egr valve soak time and cleaning solutions?

[Balboa]

Hi I got my egr valve off and there has been mixed stuff over the web. Some people soak it in carb cleaner and some people soak it in wd40. Which one works best? I don't want to buy a new one since it would cost $165 and a can of wd40 or carb cleaner is $5.

[Eli]

The EGR valve fails internally. It doesn't get clogged externally in my experience; it's close enough to the exhaust tract that exhaust gasses don't condense in it like they do in the EGR plate.

I think the carbon track inside the EGR fails long before external clogging would ever become a problem.

There's a thread on it. You have to drill a hole in it and spray the cleaner inside. I would just buy a new one, to be honest. I've never bothered repairing any of my failed EGR valves. Nothing like the feeling of a new EGR. So smooth...

Should last at least ~80k miles.

[Balboa]

I might as well just trying soaking it first since I already got it off. Why spend 165 if you don't have to. I'll try soaking it first like some people do with wd40 and see what happens. Seems like there has been positive results by just soaking in wd40 it seems.

[Eli]

I can certainly understand doing it on a budget.

What do you mean by soaking it though? Just the metal part, right? Nothing will get inside that way. You have to drill a hole in it.

I would use contact cleaner like DeOxit, not WD-40.

EGR Valve Internal Repair

EGR Valve Repair

EGR I do not recommend cleaning with WD-40

[rhall]

I agree with Eli. The valve in the exhaust stream is probably not the problem it is usually the electrical track on the inside. Some people have had success squirting in cleaner as Eli suggests; other people including me have disassembled them and repaired them. The original EGR valve on the MY2000 had the contact on backwards. it is like a tiny fork and the fork tines dig a track in the resistor material on the contact plate as it moves up and down. I bent the fork the other way so it contacted on the outside curve of the fork. My repair initially solved my hurkey-jerkey but many kilometers later I started getting that hurkey-jerkey at extremely light throttle. Evidently I had too much material loss on the contact plate on one small spot.

If I do it again I will try the alternate method of cutting the plunger to put the fork in a new spot on the plate. Use the search function to find different methods, in particular see the post from Insight1 from 2009.

But before you go into this clean your EGR plate.

[Eli]

It's been suggested that you could take apart a brand new EGR valve and flip the fork the other way. This should allow the EGR valve to last nearly indefinitely.. Maybe the next time it fails, I will do this.

[Willie Williford]

Also there was a thread about useing a gm product egr (a whole lot cheaper). It has to have the wireing modified. Can't find the thread right now.

Willie

[nasphere]

Originally Posted by Eli

It's been suggested that you could take apart a brand new EGR valve and flip the fork the other way. This should allow the EGR valve to last nearly indefinitely.. Maybe the next time it fails, I will do this.

I suggested Eli try this because I've done this and haven't had ANY issues with it.

You will need soldering equipment, a screwdriver and some wire.

// Disassembly

To take it apart, use a thin flat screwdriver and pry the tabs around the retainer ring on the top sensor portion. You have to get every tab to get the ring off. This is the hardest part of disassembly.

Once you get the ring off, the top section will lift more on one side than the other (it will be pretty hard to lift). Pry it off from the side that lifts more. Something inside will pop or break (this is normal). It's very important to cut the posts or wires when the cap comes off (if they're still attached).

After the top is removed, you'll see on the bottom of it, there's a center section that can be pried out. Be VERY gentle prying it out, and get at it from multiple angles. It should slide straight out. DO NOT pull it out at an angle.

*SMALL PART WARNING*
The center section should have a moving plunger where you'll see the metal 'forks' retained by a press ring. Remove the press ring and fork (wiper) unit. Bend the forks the other way. Basically if you were to flip the forks over, the fingers would not be pointed into the plate they ride on.

// Reassembly

Tighten the press ring with pliers before you secure the fork on the plunger (it loosened when you removed it). Reassemble the plunger section into the main top housing.

Depending on how your sensor portion broke from the mechanical section, you need to solder wires to the coil wires on the mechanical section, and solder the other ends of the wires to the sensor section, where the posts are or where they broke from. Use silicone around the solder joints to keep them from moving during use

Put the cap back onto the mechanical section and snap the retainer ring over it.

Congratulations you have an EGR valve that won't wear out (in theory)!

[Balboa]

I was looking at the way this guy did it:

Honda Insight EGR valve cleaning dennisjudd.com

So will this do nothing?

[Eli]

Originally Posted by Balboa

I was looking at the way this guy did it:

Honda Insight EGR valve cleaning dennisjudd.com

So will this do nothing?

It might I guess. It won't if the problem is the carbon track though.