check engine light= another 500 bucks?

[superdave]

I've been tinkering on cars and trucks for about 40 years now, started as a kid with my father. When the cars became computerized, I shied away from doing a lot of the stuff because I was intimidated and I just left it to people "that knew what they were doing". As time passed, I realized that most of the people "that knew what they were doing" really didn't. With the internet available, I can complete most jobs myself. It saves a lot of money and I know that it's done correctly. I do have a mechanic that I trust when I get something that I can't handle, but previous experiences have made me realize that I can do as well or better than 75% of them (with the help of a scanner and the internet).

I just bought my 97 Silverado about three weeks ago. The first week, the SES light came on. Whipped out the scanner and saw that it was a sticking EGR valve pintle. Pulled it off, cleaned it, and reinstalled. Cleared the code and I was good to go and all it cost was a new gasket. That simple 20 minute repair would have paid for the cost of the cheap scanner.

 

[slitterman]

had another guy look at truck yesterday. told me i dont need fpr.....
looked over the truck and told me that the mass air flow sensor was put in backwards at some point. maybe when they put in the k&n filter??
hope this works and fixes the problem so i can get thru inspection.
would i notice any differnce in the ride if maf was backwards??

 

[TylerZ281500]

overall it may run better. ride quality is suspension for the most part