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EGR & Intake Manifold Clean Results

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Rebound, Jun 25, 2017.

  1. Tande

    Tande Active Member

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    And may we ask; "What is this EGR cleaner in a compressed can, of which you speak" ....:confused:
     
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  2. 4est

    4est Active Member

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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Oxi-Clean is a North American product that works, a mildly caustic powedered laundry soap supplement, in strong/hot water solution. Just today someone reported oven cleaner spray (similar but a bit more caustic) was very effective too. Use these only on the (stainless steel) cooler, not aluminum parts.
     
  4. evilchargerfan

    evilchargerfan Junior Member

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    I wish I thought about oxy clean. Instead of burning through 3 cans of parts cleaner.
     
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  5. evilchargerfan

    evilchargerfan Junior Member

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  6. Prius ZVW30

    Prius ZVW30 New Member

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    HI Everyone, my first ever post and i would like to say you guys are awesome for sharing valuable info on the EGR + Intake Manifold. This is what exactly i have done on my Prius. Clocking at a very low 40k Miles which mostly doing short distance drive. It start with ICE jerks a little during low RPM and jerks totally gone when you floor the pedal. I did the usual checking like spark plug and ignition coil turn out to be fine. I continue to drive with the jerks thinking it will miraculously go away due to bad fuel but turn out to be getting worse when it start to develop random knocking sound when the jerks start at low RPM. After spending enough time reading this post i start to work on the EGR + Intake Manifold the following weekend. It has been 37X miles since the cleaning and the jerks + knocking never came back. Plus the ICE now run smoother as before. Thanks Guys.
     
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  7. amos

    amos Active Member

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    Each can costs over $30 . you said you used 3 of them to clean the cooler. Not a bad idea though. Can avoid that bolt in the bottom but cost of cleaner may go up to $100 .
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I used brake cleaner as a first step on the egr pipe, valve and cooler, a single can (around $10) and then for the (stainless steel ) cooler, followed up with hot/strong oxi-clean solution soaks, which float the carbon out very efficiently. It takes about 5 soaks, an hour each, and rinse out with hot water after each. It ends up looking like new.
     
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  9. 4est

    4est Active Member

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    It only costs ~9usd
    And I only used 1 can for the whole cleaning
     
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  10. amos

    amos Active Member

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    Sorry i thought i saq it for$30 . not a bad idea cause tou saved lots of labor time. Did it clean well. Can do it every 20k miles. As an easy maontenance thing
     
  11. qettyz

    qettyz Active Member

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    I got crazy idea from this, instead we install OCC cans and drain them, We could actually (many of us i think) design new plate to there if there is any extra room. And that plate would be much more puzzle for air to come to PCV valve and would act more as oil catch can. Plates would cost few hundred dollars each if made in series.

    But, i think huge downside would be that on cold climate areas then engines would just fill up with water&fuel, because water/fuel would not be able to escape to intake manfold or OCC between PCV tube.. So emh i think this idea is no-go. That plate is designed to be not so good catch can and needs to be that way.
     
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah I think without the plate (as-is) there would be even more in the OCC, or in the intake manifold, without OCC. Maybe it's best to see it as "taking the brunt", then letting the rest pass through.
     
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  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Do you know of any upcoming Scandi crime dramas btw? We're all tapped out, have watched pretty much everything. Most recently "The Bridge" (Broen?), very good show. I'm afraid that any you mention we will have watched though, lol.

    I only wish I had a bit of a grasp of the language; it seems something is lost reading subtitles, especially when you start to recognize a few words in the native language.
     
  14. qettyz

    qettyz Active Member

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    Gotta say that sadly no. If we have time to watch something from the TV with the wife, we spend that time watching horror movies;)
     
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  15. pizzaspits

    pizzaspits Junior Member

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    Cleaned my EGR cooler a couple of weeks ago. It was completely clogged that I couldn't even blow air through it. I tried soaking it with brake cleaner and oxi-clean and that didn't do much (second picture). My last resort was using a pressure washer with a 40 degree spray attachment. It worked amazing and cleaned the cooler completely (last picture). It took about 10-15 minutes to have the cooler spotless. If you do use a pressure washer, just be prepared to get full of soot/carbon all over you
     

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  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    That's astounding, good to know.

    I wonder too, of ultrasonic bath would be effective? Maybe expensive though.
     
  17. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    I see you are familiar with "Earache my Eye" the funny 45 record Cheech and Chong made in the 70's. That skit is one of my all time favorite comedy routines. My favorite line from that skit is, "Whats wrong with you now Prince Charming?"
     
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  18. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    The following pictures and story may illustrate the effectiveness of the EGR system cleanse and OCC maintenance. First some background information. During the first EGR/intake manifold(IM) purge 2 years and 16k miles ago, I noticed large carbon deposits in the head (no picture, sorry). Rather than chipping these off and possibly causing engine damage from the dislodged chips I left them in and used fuel system cleaner to dissolve the deposits.

    I recently cleaned out the IM and EGR pipe elbow a second time while the hybrid battery was undergoing a prolong reconditioning. I noticed a little sludge in the large EGR channel inside the IM that feeds the individual cylinders (small holes) with EGR. That channel took 15 minutes to clean with dish detergent, water, carb cleaner and a pipe cleaner. The IM had maybe a couple of tablespoons of oil underneath the throttle body instead of a cup or so before the OCC was installed. There was a light oily carbon film on the inside of the EGR pipe. The second picture of the head was taken after a quick wipe with a rag.

    I use Techron fuel system cleaner 1-2 times a year and top tier fuel. I also have been adding a 1:500 ratio of TCW-3 oil to my gasoline for quieter engine operation and better ring cleaning and sealing.


    Thanks go to @danlatu for promoting the OCC on this forum and several others in educating us on the EGR/IM problems!
     
    #198 mjoo, Jun 5, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2019
  19. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Effective use of your downtime;).

    Now your set for a fair bit(y).
     
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  20. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    I live 4 miles from work and rarely take the highway. Most roads have a 40 mph speed limit. This is severe duty hence why I am extra vigilant. EGR deposits are accelerated with short trips and slow speed. From this and living in the north I expected to see a lot more deposits because it doesn't have an opportunity to burn off.

    Oil changes are done every 6 months (<5k miles). I do this to remove the fuel dilution.

    I also add 1 ounce of TC-W3 to every 5 gallons of gas. The first engine start is much quieter as well as overall operation. With all the stops/starts on the Prius engine we need a good UCL. I believe it really helps with ring seal and cleaning the engine cylinders.