Should I Clean The Egr...

[Cyker]

Yeah, the only reason to replace it is if it was damaged but I've yet to see anyone on here who had an actually damaged EGR; They've all just been jammed or blocked, which is something easily solved with the magical powers of carb cleaner! (Or a carb cleaner bath!)

[Big Kev]

Mind how ye go there, Cykeo........is it not dangerous t'valve to submerge it, I seem to recall? Or is that danger negated by removal of the electricalised end of the valve......?

[anchorman]

No I think it is about not soaking rubber seals but when I have cleaned them I have drowned them in the stuff. It drys almost instantly if you let it run off.

[voyager t180]

Six months ago I put up a stressed post about my engine stopping due to a dirty EGR. Mr T charged me 400+ to fit a new one.

Is there some point at which an EGR can't be cleaned and is better to replace? With all these comments about carb cleaner, I wonder if/why a new one was justified.

Thanks :)

Even given an EGR was £230 tops, Then £170 to fit it?.dear me!

To quote the big min 'royally humped'.

Unless maybe they removed and cleaned the manifold as well -;)

[crustyclam]

So are you going to clean it?

I for one would like to see a photo of carbon buildup in your EGR.

Your engine was changed around the time of mine, and I have cleaned mine 3 times, and it was worth it.

We both run premium fuel, but you do longer journeys than me.

For the sake of EGR science experiment running premium fuel after engine change.......DO IT...and post photos! Please.

[CharlieFarlie]

I will do it Lee but I'm sorting out the head unit first and then I will get some carb cleaner and do it...

[Cyker]

Mind how ye go there, Cykeo........is it not dangerous t'valve to submerge it, I seem to recall? Or is that danger negated by removal of the electricalised end of the valve......?

I hope not otherwise I'm in trouble! Although I didn't totally submerge it (That'd get quite expensive in terms of carb cleaner!)

It may be different on the RAV to my Yaris, but both the throttlebody and the EGR don't seem to have any electrical bits attached to them, just hoses, which you need to pull off to remove them..

I don't think there were even any rubber seals, just some metal gaskets!

I took out both pieces, put them in a metal bowl and blasted every hole I could see with carb cleaner, flipped them over, repeat (I tells ya it's magic; The blackboard-like walls near-instantly turn all shiny and all the carbon crud runs out and collects in the bowl!!)

Leaving them lying in the bowl gives the carb cleaner time to work in the more stubborn bits.

The first time I did it I had to use a screwdriver to scrape out the mouths of the ports as the carbon crud was especially thick there, and the throttle body port to the EGR was totally blocked and required some extra poking (Noob mistake - Do NOT use a *plastic* bottle brush! The carb cleaner will eat it!), and then resumed with the carb cleaner spraying until the insides were all nice and shiny! :D

[CharlieFarlie]

Well I decided to strip the EGR today as I had a couple of hours and I was curious to see what the score is/was.....

Unfortunately I have somehow deleted the pictures. Sorry.......

Insides were remarkably very good.. There was a light coating of sooty deposits ant the holes two each side of the square one in the middle were starting to close up just a wee bit but hardly anything at all..

I made up a suction tube to get all the stuff away....

The tube also was handy for reaching quite deep into all three holes to suck up any tiny particles that may have dropped down but to be honest the concentrated suction took it all away in an instant.. I have one of those red Henry hoovers which is used solely for the cars...

The valve its self again had hardly anything other than a bit of soot which I blew off/out with one of those tight air jets which I attach to the compressor in the garage..

All in all I was very pleased at the state of the insides given that this EGR was fitted with the first engine some 25K plus miles ago..

I always have used Vpower or BP Posh diesel and would never use anything else..

I feel sure if I had left it alone no issues or problems would have occurred...

[Cyker]

Nice!

It might have been worth checking the throttle body too; I find the EGR on mine gets coated in soot but not too badly, but the throttle body gets pretty badly sooted up to the point of blockage...

[crustyclam]

I guess the difference between my carbon build up and yours is the type of journeys you do, mine being mainly short ones (14k miles covered since my engine change), yours longer. Good result.

