EGR Block Off - Do It!

[SMOKEY]

Hey guys

If you haven't blocked your EGR off, do it.

PROS: Smoother idle, Smoother mid range, reduce carbon buildup in manifold, eliminate EGR open/close issues, 10 minute mod, 100% reversible, no special tools required

CONS: may contravene emissions regulations in your area, in some cars EGR has some part to play in keeping cylinder temps down but hard to get definitive info on that, it will throw an EGR code when you scan for errors so you will need to plug it back in to eliminate that code or just be aware that it's going to show up

As you know I've been working through some issues with my 2005 3.0d since taking ownership a couple of months ago.

It got sick pretty quick after delivery. This turned out to be due to cracked injector mount allowing the injector to 'float' in it's seat and let compression past. This must have happened pre-delivery when they replaced the turbo (blown oil seals) and valve cover gasket. So I got that all sorted out, replaced all filters, put quality oil in and had the EGR cleaned out and all manifold seals/gaskets replaced.

It ran a lot better, but still would often feel 'grainy' during acceleration and rough on idle. IT was nothing dramatic, but to give an example, my iphone sitting in the windscreen mounted cradle used to vibrate a lot when ideling at the lights, indicated the engine wasn't running all that smooth. But I wasn't sure if it was just my paranoia, or if that was the nature of the diesel and the way the car was meant to be given I'd never driven it in 100% optimal health.

Anyway, after researching on blanking the EGR I decided to do it, given I'd just paid all this money to get the EGR cleaned and manifold seals replaced, last thing I wanted to do was for it to coke up again with carbon.

1. Pull the plastic engine cover off
2. Pull the vacc line off the EGR (it's very obvious)
3. Screw an inch long M5 fine threaded bolt down into the vacc hose. Secure with a zip tie for good measure.
4. Replace plastic engine cover

This process took no longer than 10 minutes. The results are dramatic.

The car runs a lot smoother at idle and pulls a lot cleaner. At first I thought the power felt a bit lower as the boost wasn't hitting as hard from 2k on, but the reality is I'm getting a lot smoother transition into boost, meaning a fatter torque curve and I'm sure the car is quicker as a result.

Now one could argue that this would indicate there was an issue with my EGR in the first place, but given I only just had it cleaned by a BMW specialist a few weeks ago, I doubt this is the case.

The mod is 100% reversible. Takes 10 mins max. Try it yourself, if you don't notice any difference feel free to resort back to standard - but I'm pleased with the results!




I'm extra happy to know it's running well as my Bluefin Superchip arrived today..... >:D

[Raj]

Nice one. I've gone down the EGR blanking on our Golf 150pd. It's helped to reduce the smoking we were getting when flooring it.

[chelsea]

I do every diesel I own 

[X5-D-Sport]

Re EGR BLOCK-OFF  / removal..
Another route for this is to swap out the EGR totally by fitting a straight thru unit that's located at the front of the engine at the top, directly in front of you when stood in front of the vehicle (E53 Diesel).

E mail me privately for pictures, and please load them here too for others to see.

The removal of the complete EGR unit usually features a blanker, so both jobs are done in one go, and negate the bloody awkward job of fitting a blanker plate at the manifold....

Re emissions.... because the EGR device gets sooooo crudded up, and blocks engine breathing, the emissions when I did mine actually improved, due to a better burn & unrestricted airflow. the inside of the EGR unit was 60% blocked...
The EGR concept is good for a new engine with new injectors etc, but pretty bloody useless on a mature engine of 138k miles, like mine is...
Performance improvement - notable, & economy may improve by a mile or two a gallon at best...
Smoke on start-up was be reduced a l, and smoke on full  throttle was reduced for sure.
It's just one more piece of unreliable junk to remove from a very good engine design...

Grant B