Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve (EGR) Checking

[Xearo101]

Will a faulted EGR cause a rough idle? I have a 95 sl1 and a #32 code.

[richpin06a]

@Xearo101 Yes it will

[Xearo101]

@richpin06a Thank you. What would you recommend to clean the passageway from the exhaust port to the valve's seat. I just rebuilt the engine and getting the exhaust manifold off wouldn't be a problem. Any thoughts on the best way to clean the passageway? (Engine is in frame)

[richpin06a]

@Xearo101 I just did one with compressed air but if it has a lot of build up you will have to use a wire or gun cleaner.

[ThebigHurtt]

should i turn on the car with the egr off , also should i use some throttle cleaner to clean surface up prior to install !Thank you

[richpin06a]

@ThebigHurtt Yes run the car for a few seconds without the egr to blow loose carbon out.It would not hurt to use a little cleaner.

[ThebigHurtt]

@richpin06a will do thank you

[ThebigHurtt]

It kept on wanting to stall. so i went to autozone and had them do a scan and they said egr code came up.

[richpin06a]

@ThebigHurtt Does sound like a bad egr

[ThebigHurtt]

this code came up on my car to day .would the autozone egr be ok to go with its only $61 dollors.have any tips before i under go this?. Well sir have a Merry Christmas

[richpin06a]

@ThebigHurtt I do not know the history of the autozone egrs.How is the car running.

[narc1203]

MAESTRO



[vbBegin1957]

Oh ok thats an ingenious way of testing a faulty EGR valve. Cool thanks for your explanation. This clarifies the reason of the temp gasket.

[richpin06a]

@vbBegin1957 The soda can gasket isolates the egr from the engine to see if the engine runs better if so then the egr is faulty.

[TEQU1LLO]

hi rich i have code EGR Problem my car ligth engine flash and the more misfire rando misfire , can u tell me wat is the problem , nice viedo

[richpin06a]

@TEQU1LLO Egr code can be the EGR itself or the passageways to the unit.Misfires are normally spark plug and ignition wires.

[nli2work]

Hi Richpin; I have a saturn sl2 that bucks around cruising speed. searching around online forums I found your video on testing the EGR. The car ran great when I blocked the EGR port. I've replaced fuel filter; air filter; spark plugs and wires; and the EGR valve. There's a slight improvement; the bucking remains. Any ideas what else I should look at?

[richpin06a]

@nli2work seems like you still have a egr problem sometimes the wires right at the egr can get broken or corroded.

[nli2work]

@richpin06a Tested the circuit with multimeter; everything looks good. 5v ref; ~12v positive and ground; 0.6v on pintle position sensor. No carbon blockage. Based on what I found online; the other two possibilities are the wiring itself between EGR and PCM. and PCM itself.

Blocked off the EGR at the moment like you did in this video. Car runs great this way. Any long term side effects? Wouldn't pass emissions test I imagine?

[richpin06a]

@nli2work Will not pass test will be the biggest. 

[guayacan07]

that's not how you check a EGR, you're bypassing it the legal way so if you go get your car inspected they won't give you a hard time.

[fastvpbt1]

hey buddy i got the same egr on me car on a v6 is it true that these things can cause your engine to die and burn out faster they only work for a few moments then close up a waste of time this item on cars i hate these things i blocked mine and disconnected it better off whats your thought man !cheers

[richpin06a]

@fastvpbt1 They are a necessary evil plus if disconnect it the check engine light will come on.

[neiallswheel]

hey nice vid. would like to make a comment for the LEARNERS.

try not to tighten the bolts down HARD as you may bend the tabs .

im lucky my egr valve is vacuum operated and being an older vehicle has no electronic controllers. i will be taking it off completely and trying HHO GEET SPAD water reformer to rid my diesel engine of NOx emissions

. exhaust gas recirculation causes inefficiencies.

try wikipedia EGR VALVE in diesel engines and below that reference No1 chrysler

neiallswheel. ok nice

[kooopya]

another wasted 7 min of my day

[piratesbelay]

Went w Cleaning the old EGR...It's was Carbon Packed, after 15 min. of cleaning, and following the video step-by-step, the Engine Light went off, and it ran great !! The pindle was caked, it was most likely sticking..thx Frank

[richpin06a]

@piratesbelay Alright that's what i like to hear.

[piratesbelay]

Thx, my $300 '97 Saturn sl2 will soon be my $800 Saturn sl2...But well worth it. The engine's in great shape, the clutch and tranny seem fine. Fuel Filter's my nxt tackle, it's in a precarious spot (Firewall/Driver side,) do you know? is that a one man job? thx again, frank..

[richpin06a]

@piratesbelay I have only replaced the later ones 98-02 as of this time so i can not give you any first hand knowledge on the 91-97 ones.

