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How to clean out your EGR system. (56k beware)

81K views 78 replies 40 participants last post by  sowsley 
#1 · (Edited)
Use a thick flat head screwdriver and a hammer. Don't be scared to get rough with this just make sure you hit on the outside rim of the plug with the tip parallel with the rim not perpendicular.


























Wedge the throttle open. I think I stuck a screwdriver in the linkage. The little spout facing down from the top is where exhaust gasses come into the intake from the egr valve.


Cut a piece of cardboard so you can stick in into the throttle body in order to catch carbon.


Stick a screwdriver in the hole like this and wiggle it like crazy. You may even need to use a hammer to open a path through in between wiggling.


This is what it should look like after sticking the screwdriver through before wiggling it around.


Carbon will start to fall.


By the end of this process you may have this much or more. It's better to pull out smaller loads than to try to pull out a giant load, like I did, chancing dropping this crud down the intake manifold.


There is a tube that runs down the top of the manifold.
On the 85 manifold there is a 10mm female allen plug on the back side, facing the firewall & adjacent to the EGR valve, but on the 84 there is only an EGR valve.
This is the 84 manifold:


This is the 85 manifold. Notice the stud which the EGR bolts to. It is adjacent to the plug and facing the vavle cover not the firewall.


This is the light you can see once you pierce through the clogged carbon. A straw works well to remove the carbon. You have to repeatedly stick the straw in through the back and then blow the carbon out. Eventually you'll get it all.


Removing the EGR valve requires removing two or three small 10 or 12mm nuts and loosening a rather large flange nut which connects the EGR to a S-bent pipe that bends around the rear of the engine. It's WAY easier
to remove the EGR if you unbolt the back side of the S-bent pipe. To do this you must remove 2 bolts. They're a PITA to get to but it's possible. I had to lay on the engine and put my arms around the exhaust side and through the back of the spark plug valley.

Loosening the Flange nut:


Back behind here and to the left is the picture under this one:


The bolts in the center facing right and the bolts you want to get. I used all my 3/8" extentions with the ratchet over near the EGR to get to these bolts.


My S-bent pipe was very clear of carbon. I didn't need to clean it but getting off the EGR was not happening without pulling it off too.

Once the EGR is off clean out the inside of it. I used a pick to clean it. Take your time so you don't have to take it off again. I made sure all the carbon and gunk was cleaned out of the EGR as best as I could. I also sucked through a vacuum hose to the top port to see if the EGR would work. You can hear it move as you suck and when you release the vacuum it 'pops' back.




Next I removed the lid of the transducer. There is a filter in there. Mine was very black. There are cotton facial cleaning products that work excellent for a filter replacement. If you can get the 2" circular ones those work great. The square ones work just as good. After you're done cleaning the transducer stuff 2 or 3 of them in there and pop the lid back on. I stuck the pick in every hole possible. If you shake the transducer it seems to loosen carbon up and then if you stick the pick into the holes you can further break up the carbon. Repeat this process until carbon doesn't come out any more when you shake it. Stick the pick up the bottom port to get out what you can too. It was full of water and gunk for me.










The bottom port:


These tubes connect the EGR and Transducer. Clean them out


Gently start the plug back into place with a hammer. GENTLY!


Use a socket that matches the diameter of the plug to finish tapping the plug into place. You want about 1mm of the sidewall to show above the plug.
 
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#69 ·
I used what's called a "Bore Snake", and taped it to a piece of flexible wire I threaded through the passage.

The bore snake has brass bristles embedded into it, and is made of nylon webbing. Saturate it with you favorite cleaning solution, pull it back and forth a few times, and ALL the crud in the air box passage will be removed!

- Jim
 
#70 ·
THAT'S what I needed! I got by with a speedometer cable frayed at the end.
I actually had a skinny bottle brush for test tubes that I could have used.
I have 5 extra 18mm plugs,now.
This thread was VERY helpful!:salute:
 
#71 ·
Well,after all of that work to unplug the passage,the engine will not "BOG" when I manually open the EGR valve,Jim.

