How to clean the EGR valve?

Your vehicle's EGR valve is essential for reducing harmful emissions. However, when it becomes too clogged, it interferes with proper operation, resulting in increased emissions.  Is your EGR valve clogged with soot? Do you want to avoid any risk by using the right cleaning method? This article will walk you through the steps to effectively clean your EGR valve and keep your vehicle environmentally friendly.

Why clean your EGR valve?

Engine maintenance is essential to prolong the life of your vehicle and, most importantly, to reduce repair costs. But that's not all!

Cleaning your EGR valve will allow you to:

• Remove gum, varnish, soot and deposits from the EGR valve
• Restore air flow to combustion chambers and eliminate holes during acceleration
• Perfect combustion
• Reduce fuel consumption
• Prevent deposits from forming

How and why do EGR valves get clogged?

Over time and with driving style, the EGR valve accumulates soot and eventually gets stuck. When it's stuck in the closed position, your vehicle will run normally, but you'll pollute more.

Signs of a clogged EGR valve

The purpose of the EGR valve is to return some of the exhaust gases to the engine's intake system. Over time, soot or carbon deposits build up and clog the EGR valve. Several symptoms can indicate that it's time to clean your car's EGR valve:

• A loss of engine power: A clogged EGR valve can reduce engine power. The car will have a tendency to stall, sometimes even stall repeatedly;
• Black exhaust fumes:Due to the presence of carbon deposits, the exhaust fumes become increasingly black;
• Increased fuel consumption:the engine requires more fuel to operate at full power;
• Engine light comes on: this indicates a malfunction in the vehicle's emission control system.

To clean an EGR valve

• Step 1: Remove the dipstick and engine cover.
• Step 2: Identify the air box: you will need to remove its cover to access the EGR valve.  
• Step 3: Disconnect the airbox by removing the 2 screws and 2 plugs.
• Step 4: Now it's time to disassemble your valve! Nuts, bolts, hoses, hose clamps - disconnect and remove the components surrounding your EGR valve from its housing.
• Step 5: Once you've reached the valve, remove the scale from the EGR valve and spray on an EGR valve cleaning spray. After about 10 minutes, use a toothbrush to scrub off the residue.
• Note: You can also spray this spray directly on accessible parts of the car to clean them as well.
• Step 6: Replace the EGR valve when it's clean, then pour the EGR Valve Cleaner into your car's fuel tank. Your tank should contain at least 20 liters of fuel for optimal mixing.
• Step 7: When everything is done, warm up the engine! Drive at high revs to activate the cleaning power of the special EGR valve cleaner as the car revs up.

Other techniques for cleaning the EGR valve

There are several ways to clean an EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve. Here are some commonly used methods:

• Solvent cleaning: You can submerge the EGR valve in a tank containing a special cleaning solvent. After a while, you should be able to easily remove deposits and dirt from the valve. Some of the best solvents are white spirit, isopropyl alcohol, kerosene, and toluene.
• Ultrasonic cleaning:You can use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean the EGR valve. This method uses ultrasonic vibrations to loosen debris and dirt from the valve.
• Steam cleaning: You can use a steam cleaner to clean the EGR valve. This method uses hot steam to loosen debris and dirt from the valve.

How can an EGR valve be cleaned and maintained without disassembly?

How can you effectively clean an EGR valve without disassembling it and without using the chemical products found in spray cans that contain various environmentally harmful additives?

Hydrogen scaling is achieved by enhancing a natural phenomenon, the enrichment of the air/fuel mixture in your internal combustion engine. This process is effective and non-aggressive because it does not introduce any chemical and/or corrosive products into your engine. The scale is simply dissolved in the engine and naturally evacuated with the exhaust gases, where it is collected in a special filter.

Thanks to this operation, you'll be able to get this part working properly again, avoid having to replace it and get back to the original fuel consumption level.

Now you know all about cleaning your EGR valve. If it's too severe, you won't be able to avoid replacing your EGR valve. Therefore, we recommend that you periodically run at high revs to clean your EGR valve.