I inherited a 2010 Prius with 90K miles and it is now the daily driver. I gave away the Integra, so it is now my only car and I am motivated to prevent disasters / issues. As I understand it, the EGR buildup is similar to arteriosclerosis and will seriously damage the engine (overheating). Is there a simple non-invasive diagnostic to determine if a cleaning is needed? If one was open up the system to visually inspect, wouldn't it be silly not to clean it? Or is cleaning a significant undertaking? I am trying to get a sense of time / tools / cost to DIY and when I need to do this. Again, the Prius is 90K miles and 15 years old. Google indicates: "Cleaning the Gen 3 Prius EGR system involves removing the EGR cooler, valve, and pipe, soaking them in powerful cleaners (like brake cleaner, oven cleaner, or fuel system cleaner), scrubbing passages with brushes, rinsing thoroughly (hot water/air compressor helps), and cleaning the intake manifold's EGR ports, swapping parts for a clean set to minimize downtime, and reassembling with new gaskets to prevent clogging and head gasket issues." I am wondering if it is sensible to replace the EGR system parts (EGR cooler, valve, and pipe). So as to minimize downtown and ensure a proper clean at year 15+. I don't have a second car and would like to avoid renting a car.
Take a look here. Basically you need a decent OBD reader and look at EGR airflow. 21-22 kPa is a value for a cleaned EGR. But it won't tell you the whole story because it measures total airflow. Unfortunately in intake manifold are 4 small holes and they clog different so next step is to dismantle intake manifold and take a look at those holes. Those are two steps which doesn't involve too much work