid is on the back of the engine, under the coil packs, correct? If so, that is kind of hard to even see, so how am I supposed to inspect the lines that lead to it?
Frustrated!

I don't know if its the same on a 96, should be. But on mine the evap canister is under the coolant overflow tank.

Edit: Whoops, didn't see that MPB answered that already.