[CharlieFarlie]

I guess the difference between my carbon build up and yours is the type of journeys you do, mine being mainly short ones (14k miles covered since my engine change), yours longer. Good result.

Lee my long journeys are no more mate.. My journeys for the last 5K miles have all been short ones no longer than around 10 miles or so.....

The holes to the side were no more than 10% impeded and the larger one in the centre seemed completely clear..

I think the use of quality fuels has been a contributor plus every week or so if I have a run on the motorway I will hold the car in 3rd gear for a couple of miles and keep the engine up just over 4.000 RPM in the hope it will clear things out.. This something I never did when my journeys were longer.

[Mistermena]

I think there is a lot to be said for the better grade of fuels like V-Power Nitro and BP over "Normal" super market s4it! I'll be cleaning the egr on both my T-180 and 2.8L Grand Voyager XS tomorrow. I expect to get the same results as my mate Charlie did with a like velvet coating of soot on the valve and intake. Photo's posted when its all done... 😷🚘💨🙏😎

[Big Kev]

Ah'm just a wee bit worried about that device Charlie has rigged up........?

To use that age old phrase........"With friends like that, who needs enemas......."

Maybe it's an instrument of anger for anyone who fails to fit his replacement car stereo.......?

Ah made that up. Can only hope that all carbonning problems have indeed been cured..........have you seen the EGR valve in the last of the 4.3 models......? We won't be taking that aff to clean in a hurry.....

[shcm]

Maybe it's an instrument of anger for anyone who fails to fit his replacement car stereo.......?

Let's hope they've managed to fluke (and I don't mean a maker of 'lecky meters) the wiring changes then. :)

[Mistermena]

Think that one is water cooled isn't it Kev? Looks like it could be fun to get out!!! Maybe have to drain coolant to do? 🙈😷

[crustyclam]

Hmmm, strange I have always used the premium fuels, but yet plenty to clean out. Maybe my determination to get higher mpg and lower rev style driving has contributed to buildup. My revs very rarely go above 3k, unless for very short acceleration periods.

[Big Kev]

Sure it was Tech 01 Chris who said one regularly needs to pass hot gases at high pressure through the entire system to give it a good clean oot........in urra words......rip its bum in third gear every so often, Lee, and do yer EGR and DPF a wee favour.....?

[crustyclam]

Sure it was Tech 01 Chris who said one regularly needs to pass hot gases at high pressure through the entire system to give it a good clean oot........in urra words......rip its bum in third gear every so often, Lee, and do yer EGR and DPF a wee favour.....?

Ahem...bum ripping will now be adopted for longer periods. I can't think of any car that I have had that has caused me to change my driving habits so much

Long motorway journeys just above 2000rpm for dpf regen.

Every now and then maybe motorway at 2.5 - 3k rpm...just in case 2k rpm not enough for dpf regen.

Mainly Long motorway journeys at lowest poss revs for fuel economy.

Mainly slow acceleration for fuel economy.

Never accelerated hard and fast whilst engine cold, never even considered this as a factor on previous cars.

Now I have a chip fitted, faster acceleration...more fun.

Now I have a chip fitted even lower revs on normal roads, saves fuel to burn on my faster acceleration.

Chip fitted and combination of lower revs, and faster accelerations is giving slightly better milage, but so much better experience.

Previous diesel cars I drove without thinking.

[CharlieFarlie]

Old school diesels like for instance Peugeots and Fords before the advent of common rail TDCI and in the case of the Rav DCat were not burdened down with all these !Removed! filters and stuff.. You could just drive and ignore.. Thats progress.... EU law says cars have to be clean so bung on all matter of filters and catylists and let the owners pay ...........

[voyager t180]

Hmmm, strange I have always used the premium fuels, but yet plenty to clean out. Maybe my determination to get higher mpg and lower rev style driving has contributed to buildup. My revs very rarely go above 3k, unless for very short acceleration periods.

Mirrors pretty well my driving style Lee.

But I am Penny pinching northerner,life's hard in the northern wastelands -;)