See the PIX above.

I added a 4/40 bolt with an O ring in the middle of the freeze plug,so I could force feed some cleaner in there ,when I wanted to.
I made this out of a plastic syringe and a valve used to inflate basket balls and I injected some Techron in there until the engine died and let it sit overnight.
Didn't work.
Maybe black powder gun cleaning solution would by pass the need to pull that damn thing apart again.
Same method.
[URL=http://s514.photobucket.com/user/ddd228/media/temporary_zpsn7reqgb1.jpg.html][/URL]
About 1,000 cc's may do it.
Maybe the passage is blocked just passed the EGR valve.
The gun shop in Wenatchee,WA didn't have black power(Sorry) gun cleaning solvent.
 
#72 ·
"Hoppe's #9" or Birchwood-Casey "Gun Scrubber" should work equally well to dissolve carbon deposits.

My EGR valve was clean, the passage wasn't too bad, but the little brass "spout" tube that directed the exhaust gas flow to the throttle body was packed solid.

The crud came out easily, but it surprised me that that was the only place I could find that had an obstruction.
 
#75 ·
"Even to the point that the exhaust from jets appear to look like clouds, slowly fanning out and slowly falling to the earth leaving a nasty haze over everything..."

What you see behind a jet aircraft at high altitude is called a condensation trail, or contrail for short. When a jet engine sucks air in at the front that air is compressed, along with whatever moisture is contained in it. When it comes out the back that moisture immediately freezes in the minus 50 degrees C air. It is not pollution, it is merely harmless ice crystals.

Capt Bob, B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, as well as 18,000 hours flying those big jets.

Now I gotta go out to the garage and clean out my EGR system!
 
#76 ·
Use a thick flat head screwdriver and a hammer. Don't be scared to get rough with this just make sure you hit on the outside rim of the plug with the tip parallel with the rim not perpendicular.


























Wedge the throttle open. I think I stuck a screwdriver in the linkage. The little spout facing down from the top is where exhaust gasses come into the intake from the egr valve.


Cut a piece of cardboard so you can stick in into the throttle body in order to catch carbon.


Stick a screwdriver in the hole like this and wiggle it like crazy. You may even need to use a hammer to open a path through in between wiggling.


This is what it should look like after sticking the screwdriver through before wiggling it around.


Carbon will start to fall.


By the end of this process you may have this much or more. It's better to pull out smaller loads than to try to pull out a giant load, like I did, chancing dropping this crud down the intake manifold.


There is a tube that runs down the top of the manifold.
On the 85 manifold there is a 10mm female allen plug on the back side, facing the firewall & adjacent to the EGR valve, but on the 84 there is only an EGR valve.
This is the 84 manifold:
Used this Thread to clean out my EGR System Today following a Failed Smog Test on my 1986 Toyota Cressida. The test failed the NOx emission section and with some google skills researching that Failure brought me here.
Just wanted to thank you for this write-up! Helped immensely. And I too ended up with a giant pile of carbon deposits and goo. Was amazing! Wire brush, drain brush, dental pick and some Carb Cleaner did the trick!!
Now to put it all back together and go get it smogged again! Thanks DRIFTINGmy85, Legend!
 
#77 ·
Thanks for the great info on this process. Did the whole thing today due to a failed smog but everything was pretty clean once I got it all out. EGR valve moved and dropped when suction was applied, none of the hoses or passages were clogged, or even caked that bad for that matter. The 24mm nut on the S-hose, good lord. I never want to do that one again haha. The only issue I had is the gasket between EGR and manifold basically disintegrated when I removed it so I'll have to get a new one of those. All in all a pretty smooth process, thanks again for the excellent writeup!
 
#79 ·
This may help someone. Smog before last (I live in California), my Supra failed the EVAP test. The issue as it turns out is that the top of my gas filler tube where the gas cap seals against it is deformed slightly making it difficult for some smog equipment to make a good seal. As long as the smog tech is aware of that, he will make sure that he gets a good seal with his hose and not automatically assume the issue is with the car.
 
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