How To Clean An Auris T180 / Sr180 Egr Valve, This Could Be A Good Ide

[Aamir2892]

Does anyone know if you can use diesel fuel to rinse and clean the EGR valve?

[acetip]

a lot of ford & bmw owners blank off the ege. it does not effect mot tests.

as the egr problem effects all engines there replacement todo away with it.and people are making a nice little business providing them.

some garages are fitting new ones instead cleanig the old ones. playing on customers ignorence.

google egr replacement to see whats available.

[Cablechap]

Carried out the EGR cleaning yesterday. I did snap a few photos but no point uploading them as they look the same as everyone elses. Took over an hour but well worth it. Cleaned as much of the dry soot out first then used carb cleaner after - very messy. I didn't use a vacuum cleaner but found a combination of a cloth, small screwdriver, slim paint brush and a small teaspoon to shovel it out worked the best for me. I would say that it seems smoother in the lower gears now with less flat spots. Looking forward to hopefully better fuel economy. Good idea to share the info originally, thanks.

[boozehound]

The thing is gents and ladies is this. This engine produces 177hp and 400nm of torque which in the olden days is V6 and even V8 petrol territory. Now, after speaking to an engineer friend of mine who works for BAE systems in Preston he says that 10-15 years ago, a petrol engine which would produce roughly the same power as as the t180/sr180 engine you would be lucky to get 25mpg. Less if it was an automatic transmission and even less when the engine is cold. Now, we are getting between 35-45mpg for the same power. I think what we really need to think about is that more power means more fuel and even those japanese boffins in toyota cant reverse this rule. We should be thankful that we can get at least 35mpg and 160g/km of co2. We shouldnt really moan. If you look at my fuelly figures (boozehound on fuelly) you will see that i get roughly 33mpg because i do mainly suburban driving. Im sure those of you who use A roads and Mways will obv be getting higher mpg figures. The engine as far as im concerned is a peach....for a diesel. Yes it sounds like crap when you accelerate hard and yes it takes forever to warm up but it is what it is. I think we also need to stop comparing this engine to the petrol equivalents. I know a few comments have been made previously about responciveness in renaut clio sports' vectras (which are awful) etc etc. If you dont like the mpg you are getting then clearly this car is not for you and you might want to downgrade engine sizes next time you come to renew your motor. For me i wont be keeping the auris. Its done 10,556 miles so far and when it goes back in july it will be 3 years old. It is the best car i have had up to now despite its small niggles. I know that if i get a Hilux 3.0 auto my mpg is going to be alot worse than the auris' but i will have a big juicy undestroyable pick up so i can keep range rover drivers in line on the roads. If i get a skoda octavia vrs auto then i also know i will get less mpg but i will have something which is faster than the auris and will arguably be more fun to drive. Just be happy with your power from the 180 and enjoy it and try not to think too much about mpg.

[Rick D4D]

The thing is gents and ladies is this. This engine produces 177hp and 400nm of torque which in the olden days is V6 and even V8 petrol territory. Now, after speaking to an engineer friend of mine who works for BAE systems in Preston he says that 10-15 years ago, a petrol engine which would produce roughly the same power as as the t180/sr180 engine you would be lucky to get 25mpg. Less if it was an automatic transmission and even less when the engine is cold. Now, we are getting between 35-45mpg for the same power. I think what we really need to think about is that more power means more fuel and even those japanese boffins in toyota cant reverse this rule. We should be thankful that we can get at least 35mpg and 160g/km of co2. We shouldnt really moan. If you look at my fuelly figures (boozehound on fuelly) you will see that i get roughly 33mpg because i do mainly suburban driving. Im sure those of you who use A roads and Mways will obv be getting higher mpg figures. The engine as far as im concerned is a peach....for a diesel. Yes it sounds like crap when you accelerate hard and yes it takes forever to warm up but it is what it is. I think we also need to stop comparing this engine to the petrol equivalents. I know a few comments have been made previously about responciveness in renaut clio sports' vectras (which are awful) etc etc. If you dont like the mpg you are getting then clearly this car is not for you and you might want to downgrade engine sizes next time you come to renew your motor. For me i wont be keeping the auris. Its done 10,556 miles so far and when it goes back in july it will be 3 years old. It is the best car i have had up to now despite its small niggles. I know that if i get a Hilux 3.0 auto my mpg is going to be alot worse than the auris' but i will have a big juicy undestroyable pick up so i can keep range rover drivers in line on the roads. If i get a skoda octavia vrs auto then i also know i will get less mpg but i will have something which is faster than the auris and will arguably be more fun to drive. Just be happy with your power from the 180 and enjoy it and try not to think too much about mpg.