[raptor17d]

@piratesbelay ive got a 97 myself and its definitely a one man job. if you remove the air intake tube at the throttle body and move it aside, (and even take out the battery if need be) you will have more than enough room to reach around the master cylinder to get to it, though i would suggest jacking that front corner of the car to allow access to the under side if you need to unclip the fuel line from the bottom of the filter, they can be quite tricky sometimes.

[piratesbelay]

Working on my $300 saturn. Got to codes today at autozone...

1. CPS crank position sensor $14.99, bought this..

2. EGR valve..$95 bucks !!! seems excessive..

My question, can I go to the junkyard and be certain, or near certain it's a good valve, is there anyway to look know its good, other or is it better to kick out the bucks for the $100 EGR Valve? thx..Frank

[richpin06a]

@piratesbelay When it comes to a used egr valve it is hard to look at it and tell if is good.

[biggurs]

i think your car must be  'burning the midnight oil'

[srdct86]

heh heh heh.... he said "E G Ah valve"

[manudelmarche]

That is not EGR checking. That is EGR bypassing.

[richpin06a]

@manudelmarche I must differ with you because this block off plate will only last a short time and is crucial in diagnosing a bad EGR

[jmellef]

did this test on my 92 saturn, but how do you know if it the valve itself of the Egr Time Delay Switch?

[richpin06a]

@jmellef The only other part on the 92 that i know of is the egr vacuum control solenoid

[Fairtrade182]

funniest shit ever

[jcqln2]

my car is using about 1 qrt of oil every three 3000 miles. it is not burning it, or leaking it. what could it be? my mechanic says it is the EGR valve. that it is malfuntioning and the oil is just evaporating inside the engine. What do you think. great video by the way.

[richpin06a]

@jcqln2 I think if you can not find a leak it is being burned off.A lot of cars can burn the oil with it not showing in the exhaust and on the spark plugs.

[topgrain]

Just wondering; for testing purposes would not taking the wire off the EGR, pulling off the hose and then blocking the metal vacuum tube that sticks out of it not have the same effect as blocking the EGR off with the cut can?

[richpin06a]

@topgrain No because you are not taking the problem out of the loop which is the valve seat area of the valve which can leek exhaust.

[topgrain]

@richpin06a

Got it. Thanks. I might have to get going and try this.

[Cooki3Dough07]

I have a 2001 dodge intrepid, I took it auto zone because the engine light came on . They said I might need to flush the valve or get a new 1. I would like to get a new one but I don't know where to get it from, should I get one from the junk yard or order one online. The problem is the price I don't to want to pay anymore then $65 for one. Do you know any place online or a store to order or get one from?

[richpin06a]

@Cooki3Dough07 it is almost double $65.new so i guess it is off to the wrecking yard.

[axenz1]

This is a very good for Testing it... keep it up a good tips richpin06a..

[FANtomCore]

this video is basically a how to on EGR blocking, you do what's in this video your technically breaking the law because your car is putting out more pollution and you will not be able to pass a smog test with your vehicle setup like that...but apparently your vehicle will run better and the check engine light will disappear, atleast until you have to address the issue on your next smog check, so you will have to deal with the EGR valve problem eventually.

[richpin06a]

@FANtomCore The aluminum can gasket can only be used for 5-10 minutes of testing .

[theodogeo]

Very helpful video. I made your test on my 16 years old Opel Corsa and I saw it running smoother with the valve isolated. A question: My valve is the same as in the video and I have clean it well but I still have a slight problem of staggering when I accelerate. I saw that the tube that leads from the throttle to the valve has a lot of carbon deposits. I can't find a way to clean it and I don't know if this is the problem or the valve must be replaced. Do you have any tips for me?

[richpin06a]

@theodogeo I would suspect your problem is the valve.When the tube gets blocked it turns on the check engine light.

[theodogeo]

@richpin06a Thanks a lot for the response. Seems that is time to pay 150 €. Speaking again about the tube, I saw at your other excellent video about EGR valve cleaning that you run for a while the engine without the valve on it in order to blow some carbon from inside. Do you suggest scrabbing around the tube or even spraying some cleaner before doing this? Or this is a part of the engine that is better not to mess a lot with it? Thank you again for all.

[chhosni]

Je pose la question on ne sait jamais , sa ne pose pas de problème par apport aux pot d'échappement catalytique ?

sinon bien expliquée la video et clair

merci bien

[pires53]

someone told me taht if we remove the EGR valve the engine performes a lot better with more power and economy. How true is this?

[richpin06a]

@pires53 It will pollute the air you breath more.

[mike4fo]

nice way to check UP. great way to check up on it. Is that a general motors vehicle? I just did one in a saturn and it looks similar.

[richpin06a]

@mike4fo Good eye yes it is a Saturn

[andrewmylyf]

hehe..nice home made aluminum gasket dude..

