sofaspud
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After finally solving a starting problem (mostly hot start) I thought I would finally post the pics in case it helps others.
This was discussed in this thread
I had been through the route of cleaning the IMRC etc to no avail. Once again it was F6HAD that suggested the EGR as the source of the fault
The unit operates by vacuum controlled from the solenoid, the diaghram pulls the valve open against its own internal spring pressure.
After testing this with a mityvac hand pump I found it squeaked just as the valve was trying to reseat. It made no difference whether the EGR was warm or stone cold, the squeak was there everytime.
As I had the facilities (visited a friends garage) I decided to try giving the whole thing a good clean before splashing out megabucks on a new one.
I used a shot blaster loaded with coconut shell as an alternative to steel shot/glass/sand. Just be careful if you do the same as the diaghram is close & needs protecting as it could be blasted.
This shows the plunger of the actuator capsule in the closed position for referance while still fitted to the car, note the dirt around the base of the operating rod.
& here it is when it was sucked fully open using a mityvac pump. Note the witness marks on the shaft showing how far it would normally open.
I pulled it past this point to pull the valve as far as possible to allow the blaster to clean in behind the valve & seat.
Removal is quite simple really, just remove the vac pipe, the 2 bolts underneath attaching the exhaust pipe, & the 4 mounting bolts. The bolt holding the dipstick tube also needs removing to allow this to flex when the EGR is pulled off the manifold.
Once removed you are left with more space...;-)
This is what mine looked like. It was nowhere near as crudded as some have seen on theirs.
After using the shot blaster (loaded with coconut shell!) it cleaned it up nicely. I dare say a good dousing in some sort of degreaser/cleaner would be ok of you don't have a blaster available.
When blasting it clean it was held fully open with the mityvac to allow as much room as poss for the blasting material to get in behind the valve
To make sure it was the valve ***y rather than the solenoid I also monitored it using a scope to make sure the solenoid was not the cause (I did this before removal!)
voltage closed
voltage open
Replacement is simply a reversal of removal. The gaskets are steel so didn't need replacing, just fitted them without any sealant.
The car has never shown the fault since doing this & I've now sold it to a friend (so I will hear if there is a problem!)
Hope this helps someone in the future.
Spud
This was discussed in this thread
I had been through the route of cleaning the IMRC etc to no avail. Once again it was F6HAD that suggested the EGR as the source of the fault
The unit operates by vacuum controlled from the solenoid, the diaghram pulls the valve open against its own internal spring pressure.
After testing this with a mityvac hand pump I found it squeaked just as the valve was trying to reseat. It made no difference whether the EGR was warm or stone cold, the squeak was there everytime.
As I had the facilities (visited a friends garage) I decided to try giving the whole thing a good clean before splashing out megabucks on a new one.
I used a shot blaster loaded with coconut shell as an alternative to steel shot/glass/sand. Just be careful if you do the same as the diaghram is close & needs protecting as it could be blasted.
This shows the plunger of the actuator capsule in the closed position for referance while still fitted to the car, note the dirt around the base of the operating rod.
& here it is when it was sucked fully open using a mityvac pump. Note the witness marks on the shaft showing how far it would normally open.
I pulled it past this point to pull the valve as far as possible to allow the blaster to clean in behind the valve & seat.
Removal is quite simple really, just remove the vac pipe, the 2 bolts underneath attaching the exhaust pipe, & the 4 mounting bolts. The bolt holding the dipstick tube also needs removing to allow this to flex when the EGR is pulled off the manifold.
Once removed you are left with more space...;-)
This is what mine looked like. It was nowhere near as crudded as some have seen on theirs.
After using the shot blaster (loaded with coconut shell!) it cleaned it up nicely. I dare say a good dousing in some sort of degreaser/cleaner would be ok of you don't have a blaster available.
When blasting it clean it was held fully open with the mityvac to allow as much room as poss for the blasting material to get in behind the valve
To make sure it was the valve ***y rather than the solenoid I also monitored it using a scope to make sure the solenoid was not the cause (I did this before removal!)
voltage closed
voltage open
Replacement is simply a reversal of removal. The gaskets are steel so didn't need replacing, just fitted them without any sealant.
The car has never shown the fault since doing this & I've now sold it to a friend (so I will hear if there is a problem!)
Hope this helps someone in the future.
Spud