A little of topic but very well said ;)

[daiashthomas]

cleaned mine out just now didn't have anything to clean it with though......

just scraped it out with screwdriver and cloth and hoovered it out for now gonna clean it out properly on tuesday when i'm over my mates garage.... gonna make a point of cleaning it every 5-6k miles

only whipped it outta the car to see how quick and easy it was to do

[andytran]

cleaned mine out just now didn't have anything to clean it with though......

just scraped it out with screwdriver and cloth and hoovered it out for now gonna clean it out properly on tuesday when i'm over my mates garage.... gonna make a point of cleaning it every 5-6k miles

only whipped it outta the car to see how quick and easy it was to do

I did mine yesterday.

Cant say Ive noticed any difference in mpg as Ive only had the car for 5 days!

However, I have noticed a difference in smoothness. The car is slightly quieter on tickover and under acceleration.

Everybody should do this job. Takes 1/2 an hour and is very very simple.

Oh, by the way - I too didnt have any carb cleaner, so I used brake cleaner, a screw driver and a small spoon to shovel

the crap away- it was filthy! Didnt dare use the hoover. I think er indoors is more attached to the Dyson than she is me!

One more thing - theres mention about cleaning the mass air sensor and also blowing through the dpf lines.

Anybody got more info/pics on doing this?

Cheers

Andy

[New2Toyota2009]

this thread and a couple of other threads relating to the egr valve have given me a bit of confidence to tackle mine tomorrow. its actually 1155pm but im itching to get out there now.

my local toyota dealer quoted £400 to remove and fit a new one so hopefully this will not be required.

thanks all for the info.

des

[Rick D4D]

this thread and a couple of other threads relating to the egr valve have given me a bit of confidence to tackle mine tomorrow. its actually 1155pm but im itching to get out there now.

my local toyota dealer quoted £400 to remove and fit a new one so hopefully this will not be required.

thanks all for the info.

des

This was exactly why I went to the trouble to make this guide, I will assure you this is very easy to do providing you have the correct tools etc

[bobbo7070]

a lot of ford & bmw owners blank off the ege. it does not effect mot tests.

as the egr problem effects all engines there replacement todo away with it.and people are making a nice little business providing them.

some garages are fitting new ones instead cleanig the old ones. playing on customers ignorence.

google egr replacement to see whats available.

Exactly how do you blank off the egr valve?

Does it involve removing the Massey-Ferguson sounding Solenoid?

I'm sick to death of the tractor emulator Mr T decided to fit to my car, and I'll try anything that may get rid of the noise...

[Myko]

WoW thank you for taking the time on doing this post, i'm no car expert, far from it BUT it looks really simple and easy to do with what i'd expect great results. I have booked marked this page and once i'm off i'll give it a blast!

Many thanks

Mike

[Rick D4D]

UPDATE

Ok it has been nearly 5 months and around 4k since I did this do this morning I thought I would check the EGR valve. To be honest the manifold was very very clean maybe a small less than 1mm coating of carbon and the EGR valve had a little more, I did clean this again while it was removed but in my opinion looking at what I seen today I would recommend cleaning this around every 12months or 10k.

[caveman_si]

UPDATE

Ok it has been nearly 5 months and around 4k since I did this do this morning I thought I would check the EGR valve. To be honest the manifold was very very clean maybe a small less than 1mm coating of carbon and the EGR valve had a little more, I did clean this again while it was removed but in my opinion looking at what I seen today I would recommend cleaning this around every 12months or 10k.

Snap i looked at mine 2 weeks ago after about 4k since I last looked. 3k of what id call urban driving and 1k upto scotland and back on the motor ways. Mine had a bit more then yours maybe 1.5-2mm of soot. But I put that down to my increasing amount of urban driving and not having much time on the motor way to get it hot and give it a good italian tune to get it cleaned.

SO as you say every 10k or 12months would be reasonable for a clean. But if you do nothing but town driving then Possibly look at cleaning at any point in the 6-10k miles range.

[kawi kid]

time on the motor way to get it hot and give it a good italian tune to get it cleaned.

That got me chuckling.....

Anyway, done mine on Friday and it was full of soot. Half hour later and job jobbed. Car is a lot quieter now, not sure on economy though untill the wife uses it on Monday onwards for work.

Anyone have any more details on the dpf pipes and beter pictures of its location ?

[didoo]

UPDATE

Ok it has been nearly 5 months and around 4k since I did this do this morning I thought I would check the EGR valve. To be honest the manifold was very very clean maybe a small less than 1mm coating of carbon and the EGR valve had a little more, I did clean this again while it was removed but in my opinion looking at what I seen today I would recommend cleaning this around every 12months or 10k.

Hi Rick

Thanks a lot for this post.I've checked and cleaning my EGR valve yesterday and now it's a lit bit smoother than before => like this WOOOOOOOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with you for cleaning every 10k.

BB

[DigiMan]

Well... I did clean my EGR valve, the manifold and the tube.

This is how it looked like after 59852km's, approximately 37000 miles.

The latest 20000kms on Preem ACP diesel, ACP Active Cleaning Power that has some additives to keep the engine cleaner and run more efficient.

[DigiMan]

Had five minutes this afternoon so went under the bonnet with a camera and a torch.