[CPTMyers]

Best instructional video I have seen in a long time, THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!

[Syndicated4u]

Thank you. This video is helpful. Specially on creating a gasket so I don't have to buy a new one.

[MrT1me]

What do you think would happen if i made one of those and leave it in... My truck wold probably run better right?... Egr kinda funks up your motor anyway dont it?... My check engine light came on and i had it checked and the computer said egr... The man said its probably stuck open... I got a can of carb cleaner and was thinking about cleaning it tomorow... Now i wonder if i should just shut it off? What say you?

[wiz2111]

@MrT1me If you left the aluminium soda can piece in, it would eventually melt (aluminium has a low melting point compared to other metals) and your car would run the same, if not worse (because the aluminium is now inside of your engine).

So don't drive too long using this method!

[strumpeteer]

Great Video. THANK YOU.

[MIGUELTERCERO]

thanx for the link: so helpful

[toninhouk]

hy mate , what happens if you take off the egr , and put a blanking plate . ( leaving the wire disconnected ) . thanks

[richpin06a]

@toninhouk The check engine light will come on and the engine will pollute more than it should.

[Hail2TheChimp1st]

@richpin06a so does it lose more power or anything??? or acceleration? bcuz mine is blocked up. as i couldnt plug it into the extractors for some reason.

[richpin06a]

@Hail2TheChimp1st The EGR lowers combustion temps to lower the output of Nitrogen oxide only.

[Hail2TheChimp1st]

@richpin06a so lowering temperatures would be a good thing then as one of the best things to do is keep the engine cool right..?

[samlo6]

this is it right here? what the hell is that supposed to mean...Duh? at least say what kind of car it is. not all cars have the same looking egr or even located in the same location!!!!!!!!! this isn't helpful at all, thanks for nothing.

[richpin06a]

@samlo6 Sorry about that i put a annotation in the video.

[bxxpeace]

@richpin06a Don't be sorry, that guy was being a douche

[JimmyRaygoza]

Good looking out, got to be a twiker to think that up, I'm going to try I ona car

[JimmyRaygoza]

Good looking out, I'm going to try it tomorrow on a 93 Honda accord

[yufishy]

that so cool, thanks for the info,

i will try it.

[sinisasokolovic]

And there I was worried that the gaskets for EGR are something hi tech and expensive :D

Thank you very much for tihs idea !!!

[richpin06a]

Remember this is only a test block off gasket.

[emile93]

Wow a 5 cent redneck gasket!!!!

[BlueRice]

haha. hey at lease it works.

[bsriveria]

Thank you Richpin you have helped me a lot of time and saved me a ton of money which I couldn't afford on my Saturn. Thanks!!!

[kantthinkofasn77]

lol i love the part "take it for a ride and see what happens"

[fixinggrace]

One thing I've learned from cutting metal is to always wear gloves. Another is to try and cut the metal without backing off on the scissors or snips. This prevents the "fishhooks" or "murders" on the metal. This is from someone who's been "murdered" a lot by these things.

As always, a lot of good advice. My sisters lives in the Boston area. Beautiful city and great people.

[richpin06a]

@fixinggrace What clue gave it away that i live in the Boston area....lol

[fixinggrace]

From the very first video. There is no accent like those from Boston. On the other hand, mine would best be described as a Michigan accent by my sister, like it's a bad thing lol!

[RobertGary1]

hahah, weren't you in Cheers? :)

[bavow]

richpin06a by blocking the two holes what does it do? is it bad or better to cover them?

[richpin06a]

@bavow What it does is block exhaust from getting to the egr valve to see if it is leaking exhaust gas around the pintle part of the egr valve.

[solidprimo]

also, Can the egr be cleaned rather than replaced? and how, cause its not cheap for a new valve

[richpin06a]

Yes you can with varying degrees of success .Use a small scraper and stiff brush and choke cleaner.

[RobertGary1]

I've had great success cleaning mine. Just use carb cleaner and exercise the plunger as you're cleaning it. This assumes you're getting a "slow EGR" code.

[sorokurd]

what if u have bad wiring or bad pcm that is controling that egr

[chaber16041980]

Advice: simply disconnet ERG and start engine. ERG locks when dont have power.

[richpin06a]

Sometimes the pintle of the valve does not seat because of carbon that is why we use a block off plate for testing.

[detenator890]

I love the Brooklyn accent.

[richpin06a]

Boston

[detenator890]

so i was a little off. haha

[Godalmighty7771]

Great helpful video!  po404

[alexand3r5922]

hi i need help, my dodge intrepid 3.5 sxt vin "G" 02 check engine on and find p0174and i have trouble idling, and not leak vac but dis car not have maf sensor some one can help me

[LaLagartija]

thanks for the answer budy, you are the best, all the videos rocks, thanks a lot for the video

[LaLagartija]

hey budy i have a problem with the egr valve in a grand am 1996, can i go with that gasket until that i replace the egr valve, and how many time can i have the car with that gasket? thanks a lot for the video

[richpin06a]

No,only a few minutes for testing.

