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Professional EGR Cleaning Resources

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Mendel Leisk, Oct 5, 2022.

  1. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Good question. Might be worth starting a thread, "EGR Savvy Shops".

    A couple I can think of:

    Tampa Hybrids (Tampa FL)
    Hybrid Pit Stop (Buena Park, CA)
    CARspec (Minneapolis, MN)
    Sam's Auto (Lancaster, PA)
    Ish Hybrids website (Hollywood, Florida - 3625 Pembroke Road, 33021 ph: 954.801.5434 (M))

    Abysmally short list so far.
     
    #1 Mendel Leisk, Oct 5, 2022
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 30, 2024
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    EGR cleaning is a good part of maintaining your Gen 3. If you have a shop that knows how to do it, please list it here.
     
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Huh. Didn’t realize it’ll place @Mendel Leisk ’s post above mine haha. Ohh well.
     
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  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Hopefully a few more shops get added. (y)
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    texas hybrid batteries might be one?

    avi's?

    luscious garage?

    eric becky?

    leo and sons?

    maybe i shouldn't be guessing?
     
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  6. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    My goodness I would think any semi reasonably conscious owner would do this themselves on a weekend but maybe not you have to get your hands dirty and stuff I do understand but I can almost do this job and not even need my real hand cleaner when I'm done it's not that bad and if you do it correctly well what I would call correctly is you have an extra intercooler for your EGR system and possibly an extra manifold because it just makes it easier and these parts you can almost get for free because they get broken and thrown away at the junkyard believe me so if you're set like that you send the intercooler to the radiator shop they tank and clean it for 20 $25 and it is whistle clean and silver in and out whether you stand there all day with whatever chemical or pay 20 bucks for them to do it saving your hands The intake manifold it's the same way it's plastic internal plastic all the way through when heat it up it acts like a big stick of glue I mean everything probably sticks to it but actually it doesn't because the air is flying through it so fast so all that clogs up is those little ports in the center of the exhaust ports that are tee niny . And you'll just run some small brushes gun cleaning brushes all I can come up with brushes that almost every household would have but the gun cleaning is a good one and you just run it through there and then you bolt that manifold onto your car and that EGR cooler onto your car clean the pieces you took off your car just now and put them up for the next time. But many of y'all there won't be a next time Y'all will be in new cars electrics you got neighbors and stuff to keep up with you can't be driving around the 25-year-old car out there in thousand oaks California come on now.
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Not everyone wants to take this on. Or have to…, but that’s for another day.

    I do agree, IF you’ve got tools and know how, DIY is the way to go.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    this is why pinned threads wind up a mess. too bad unnecessary resonses (like mine) can't be deleted
     
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  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe @Tideland Prius can add a post at the top, and update every so often, with “confirmed” shops?
     
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah I can edit your post and continue the list.

    so, do I add Bisco’s suggestions or was he just spit balling?
     
  11. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    But then again . Everyone's flying a desk and monitor these days . Some can only drive GTA .
     
  12. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I learned all this stuff 40 yrs ago . Because I like my finances to stay well. I haven't had much anything done in that 40 yrs thats . Plumbing. Electrical built two houses still standing in in 0ne . Generators kitchen appliances all . I don't let anyone touch any of it . And I'm just about 70 now . Still I do it all . And don't go near my washer or dryer speed queens from another century. Look brand new .
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Tampa hybrids and Hybrid Pit Stop are the only two I’ve heard of doing EGR cleaning as a semi-formal “service”. Hopefully there are more, they’ll be reported/added. If not, unpin it?
     
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Just Prius shops that I recall, but a phone call would be required to see if they have a good understanding of the egr problem
     
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Would be nice if Toyota would publish a workflow for cleaning. But then they'd need to acknowledge it's a perennial clogger. In the Warranty Extension they say wait for EGR clog code, or cold-start shakes. Then load up the parts cannon. Which can be "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic", especially with the cold-start shakes...
     
  16. Bill Norton

    Bill Norton Senior Member

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    Is there an owner on this site that has done all the 'suggestions' presented here on this forum and is living happily with a +300k miles Prius?

    You know, the usual suspects:
    Complete EGR circuit cleanings at ? 100k mile intervals.
    Engine coolant changes at ? 100k miles.
    5k mile engine oil changes.
    Oil Catch Can.
    What else is suggested.

    Did I read that the Corrola models that use this engine also have this chronic problem?

    I'd also like to hear from an early head gasket repair using the 'improved' Felpro head gasket. Is that good for longer time between failures?
     
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  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    @ASRDogman IIRC
     
  18. Wes_33073

    Wes_33073 Junior Member

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    Missing...
    PCV valve replacement
    Intake manifold cleaning/replacement (if not considered part of "EGR circuit cleaning")
    Transmission fluid changes
    Suspension component replacement (shocks/struts/sway bar links/sway bar bushings)
    Inverter coolant change
    Remove battery fan filter (if you have one...) and install easily accessible battery fan filter G92DH-47010
     
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Missing by design? Intake manifold is part of the EGR circuit though. Really just trying to list shops that'll do a decent job at this.
     
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  20. Bill Norton

    Bill Norton Senior Member

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    All good advice!

    But I was questioning the upper limits of just the head gasket lasting into the +200k mile ranges,,,,
    Like on the Hondas, VW diesels and a Geo Metro (bought new in '89!) I have owned in the past.

    I started a big thread on ATF changes way back when I got my first Gen3 with 115k miles on it!
    Fortunately, it gave me a taste of EV driving (in small increments) and I wanted more! So I bought a Volt!
    Then later bought a second used Gen3 for the wifey and when the head gasket started failing on it, I dosed it with Blue Devil 'head gasket in a bottle' and sent it packing!
    And now I have my 3rd Gen3 with 'only' 124k miles!! (I'm changing jobs and a Spark EV will not work for me anymore.)

    I'd like to do all the voodoo that some say will help keep the head gasket happy and healthy!
    (If there is such a routine.... that is the question....(n))