EGR & Intake Manifold Clean Results

When at my house, I use a metal lawn chair to hold the cooler in place.

When at @Pedal Logic ’s place this weekend, we used the tire from his wheel barrow and that did the job.

Just don’t use a body part and you’ll be fine.

 

Here's what I posted about it in another thread:

Here's my tip about staying dry using a pressure washer:

Grab a one gallon zip-lock bag and cut a slit at the bottom, in the center. At the car wash, or wherever, lay the cooler onto the drainage with the pipes placed through the holes or between the rails to brace it and then place half of it in the bag. Then grab the pressure washer and place it through the hole in the bag and put the nozzle right into one end of the cooler. This way once you've paid and the water comes on you won't have a mess or a hard time getting it in there. Now put your free hand around the hole to seal it and brace the washer then blast away. Anything blowing back will enter the bag and flow into the drain. If the cooler is loose you can move your hand and the bag closer to the cooler so you can brace both at once. While you're blasting it also helps to move the nozzle around row by row to make sure you've gotten all the crud out. You'll see carbon either shooting out the end or running through the bag.

 

I've finally did it as well! Cleaning the IM, the PVC valve (I ordered one but could not find), replacing the spark plugs AND the EGR cooler and valve. Being a newbie cost me 10 hours and lots of back pain especially due to the EGR cooler removal...

I mainly did it as my engine? also started to rattle with low rpm.

Sadly I could not clean the EGR cooler: used one can of break cleaner and some oven cleaner and some wire, but have to give up after an hour as it was close to midnight already lol. One part of it seemed more passable, I can't recall which one.

After I put back everything I was happy it started, but gave a big shake first time and one more time later the night when it started. now it seems to gone..but only one day passed. Should I bother?

The rattle with low RPM is still there sadly, so I suppose I have to either take more time to sink in the Cooler-radiator for a longer time or buy a new one, and here it comes my main question:

Should I replace the EGR valve too? I could not figure out if it is working or not; cleaned it of course as much as I could. The magnet? part (black round on top) I could not remove with the star shaping screws.
I also heard this rattling feeling can come from the inadequate injection. Is that right?

Does someone has a spare EGR cooler or I need to buy a new one? Also thinking to install the oil catch can next time, now I'm over with the hearth surgery! I can order it here in the priuschat? Would it worth?

 

As a longtime user here, do NOT order anything from the PriusChat Shop.

 

I did hot oxyclean twice. I let the cooler sit overnight the first time. It didn't look like I was getting anywhere so I hit it with the garden hose really hard. THAT WORKED. Chemicals alone can do only so much when it's 100k miles of caked on crud. A chemical loosening followed by a power washing has got to be the most efficient way to go about it, and could be done in 1 or 2 hours, maybe. Follow that with more oxyclean or acetone if there's time.

 

At one of our meet ups, Raytheeagle one time cleaned 3 egrs in 15 minutes with pressure washer, I was there in person. Not sure how this info is not being passed around and that hours or even days are the preferred cleaning wait times

 

yeah, I wonder how clogged they were! At 140k miles with oil burner...

How about the valve part of the EGR? how do I know if it is OK? I can see the cooler part, but not sure how to test the valve.

 

Also, I don't think you'd want to use pressure washer on the valve. To small, and it has electronics. It is easier to clean too, more accessible, not like the long/convoluted passages of the cooler. Something like carb cleaner and brushes works.

 

Right, that part I only carb/brush cleaned. the question is, how do I know it works OK?

 

There's testing procedure in one of the attached, but it does require Techstream. My 2 cents: clean everything (including the intake manifold) thoroughly and reassemble, see if it drives ok. I appreciate that's a lot of work, if it turns out there's still a problem with the valve. You could at least test drive without installing the wipers though, I think.

 

Thanks, that is quite comprehensive! If you read my post 2-3 days ago summarizing my pains, I went through it already, the valve I was not sure. But this testing procedure may help. I just watch for P0401 code. I believe I only had to do again the cooler part, now, prepared with more stuff, and also do the oil catch can as described in other topics.
I'll try to buy a spare cooler from junkyard if I fail to clean it, I don't wanna/have to take it apart again.

 

How can one remove that black magnet? part from top of the egr valve? Those screws I could not loosen

 

Plus, this IM is/was bad?
Replaced the spark plugs too, but they were still fine.

 

I tried "gently" with an (manual, hammer powered) impact screw driver, and stopped when they didn't budge. I have managed to bust loose the rear brake rotors screws on a Honda Pilot with the same equipment, but just didn't want to risk rounding the screw heads.

I managed to clean it quite thoroughly without removing the black plastic, and I've heard it can be a bit of a Pandora's box? To clean around the valve edge I just gently pried up with a knife tip, sprayed carb cleaner.

You might be able to activate the valve off the car, just hooking up 12 volt to the right pins? tread carefully though. Maybe the attachments explain which pins?

 

That looks really nasty. How did you get that crud out without it falling in? Turn the crankshaft until the inlet valves of each cylinder (in turn) are closed, then suck the loosened crud out with a shop-vac? But even when the crud is loosened and as far as possible removed, the intake system may well not be as streamlined as I assume it was initially.

 

The intakes look relatively clean BEYOND the fuel injectors. Makes me wonder what our son's direct-injected CX5 is going to look like, down the road.

For cleaning the ports in above pic, maybe stuff a bit of rag in first, right down by the valve heads. Do the brushing/scraping/swabbing, then vacuum it all up, including the rag.

 

Where be the electronics?

If you remove the black cap, there’s nothing there.

I’ve not cleaned the egr valve with a pressure washer, but could you: sure.

Would I: nah as it is easy to clean otherwise .

 

Impact screwdriver .

I’ve done 8 or so on the Gen3, so my impact screwdriver bits need to be replaced.

But if you haven’t rounded the heads, I’d use that to open up the cap and clean the valve right.

 

Another test of the EGR valve that's quick and dirty: warm up the car thoroughly and then unplug the connector on the EGR valve. (CEL with come on of course.) See if the engine now runs smoothly with the valve disconnected. If it does your EGR valve was sticking.

(Footnote: From my experiments using a OBD2 to monitor fuel status, disconnecting the EGR does not force the engine into open loop, whereas disconnecting MAF would.)

 

Including the rag
Yep, I wonder how could I clean deep inside. This is where some ppl use walnut shell spray? I try with the rag next time. Or put seafoam in the crankshaft but that would probably fill up again my IM and EGR.