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EGR is the devil, Bobby Boucher! (Diesel EGR, that is)
(Stolen from "Waterboy" for those that didn't get the bad movie reference)
79k total miles, with about 43k post-fix. Apparently post-fix, this problem gets MUCH worse (according to an Audi tech who does a lot of TDi work, and he says those that do a lot of stop-and-go have it worse. I do mostly highway and some towing). Based off another post here from lightmeup67 mentioning taking the intake off to clean it, I decided to tackle it. I can't believe the CD ran as good as it did before! (though the "lag" that we all talk about was there badly)
The good news is, it all came out fairly easily. It wasn't 'baked' in there like it appears. It was dry and cake-like on the top, and oily/greasy as you dig deeper. Chunks of it fell out of the pipes as I took pieces off. Fortunately the intake manifold cleared up pretty well with just a shop vac shoved in there - I was worried about breaking a big chunk off and having it ingested into the engine. Also fortunate is that it *seems* like not too much stuck into the intake manifold - sticking my fingers in as far as I could, the manifold itself just had a thin coating of the dried gunk; nothing NEAR as bad as what you see here. Will I eventually pull the whole manifold to clean it? Maybe, probably.
Tools I used - 1/4" drive T30 bit, a bunch of various sized 1/4" drive "wobble" extensions, 6mm allen key (black colored bolt under the swirl flap assembly - supports it on a bracket), 5mm allen key (EGR tube clamp where it meets the intake), 7mm socket (clamp for the intake boot). Took about an hour and a half, start to finish. Not a tough job, but definitely a dirty one! Get a can or 2 of throttle body cleaner spray, and a whole lot of paper towels. (I used an entire roll of those blue "Shop towels")
Looking from the engine side at the intake pipe between the swirl flap and the throttle body. the piece in the tube that looks like a tower is the EGR fitting.
Swirl flap assembly on the engine..
Swirl flap assembly removed - you can see how clogged it was. Never had any codes about the flap not working!
Intake manifold with the swirl flap removed.
That is really the last straw for me.. The CD is getting tuned and emissions deleted ASAP. There's no way this isn't shortening the longevity of the engine. I'd be interested in seeing what a pre-fix car with some miles looks like for comparison.. Hey Otis!
Holy crap. Damn. That really sucks for those of us still under bumper to bumper warranty, as I'd love to do a tune/emissions delete but can't while under warranty...
Holy crap. Damn. That really sucks for those of us still under bumper to bumper warranty, as I'd love to do a tune/emissions delete but can't while under warranty...
I'm still under the CPO warranty on mine too. I have very little worry about any component of the powertrain failing and it being blamed on a tune, and the stuff that does seem to fail (non-emissions related) would be a HUGE stretch to pin blame on a tune. The way I see it, the tune & delete removes the stuff that's most often failing, so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. No more EGR, no DPF, no AdBlue, etc...
If by some freak chance I grenade the turbo (haven't read of a single failure, just an example) - that's on me. Rear window sunshade goes wonky like they do? Hatch struts need to be replaced? I have little doubt PCNA will try to deny that warranty claim. But at the end of the day, it's up to you and what level of comfort you have. I want to do what I can to make sure the engine lasts well past the warranty period, and stopping it from ingesting this nasty crap is going to help.
Well done. Oven cleaner for $5 per can will remove carbon quickly and easily. Just remember that oven cleaner is pretty abrasive so don't leave it on for days..
I'm still under the CPO warranty on mine too. I have very little worry about any component of the powertrain failing and it being blamed on a tune, and the stuff that does seem to fail (non-emissions related) would be a HUGE stretch to pin blame on a tune. The way I see it, the tune & delete removes the stuff that's most often failing, so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. No more EGR, no DPF, no AdBlue, etc...
If by some freak chance I grenade the turbo (haven't read of a single failure, just an example) - that's on me. Rear window sunshade goes wonky like they do? Hatch struts need to be replaced? I have little doubt PCNA will try to deny that warranty claim. But at the end of the day, it's up to you and what level of comfort you have. I want to do what I can to make sure the engine lasts well past the warranty period, and stopping it from ingesting this nasty crap is going to help.
Delete any emissions stuff and you will not stand a chance in getting any powertrain warranty approved.
And while a rear window shade can't be tied to those changes in any way, PCNA will be very reluctant to work on a non-emissions compliant vehicle, especially under warranty.
Holy crap. Damn. That really sucks for those of us still under bumper to bumper warranty, as I'd love to do a tune/emissions delete but can't while under warranty...
I'd like to do the same as well, but out here in NV smog testing gets you strapped to a dyno. I don't think I'd even come close to passing.
Wonder if there'd be a way to go back to pre-fix, unless they've changed the standards out here. I passed then without issues...
Looking at the pictures of the EGR more closely and noticing that there are no signs of movement as it is gets carboned up. That makes sense for post fix because continuous recirculation of exhaust gas will give you lower exhaust numbers. Maybe the post fix tune keeps the swirl flap open at all times.
This looks to be a simple DIY every 30K which is something I am willing to put up with until warranty expires.
Old turbo diesel engine trick in europe is to block off the egr with a metal plate. No codes and can be removed in minutes if needed. Did it on all my previous diesel cars I had.
I literaly used a 2 EUR coin on a 1.9l tdi I used to have and it took like 90 seconds with basic tools while still looking completely stock
Believe the parts pictured and cleaned is the swirl flap. It is the downstream part of the EGR. The EGR valve would be closer to the turbo exhaust pipes. Find and follow a small exhaust piping branching off the turbo exhaust pipe to find and clean the EGR valve for a complete cleaning.
Believe the parts pictured and cleaned is the swirl flap. It is the downstream part of the EGR. The EGR valve would be closer to the turbo exhaust pipes. Find and follow a small exhaust piping branching off the turbo exhaust pipe to find and clean the EGR valve for a complete cleaning.
Yeah, I think the biggest problem with the EGR on our engines is that it's buried deep in the V of the engine, so difficult to get to in order to check out. Cleaning it isn't the biggest problem... it's getting to it!
07-17-2019, 09:23 AM
EGR is the devil, Bobby Boucher! (Diesel EGR, that is)