And from Jukkeli's description and having a good look, the square plastic bit as far as i can see is connected via plastic then metal pipes to the dpf, one pipe to the middle ish and one the bottom ish.

So might be worth, having a blow down to see if it makes a difference?

Is that some differentialpressuresensor over the DPF to measure how clogged it is?

[Harmire]

Thank you for this excellent posting.

My 2.0 litre Auris was only 3 weeks out of 3-year warranty when it developed the standard symptoms described elsewhere. Its layout is just as described for the T180 and the instructions apply as given. This was a straightforward and simple job - it took me well under an hour and would be a lot quicker second time round.

The EGR valve manifold was very blocked but it was fairly easy to clean. This seems to have cured the problem.

Thanks again.

[tristan78]

the main cause of the egr blocking is the toyota oil burning issue these 2ad engines have had since they were introduced. you can clean out the valve all you like but it will block again. you need to use low ash oil at your next oil change this will help alot.

[Paul99]

Hi,

Might be being thick here, but do you remove the EGR valve (orange rectangle) from the flange indicated by the yellow arrow by removing the two bolts indicated by orange arrows? In the second pic, what is the springy part?

Thanks

Paul

[andytran]

Hi,

Might be being thick here, but do you remove the EGR valve (orange rectangle) from the flange indicated by the yellow arrow by removing the two bolts indicated by orange arrows? In the second pic, what is the springy part?

Thanks

Paul

No, you remove the four nuts/bolts to the left of your pic - this lifts the EGR housing off the manifold, allowing you to clean both. The long metal pipe comes off and will also need unbolting at its other end where it mounts to the engine (2 bolts).

The springy thing is the end of the egr valve that is depressed by the solenoid. - You do not need to seperate the egr valve from its solenoid. If you undo the 2 nuts / 2 bolts indicated, you can clean the valve very easily.

andy

[nitrochicken]

Sorry to bring this old thread back up but I have a quick query about the use of carb cleaner.

Is it possible for it to do any damage to the engine?

I cleaned my egr valve out last week using mostly a small screwdriver making sure I vaccumed up any dislodged crud as I went along.

The most badly affected areas were the two side holes in the manifold. I cleaned these using a piece of wire but it felt like the crud went down a fair way, possibly a couple of inches.

I'm not convinced they are completely clear so I was wondering about spraying carb cleaner down to dissolve it away?

I just don't like the thought of the carb cleaner spray getting into the engine/exhaust system and doing any damage, especially when people say they had problems starting straight after and then white smoke from the exhaust.

Thanks

Dale

[Kingsmarionville]

Hi great pics and instructions. I also took my egr valve out and cleaned it. It was well blocked! one question anyone? on looking at the spindle part of valve it has two seats but it does not sit down on them there appears to be about 2-3mm gaps.

Can push it out further on spring but it just goes back to same gap.

Is this right??

[Axeman1977]

Hi,

My wife had the engine lights come on last friday, problem pointed towards throttle blah, but essentially told the manual said go to your Toyota dealer. Well not wanting to pay him a fortune for a simple solution, I looked through the forums and found this topic which I had been only looking at a wek or too earlier to see if there was anything I could do to improve my Avensis' fuel economy.

So after looking I went and cleared out the EGR, my oh my was it full, didn't have any carb cleaner handy but did the main clear with a brush and screwdriver. Well it has done the trick but I am still getting some flatspots around 1800rpm together with a bootful of smoke before the power kicks in at 2000-2200 and the smoke goes.

Do I need to give the valve a more thorough clean?

Should I reset the ECU and let it learn from scratch?

Will the smoke disappear over time, over the next couple of tanks?

[Rick D4D]

Hi,

My wife had the engine lights come on last friday, problem pointed towards throttle blah, but essentially told the manual said go to your Toyota dealer. Well not wanting to pay him a fortune for a simple solution, I looked through the forums and found this topic which I had been only looking at a wek or too earlier to see if there was anything I could do to improve my Avensis' fuel economy.

So after looking I went and cleared out the EGR, my oh my was it full, didn't have any carb cleaner handy but did the main clear with a brush and screwdriver. Well it has done the trick but I am still getting some flatspots around 1800rpm together with a bootful of smoke before the power kicks in at 2000-2200 and the smoke goes.

Do I need to give the valve a more thorough clean?

Should I reset the ECU and let it learn from scratch?

Will the smoke disappear over time, over the next couple of tanks?

1. Do I need to give the valve a more thorough clean?

2. Should I reset the ECU and let it learn from scratch?

I would no harm in doing this but maybe try number 3 answer 1st

3. Will the smoke disappear over time, over the next couple of tanks?

I would take your car on a run and try and give it a good thrash / clear out then sit on a motorway at about 2000 rpm for around 15minutes to simulate a burn in the DPF, all being well it will sort it out but failing that use some carb cleaner as this will help loosen the soot in the manifold which will then be burnt of by the DPF. I would suspect the smoke is caused by soot dislodging in the manifold and now being burnt in the DPF so a could thrash might sort this out.