Secondary air injection switching valve.......?

Looking for a little technical knowledge here. Heading to work on Wednesday, the check engine and traction control off lights came on in my '12 V6. I took it to the vehicle maintenance shop on base and they read off 2 codes to me, P2440 & P2442, which is secondary air injection switching valve stuck bank 1 and 2. In doing some research, I discovered that this is a emissions deal that mixes fresh air with exhaust air to save the planet. I had them reset the code to see if it would reoccur, which happened this morning on the way to work. This limited my speed to around 20-30 mph. So, I take it to one of the local dealers and they read it for me and tell me it is reading bank 1 only now and quoted me $739 + tax to replace both valves. Seems you have to buy both from the dealer. I explained the difference between the 2 different days and asked why it would throw both banks and then only 1. They had no idea. I asked if it was possible that there was a ECU issue to which they responded no. They stated that I could possibly clean the valve, butterfly style valve he said, and try that first.

So, has anyone ever tried this? Anything to try or not try? I hate to spend that type of cash if it's something I can fix at home. Any help is appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

how many miles.

You could make a good case that is covered under at least the 60k powertrain or 80k federal emissions warranty.

 

45k. I talked at the dealership until I was blue in the face. I even called Toyota HQ and they said what the dealer says goes, in so many words. I'm not done yet but I'm willing to try cleaning it. If that doesn't fix it, I'll call back and raise hell.

 

I think that the Tundra is having the same issues on their engine. I also think they are covering it under warranty...

 

Check this:

http://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/toyota-warranties-air-injection-pump/

Warranty work. I would ask why they are covering the Tundra and not the Tacoma for the same problem.

 

Both very good questions. I chose not to be hand cuffed by this issue and just did the AIP delete mod for my Tundra. I wish I knew if the Tacoma had the same style controls on their trucks. For about $35 bucks and a couple hours, I will never have this problem.

 

Correct. 10year/ 150k miles

They stated that this problem isn't as prevalent in the Tacoma's so they aren't doing anything about it yet. Just another on the list of the issues they don't cover.

 

I looked into this. When you have an emissions inspection, does your tundra pass without the air injection system functioning properly?

 

Prevalent or not it should be covered by either the Power Train or Emissions Warranty.

 

I honestly don't know. My state has no testing. With that said, I don't know why it would fail. The AIP system is only used during cold start ups. No one takes their car to get smog tested cold. You have to drive there.

The only thing it could fail the test would be the visual. There are 2 wires that go into the fuse box under the hood. If the tech asked what they are, I would just say it is my DIY engine immobilizer.

 

Ok so this isn't uncommon of the Secondary Air Injection system on Toyota's & Lexus. Most of the time those switching valves get stuck open or closed due to debris from the Air Injection pump. Either the fan blades themselves come apart or the filter screen in front of them does. So if you replace just the switching valves you may not actually fix the real issue. Sure bet would be to replace both switching valves and the air injection pump. Also remove the air lines and blows any debris out.

 

I agree with you but unfortunately, so far, Toyota doesn't.

 

Forgot that is only used during cold start up. Maybe this is an option. Where did you find your part or was it homemade?

 

So replace the $900 pump and the $600 valves? On a $32k truck with less than 46k miles? I won't be paying for that out of my pocket. I went to a 'higher quality' manufacturer because of issues I was having with other brands. I appreciate the insight though.

So, you don't think there's any need in trying to clean the valves themselves?

 

It's definitely expensive so I understand. Clearing out the system of the debris is worth a shot. Remove the pump and inspect whether the fan blades are coming apart or the filter was falling apart. If it was just the filter you may be able to remove what's left and blow out all of the lines & switching valves. But if the blades are we're coming apart then obviously a new pump will be needed.

Worst case scenario, take it to the dealership and kick & scream until you get them to Goodwill Warranty that. Just don't tell them you or any other shop tried to fix it already.

Hope that helps

 

Thank you. I will try to clean it first and post what I find. Thanks for the help. It is greatly appreciated.

 

739+ tax isn't actually a bad price, but it sounds like they are just trying to replace the valves. If my memory serves me right, the valves were MUCH cheaper than the pumps. I would be very surprised if the issue was only the valves though. I'm guessing the pump has come apart and something is stuck in one of the valves. The whole system does "check" itself, but it doesn't do it how you would think. I can remember the exact details, but the system uses a pressure sensor to check to make sure that it is getting pressure when it should be, depending on the logic of what valves are open, but the valves are vacuum operated (at least on the 4runner they were), so the valve could be stuck open for any number of reasons.


I would still argue with them that the warranty should cover it. With only 45k you should still be able to argue enough for a goodwill warranty, especially with them doing warranty replacements for similar systems on other vehicles. I would call Toyota customer service directly.

It is a known issue on Tundras and other Toyota's with the same type of pumps. It isn't an engine or model specific thing, it is the damn pumps. The only model specific part of the issue is that on the tundras the pumps were put in a really bad location that was apparently prone to water getting into the pumps, hence the large number of failures.

Just be glad that the pumps on the Tacoma are easy to get to. I had issues with mine on my v8 4runner, and they put the pump and valve under the intake manifold on the 4runner. My problem turned out to be a rodent issue, so not really Toyota's fault other than designing a horrible place to put some pumps. I park outside and a rat decided to make a nest under the intake manifold and chew up some wires. He also made his way into the cab and chewed up some of the carpet and floor mats. Luckily it was all covered under my insurance .... $3500 in damage later.


If you can't get them to fix it, I would do the bypass (I would do it anyways after they fix it) and just not worry about it. You still have to leave all the components in place since the ECU does check to see if they are there, regardless of whether or not they are running. You could possibly remove them by figuring out exactly what the ECU looks for in the removed components, but that is probably more work than it is worth.

 

Also, here is a thread referencing the same issue:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/secondary-air-injection-system-p2440-and-p2442.370792/

If enough people make complaints with Toyota directly, it will go the same way as the Tundra, but if we don't push back and cave into the dealerships, nothing will happen.

 

I talked to the mechanic and he said he pulled bank 1 valve out and it was staying open when it was trying to close. He did tell me he didn't see any trash in there which is why I asked him about trying to clean it up first. I read on a few other threads that these valves will stick if you get mud or whatever in there. I'm hoping it's just gunked up and a little carb cleaner will clean it up. Worth a try I will inspect the pump while I'm in there though. Thanks for the info.

 

I assure you that I won't be paying for a big repair like that. That's bs this early in the life of a truck especially a Toyota. If they get 200-300k miles, them I can expect to replace this 5-6 times at this rate. At least that's what I'll tell them.