19997 Toyota Avalon. CEL came on today. Diagnostic says it was EGR related. New EGR is $200. Is it possible to clean the EGR ? What do you use--throttle body cleaner, MAF sensor cleaner, etc??
How do you clean an EGR valve?
- Thread starter bcossa2001
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I had this happen on a 2001 Alero ( very common problem). Take it off and use Seafoam to soak it. Be careful not to get the solenoid side wet with the seafoam. If it is a stuck pintle ( the needle) then this should work. Its cheap and worth a shot. If you have any .22 bore brushes this will make it easier to get into the deep recesses of the valve. Good luck!
If it isn't tedious to clean it, you are not doing it right.
My method works and it did take some time. When did anyone state that it would be a quick endevor anyhow?
Does your EGR consist of an electrically operated solenoid inside? Is there a wiring connector going to it? I've had to replace mine because the electric solenoid quit working. My neighbor is a GM tech and he brought the shop's Tech II scanner home one night and ran some tests on it. All I had to do is remove and replace.
I do this every 2 years on my 95 neon. Every 2 years, my egr flow restricted cell goes off..stop n go trffic creates alot of carbon buildup. I use carb cleaner, carefully though, making absolute sure the spray dosnt get ont he sensor, spraying hte inside of the egr valve. Might also want to clean out yuor egr tube too,... i alwasy find mine full of crud, to hwere its amost completely closed off.
I still use acetone if it's just a gummed up pintle. If the stepper motor is shot then replace it with either a new one or a bone yard special (obviously clean and use a new gasket prior to installation). EGR valve is a minor issue...some people freak out when they here that "I have to replace an EGR valve...OMG I'm trading this turd in!!". Don't be one of the silly sheople and just get a new one or clean it out...this stuff happens with mileage.
Usually it's not the valve itself that needs cleaning. It's the plumbing downstream of the EGR valve that collects all the solids. I've fished those out with length of flexible wire and carb/intake cleaner, or you can carefully have a helper run the engine while you spray cleaner down the vacuum side port on the EGR base (with the EGR valve removed).
What JTK said. If you don't do that, it will probably stick again, and soon.
I can't seem to get straight on where the valve is. Is it the round black "biscuit", or is it in the piping leading to/from the intake manifold? When I look at a picture of it on NAPA or AAP they show the entire assembly. The Haynes manual says to remove the piping in order to service the valve....
Originally Posted By: bcossa2001
I can't seem to get straight on where the valve is.
The valve will be mounted to a base that has a pipe connecting the base to the exhaust manifold.
Joel
I can't seem to get straight on where the valve is.
The valve will be mounted to a base that has a pipe connecting the base to the exhaust manifold.
Joel
Kestas
Staff member
I can't see how you guys can chemically clean exhaust passages like egr valves. I've tried all kinds of solvents including methylene chloride, which seem to disslove anything, and they don't work. The deposits are hard and need to be chipped off. Any cleaning I've done is mechanical.
I have the same car as you its right on top of the engine it has a black cap on top of it and relatively big iron pipe running from it. It threw the same code as yours did, and it was just the sensor for the EGR was stuck, I put a new sensor on for 15 bucks it was fixed.
Originally Posted By: Kestas
I can't see how you guys can chemically clean exhaust passages like egr valves. I've tried all kinds of solvents including methylene chloride, which seem to disslove anything, and they don't work. The deposits are hard and need to be chipped off. Any cleaning I've done is mechanical.
On 1998+ Isuzu 3.2/3.5s, I've cleared pipes choked solid with the combination of spray cleaner, wire and a helper keeping the engine from stalling. With that particular engine, solids do then wind-up in the bowels of the common chamber on the intake. No harm on that engine due to the design of the upper IM.
Joel
I can't see how you guys can chemically clean exhaust passages like egr valves. I've tried all kinds of solvents including methylene chloride, which seem to disslove anything, and they don't work. The deposits are hard and need to be chipped off. Any cleaning I've done is mechanical.
On 1998+ Isuzu 3.2/3.5s, I've cleared pipes choked solid with the combination of spray cleaner, wire and a helper keeping the engine from stalling. With that particular engine, solids do then wind-up in the bowels of the common chamber on the intake. No harm on that engine due to the design of the upper IM.
Joel
Amsoil Power foam melts carbon like butter. I don't know why I don't see more people posting on it.
Well, I had the light reset and it came back on last week. I had the code checked and it was the EGR Valve again.
I took the top off of the valve and could not see anything dirty. Then I disconnected the pipe from the intake manifold (a few choice words for the Toyota engineers while doing this) and sure enough the intake manifold connection was full of crud. I chipped it out with a screwdriver and then sprayed MAF sensor cleaner into it. There was no crud in the pipe leading from the EGR valve.
I took it back to AAP to get the light rechecked and it went off by itself before I could get there.
Thanks to everyone who posted on this. BITOG ROCKS!!!!
I took the top off of the valve and could not see anything dirty. Then I disconnected the pipe from the intake manifold (a few choice words for the Toyota engineers while doing this) and sure enough the intake manifold connection was full of crud. I chipped it out with a screwdriver and then sprayed MAF sensor cleaner into it. There was no crud in the pipe leading from the EGR valve.
I took it back to AAP to get the light rechecked and it went off by itself before I could get there.
Thanks to everyone who posted on this. BITOG ROCKS!!!!
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