[eadad]

what if you just take the egr completely out? somebody help me please. will the engine run 2 hot? bad or good for performace and gas milage? thanks!

[lovemym16]

bad for gas good for power plus you fail inspection and get fined in California if thats where you live

[Sirrom0206]

A good video! The EGR on my daughter's car was shot, like you I taped it as I replaced it. Take a look.

[sebulbus]

Just leave the tip of the improvised blind longer so in case you need to remove it you just loosen the screws and pull it out.

[balaun17]

could i just pull the fuse for it instead or no?

[seasonedtoker]

hey, richpin, another question. I'm an automotive geek but I cannot get to conclusion with an EGR. I understand its behaviour and function, but ... So, blinding the EGR means no gas is recirculated back and the engine gets everything fresh and clean. So what's the EGR's state now? Is the faulty EGR stuck open because of the contaminants that have built up and therefore the valve cannot close properly? thanks!

[richpin06a]

Is the faulty EGR stuck open because of the contaminants that have built up and therefore the valve cannot close properly.

Exactly

[bodmosh11]

hey, i had a question. i have a 2000 mazda protege lx 1.6 cyl and the engine light is on the car has a lack of acceleration and idles. ive changes both oxygen sensors and put in brand new spark plugs. the light turned off for a day but came back on, da repairs didin better the performance much, So i have removed the egr valve, how should i clean it and what type of solvent should i use? should the electrical component of the egr valve be cleaned aswell with a liquid solvent? let me kno asap TY

[2009jimmy2009]

try blocking it like in the video. the best solvent to use is brake cleaner or carb cleaner. both can be got from your loval auto factors

[lanikai24]

excellent tip on checking the egr valve. i was working on a free astro van with a very rough idle and strong smell of fuel. the egr valve check solved the problem. thank you for your excellent advice.

[2009jimmy2009]

yes. or the electric solnoid that controls it is faulty. some are also vacum controlled

[testedofg]

Well done. I like the way you suggested checking it - better than seeing if you can gently push in the 'screw" thing on the valve opening (got that from the forums).

We have taken the laptop into the garage to do stuff and watch your videos as a guide. Thanks!

[SenjinStudios]

Once again, excellent video. Do you think of these things at random? get asked questions and then make the vids to show what to do? or are you just using these to help the rest of us while documenting the repairs you are making on your own car? :)

[richpin06a]

Most of the ideas for the videos were reached by what people seem to be trying to repair on the forums.

[death269]

doing that for a while, it wont ruin the engine will it, the exhaust wont blow through the "redneck" block off plate because i know the exhaust is under alot of pressure. i was thinking of trying this but i just wanted to make sure nothing bad would happen because i just spent alot of money building my engine(200 HP to the crank now :-] ) and I'm not a fan of the EGR, it kills gas millage and power all though it does improve emissions.

[richpin06a]

This test with the block off plate should take about five minutes worth of driving to determine if the valve is bad.Then you will remove it.

[death269]

okay thank you

[guayacan07]

@richpin06a : why would you go thru all that hassle to test an EGR? it's electronic , you just undo the plug and watch for changes in idle.

[eifeldude1]

@guayacan07 Tell me how disconnecting the electronics would work if the valve is stuck in either the open or closed position. That's what i thought!

[guayacan07]

@eifeldude1 EGR opens at Wide open throttle so you rev the engine up, disconnect the electronic or vacuum line and see if the engine changes

[eifeldude1]

@guayacan07 actually, if it never opens, your not really going to know one way or the other. The one on my truck is electronic controlled by a motor on top of it. The computer takes readings from the MAP and TPS and calculates when it should open. Your right, if it is vacuumed control, it would be simply easier to use a vacuum gun to see if it operates

[rkellyforums]

Thanks again!

Would have liked more explanation of Why and What EGR does and less time wasted on cutting up a pop-can.

Does cleaning a SL2 EGR just delay its future replacement?

[richpin06a]

This is a test to see if the egr is bad or not.

[sm870621345]

if someone knows enough to try checking or cleaning an egr valve, chances are they already know what an EGR valve does. These videos are made with the assumption that you probably have an idea of what you're doing but this is the way he finds to be easiest.

[nobodyisname]

I've cleaned this valve 3 times in 2 years removing lots of carbon soot. Kerosene worked nicely. My s-series is an oil burner.

[sbab83]

I don't understand. What does the gasket do?

[richpin06a]

The gasket stops the flow of exhaust gases to the intake manifold.