Cleaning EGR

[way318]

Hi,

On and off over the past few months my car has been having poor acceleration & hesitation problems up to about 3000rpm then it goes fine. After some searchin on the net it seems to point to the EGR may need cleaning. It’s now just over 150k and as far as I know it hasn't ever been cleaned. I've used millers on every fill up since I've owned it which is coming up to 2 yrs now, which should have kept some of the carbon build up at bay.

What I would like to know is, can it be cleaned on the car or if it’s best to take it off to clean it. Also, is it also advisable to also take of the inlet manifold and give that a clean at the same time.

I apologise if this has been covered numerous times and any advice is appreciated.

P.s. Its a 1.9 TDI on a 51 plate, AWX engine.

 

[deanski]

take it off mate and do the intake manifold at the same time. the build up inside the egr will need a good soak and scrub. i used autoglym machine cleaner on my old egr valve and it worked well with a stiff brush. i have heard you can soak it in petrol overnight but dont fancy it myself.

 

[way318]

Cheers mate, I'll do that. Are they easy to get off?

Also some mentioned to me that I should also look at fitting a Oil Catch tank to catch the oil vapour and stop it going into the intake system. Has anyone done this mod and is it worth doing?

 

[paul20v]

You dont need an oil catch tank
that wont stop the oil mist in the inlet thats mainly caused by the turbo
the best thing you can do is make a plate up and block off the ERG pipe alltogether
ive done it for over 12months now
clean inlet which also means no harsh carbon deposits going down my bores and the turbo spools up a little quick too
All good

 

[BASS 666]

mate i took mine of manifold aswell and soaked it in alloy wheel cleaner for a while then scrubbed it with a wire brush and emery paper. i put it back on an kept the small hose pipe that goes onto the top of it off and blocked the pipe with a 6 mm bolt and small clamp cause that pipe opens the egr valve and lets in warm exaust gasses and all the other **** that comes with it. i bought two blank off plates and done away with the pipe that comes from the manifold and goes to the egr valve cause it isnt needed. now theres hardly any smoke out the back of my car and its a good bit sharper too. whats the point in feeding your engine warm air when the intercooler is supposed to be cooling the air down from the turbo cause thats what an egr valve does it feeds warm air into your fuel mixture defeating the purpose off your intercooler...

 

[paul20v]

what an egr valve does it feeds warm air into your fuel mixture defeating the purpose off your intercooler...

Yes but the main point of EGR is exhaust gas recirculation
which is soot / and worse carbon deposits
the egr being blocked gives a quicker spool up because all of the exhaust gas goes through the turbo and doesnt get wasted in the egr system
from idle

 

[BASS 666]

an egr valve is a waste of time and i would take it out if it wasnt for the butterfly flap inside. it stops the engine vibrating and shuttering when you turn it off.

 

[paul20v]

an egr valve is a waste of time and i would take it out if it wasnt for the butterfly flap inside. it stops the engine vibrating and shuttering when you turn it off.

I totally agree
the plate on the exhaust side works a treat
but yes the flap on the inlet needs to stay .

 

[simon.m]

any of you guys near thanet i need all mine cleand plus the all the bits to do with the n75 valve as i put a new one on it and it still gose to limp mode some times ;-(

 

[BASS 666]

your car going into limp mode can be a number of things. i worked at a caddy van for 3 days cause it was going into limp mode. i changed everything and even tryed a borrowed turbo it turned out to be the ecu was fked so good luck mate..

 

[paul20v]

any of you guys near thanet i need all mine cleand plus the all the bits to do with the n75 valve as i put a new one on it and it still gose to limp mode some times ;-(

could be turbo vaines and a lot of things people over look is the Map sensor .

 

[QuottroA4]

could be turbo vaines and a lot of things people over look is the Map sensor .

Lol, did you mean the MAF sensor?

 

[Turkster]

Lol, did you mean the MAF sensor?

LOL

 

[BASS 666]

theres a map sensor and a maf sensor in audis.

 

[paul20v]

MAP mate
Manifold Actual Pressure
on the 1.9tdi A4 it located at the rear of the engine on the right hand side in the pressure pipe you cant miss it .

 

[simon.m]

is that a no to any one being near me ;-(

 

[BASS 666]

yes its a no lol.

 

[way318]

the best thing you can do is make a plate up and block off the ERG pipe alltogether

Cheers for the replies, When I take it of to clean it I'll also block off the EGR pipe with a blanking plate.

I've seen the blanking plates on ebay for a few quid and I guess you would need 2 of these, one to bolt the EGR and one to the manifold.

People seem to have used different cleaners to clean theres, are there any recommendations as to which is best?

Also, on average how long does it take to remove the manifold 7 EGR from the car, clean it and the put it all back together?

 

[paul20v]

Cheers for the replies, When I take it of to clean it I'll also block off the EGR pipe with a blanking plate.

I've seen the blanking plates on ebay for a few quid and I guess you would need 2 of these, one to bolt the EGR and one to the manifold.

Just 1 on the exhaust side of the egr pipe ,
job done .

 

[BASS 666]

im a fussy **** i put a plate on the egr valve incase it drew in a bit of air through the bottom. i know it wont but i didnt take any chances. taking it all off and cleaning it only takes an hour it depends how much you clean it cause some of them are really bad and it can take a while.

 

[way318]

Did you use any gaskets between the blanking plate and the exhaust manifold and one on the EGR?

When I take off the inlet manifold I'll use a new one for that when I re-fit it, but just wondered about the blanking plates.

 

[BASS 666]

on the egr i used a wee drop of silicone and on the manifold i used a drop of exaust paste round the edges. the paste i got was in a small tube and pretty easy to work with unlike gun gum. sorry cant remember the name of the paste.

 

[Funkyfin2000]

Would this do for my 1.9 tdi quattro AVF engine?

How many would I need? 2?

And do you not have to map out the EGR once balnked?