camry check engine light P1130, P1135

I have a 2000 Camry LE, and the check engine light came on.
I checked the codes at Autozones, and the codes were P1130, P1135, which were air fuel ratio sensor range performance, and air fuel ratio sensor heater.

I went to meineke and paid $89 to do a computer diagnostics, and they said I need to replace
1. VSV valve $150
2. O2 sensor $250
3. Air fuel ratio sensor $250

Total of about 800 bucks.

I came home without getting it fixed, and checked the web, and found that O2 sensor and air fuel ratio sensor are the same thing.

Am I being ripped off? or is there actually a O2 sensor and an air/fuel ratio sensor?
And why do I need to change the VSV valve?
I had it changed about a year ago, at a Toyota dealer.
The meine guy says there are three VSV valves, and this one is one before the canister. I don't know what canister is, but does this make sense?

I assume the codes are referring to a heated oxygen sensor which would be one sensor. It is complaining that it doesn't seem to be able to control the fuel/air mixture properly and suspects the oxygen sensor is out of range. Check a Haynes manual or online manuals to see what and how many O2 sensors your vehicle has. I would try replacing the O2 sensor first and see if the code re-appears. Check the connections to the O2 sensor(s) anyway to make sure nothing has come loose.

As for the VSV, he is referring to the vacuum switching valve that's part of the EVAP system. (P1135 code I guess). Try to clear the codes since you say you had it replaced and see if it comes back. The VSV I hear on the later camrys is integral with the charcoal canister near the gas tank and are not replaceable on their own (ie $$$) This code can sometimes be caused by a loose or faulty gas cap also.

dave mc

Welcome to the AF!

You have two sensors, an A/F ratio sensor in front of the catalytic converter and an HO2 sensor after the cat converter.

The A/F ratio sensor and the HO2 sensor are not the same thing. The A/F ratio sensor is what controls the fuel/air mixture when your engine is hot. The HO2 sensor basically detects problems with your catalytic converter and exhaust system in front of the cat converter.

Read this article from the FAQ thread for more information:
http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/h37.pdf

Replace your A/F ratio sensor. To do this properly, bring your VIN to a Toyota dealer and make sure you get the right part number, no matter if you buy it from them or not. As you found out, it is easy to get the wrong sensor.

Normally, a loose gas cap will give a P0440 DTC.
A VSV for EVAP malfunction will normally give a P0441 or P0446 DTC.

See the following post in the FAQ thread.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=3203705&postcount=21

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/rogersb/P0440_Diagram.jpg


http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/rogersb/P0441_and_P0446_Diagram.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/rogersb/P0441_and_P0446.jpg

Thanks a lot. Now I'm ready to fight with those guys. :)

vsv doesn't necessarily mean evap vsv. vsv is just a generic acronym for vacuum switching valve. it could be an egr vsv, or whatever. I don't really know how it applies to P1130 and P1135. The codes both suggest a bad A/F ratio sensor and there's no vsv for that. I would just replace the A/F ratio sensor (and yeah, it's different from an 02 sensor). I wouldn't even go back to meineke at all unless you think you can get your money back for the diagnosis.

The VSV for EVAP is the one Meineke was referring to. That's why it was discussed in my post.

Okay. I went back to the Meineke with all the information that you guys helped me with, (esp. Brian, thanks a lot.) and it turns out he was trying to rip me off, even if he does not admit.

First, I asked him why I have to replace the both A/F sensor and the Oxygen sensor. He said that P1130 is for the A/F sensor and P1135 is for the oxygen sensor. Since I knew that the two codes refer to the same sensor, except that P1135 refers to the heater element on the sensor, and the P1130 is for the sensor range/peformance, I asked him again. He even printed out the definition of the codes from alldata.com, saying he just looks at them and follows the steps that's suggested in the manual.

Both manuals points to the A/F sensor, and does not even mention anything about the oxygen sensor nor the EVAP system. (he told me to change the VSV valve for the EVAP system.) It does mention checking the EGR valve system. But like I said, I had the VSV valve for the EGR system changed about a year ago from the Toyota dealer. (Maybe that's why he switched to EVAP VSV valve after I told him I already changed that.)

He kept on arguing that the P1135 points to the oxygen sensor. I even pointed out that the both manuals show a graph of operation, from 2.4 V to 4 V. Oxygen sensors operate from 0 to 1 V.

If he had said that even the codes just point to the A/F sensor, he checked the voltage levels of the Oxygen sensor and it showed no change, which means they are dead, maybe I would have believed him and went ahead with changing the whole package. But he's lies were not good enough.

He said that the VSV valve for EVAP system is not working, which caused the A/F sensor and the oxygen sensor to die.
This argument does not make any sense to me. If the oxygen sensor was not working, I should see a code saying that it's not working. and if VSV valve for EVAP system is the problem, I should see a code that points to somewhere in the EVAP system. Right?

I'm 99% sure that he is lying to me, but I have to change the A/F sensor and see if it solves the problem or not.

I tried to get the diagnosis fee back, with no avail. (Diagnosis to rip me off, basically) I already had the code, I already knew what they meant, I just went to Meineke to have them replaced, but they tried to rip me off. I couldn't fight back at first, since I didn't know that much.

I bought the part from the dealer directly, since the price was not that much different from the web. I tried to change it myself, but it was not easy to access. I need a special tool for this. I'll just go to a independent repair shop and give them the labor fee to have it replaced.

Anyways, hope this thread helps other people who has a check engine light on.

I think check engine light is something that the repair shops can easily rip off the customers with, since it looks like that something is very dangerously wrong, and unless you have the knowledge, you can't argue back. They say, that oh, the code doesn't pinpoint to the problem, and give you a whole list of things to be changed. Yes, it is true that the code does not pinpoint to a problem, but it at least tells you where to look for a problem.

Next time I see a check engine light, I'll just go to the autozone, check the code, and search or upload the code to this site. If it's something easy, like O2 sensor or A/F sensor, I'll just change that, instead of asking to do the diagnosis and pay them like $100.

Anyways, thanks again, Brian. God bless you.

KJ

You're welcome

In the future, Autozone, Advance Auto, and the other major parts stores will read your codes for free.

I had the air fuel ratio sensor replaced from an independent mechanic. He didn't reset the code. I asked him if I should just detach and reattach the battery, but he said I should not do that. He said the code will reset itself eventually. I haven't driven that much after that, but if it doesn't reset, should I reset by detaching battery? or is this not a good thing to do?
Thanks.

Your radio may have an anti-theft feature that locks it up if the power is removed. You would need a code to restart the radio. If you have it, I don't see a problem with removing the battery terminal.

You should have a fuse in the under-hood fuse box that is labeled EFI. Pull that fuse for 5-10 seconds and that should reset your ECM. This, however, makes the ECM forget your driving history and it will take a little time to relearn your driving pattern. Not a big deal. The best way is to reset the codes with a code reader. Then, the only thing affected is erasing the stored codes.