UGH! Help with EGR valve...

[GrandPrixSE]

So on the 24th my egr valve took a dump. It has a horrible idle, and some rotten egg smell Bad thing is, I have had to drive it 3 days with it like that. No money to replace it right now, waiting for paycheck to come in. I'm going to buy the gasket for it, and remove the old one and clean it with carb cleaner like I was told..

So my question is, will cleaning it work?
Some dumb guy at autozone quoted me a price of $50 to $60 dollars for a new one. Well he was wrong... He checked to make sure it was the egr valve. it is...

over $140

I also heard they are a pain to take off, is that true?
(note, i have never had a egr valve problem on any of my other cars).
It also must of been mass egr valve failure day on the 24th, because 3 of my friends had the same problem.

[Bio248]

just take it completely off and you wont have any more problems with it.

[BillBoost37]

I typically have a few laying around. Want one for $20 shipped via priority mail?

[TheOtherNick]

I have one also that you could buy.

[GrandPrixSE]

Will have to wait and see about buying one of yours... I can't tune the car if I were to just remove all of it.

[GrandPrixSE]

Think I might have fixed it!!? Cleaned it out today and put it back on, first time didn't seem like it worked. 2nd time starting it, seemed a little better than before, but not that great. I went to an event today, and the car sat awhile, when I started it she purrred like a kitten again. And the CEL went out while driving home. (I checked, it didn't blow). But I am getting one to set to the side just in case it just up and goes again. Going to the junkyard later on today and will get one out of there.

[Dermamorphic]

I on occasion would get an EGR code, and it was recommended to me to use a wire hanger fashioned in a way that you can scrape away some of the deposits in the line leading to the exhaust.

When I did this I used a micro vacuum attachment ( to clean computers with) to suck up the deposits. Of course you could detach the line.....heh hindsight! Anyway, then I replaced the gasket and put the EGR back on.

If I ever have problem with it again... I'll try the cleaner.

[GrandPrixSE]

I on occasion would get an EGR code, and it was recommended to me to use a wire hanger fashioned in a way that you can scrape away some of the deposits in the line leading to the exhaust.

When I did this I used a micro vacuum attachment ( to clean computers with) to suck up the deposits. Of course you could detach the line.....heh hindsight! Anyway, then I replaced the gasket and put the EGR back on.

If I ever have problem with it again... I'll try the cleaner.

Yea the cleaner did the trick for sure.. for now anyways

[Vlad0691]

Could you just take off the egr without a problem if you're not tuned?

[GrandPrixSE]

Could you just take off the egr without a problem if you're not tuned?

From what I have read on this site, that is not a great idea. If you remove the whole egr system, you have to make block plates for the holes you have left open, and you will have to tuneyour car or else it will run like crap

[Vlad0691]

I figured as much lol. What exactly does the EGR do? Redirect your exhaust?

[GrandPrixSE]

Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)

[TheOtherNick]

It will not run like crap and the block off plates take like 2 min to make. You will just get a ses light. The egr valve lets exhaust back into the cylinder to take up space and cool the combustion chamber to help with Nox emissions.

[Vlad0691]

So what are the pros and cons of not having it?

[Teardrop]

So what are the pros and cons of not having it?

Cons would be you would have to tune it, however THAT is accomplished.
It could cause it to fail emissions if you are in an emissions county.

Not sure of the pros, honestly it is probably best to just leave it intact.

If an EGR is stuck open, it will idle like crap. If it is stuck closed, probably won't have too bad a problems.

[Vlad0691]

When I get a tuned PCM I'll probably take it out, block the holes, and request the tune to just emulate the EGR.

[TheOtherNick]

pros and cons have been listed tons of times. All tuning it out is setting the code to no report.