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Thanks to ScottD for the original cleaning post. A few more notes from my 15 hour cleaning project on a 2004 California emissions Civic.
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How to Clean EGR Ports / Passages - Honda Civic Forum
This guy is worse than I am!
Honda recommended using throttle body cleaner instead of brake or carburetor cleaner. That is what this says, too:
Cleaning EGR Valve Passage
People keep telling me not to listen to Honda!
Chrysler kid used pipe cleaners, two linked end to end. We use far better pipe cleaners than I bought at Walmart to clean our weapons in the Army, I thought that the Walmart ones were ineffective. Scotty Kilmer recommends using an old speedometer cable and a drill (specifically for the EGR itself). I thought that it was brilliant, but I did not have one, and O'Reilly did not sell them, so I picked up a small cable used to secure a bike seat. Just put it in reverse, or you will unwind the cable. Unfortunately, my cable quickly became over-twisted, and started binding. I needed to change direction to get it out, but then it unwound.
The guy at the bike shop asked if I wanted him to put a drop of solder on the end of the cable. I asked him to. He did not. That probably would have helped.
I went through two cables and then just wrapped tape around the end of a drill and used that to clean it out, like Chrysler kid did! Everybody says to use picks and\or screwdrivers. The cables, a good razor, and the drill bit were the only metal that I used. I figured that if I scratched the aluminum, carbon would build up on it faster. I sprayed the plate and gasket and then used toothpicks and Q-tips. The guide on tegger.com lists these parts:
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Aluminum washers for fuel filter (2)
[90428-PD6-003 $3.43)
EGR Chamber Gasket (1)
[17146-P2J-004 $35]
EGR valve gasket if you decide to replace or remove and clean valve and ports (1) New valve comes with this gasket.
[18715-PB2-000 $7 my gasket was not reusable]
"O" rings, fuel injectors (4)
[91301-P2F-A01 $2.40]
Seal ring, fuel injector (4)
[16472-P0H-A01 $2.05]
Cushion ring, fuel injector (4)
[16473-P10-A01 $3.75]
Clean engine oil (to lubricate injector seals)
Honda silicone sealant (tube) (if you buy aftermarket, the stuff MUST be labeled as "sensor safe"!)
Cost of all the parts was around $60 US in 2008.
[08718-0003 $20.49]
[Try 79340818781, Permatex Ultra Copper 81878 $7.49]
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I could not find the first part number on-line, AutoZone could not help, so I called the second-closest dealership, and paid $70.63. I could have saved $17.31 (including shipping!) by ordering all of that through Majestic Honda. I could have saved six more (or thirteen through my dealership!) by purchasing Permatex instead of Honda.
I decided to do this Saturday morning, but did not track down the parts until the afternoon and did not come home until shortly before my girlfriend arrived at 1700. It was dark before I figured out how to pull everything. I cleaned the plate and gasket on Sunday, but after trying throttle body cleaner, a toothbrush, gasket remover, 2,000-grit sandpaper, and a good razor, the old gasket maker did not start coming off until I used something abrasive enough to damage the gasket.
I am not sure why the Tegger guide mentioned replacing the plate gasket. According to the last post here:
EGR Valve Gasket? [Archive] - Honda Prelude Forum : Honda Prelude Forums, the valve gasket is metal with a layer of graphite on each side, which needs to be scraped off and replaced.
It seems like everybody reuses the plate gasket, including Scotty Kilmer, and Eric the Car Guy. My concern was that some of the old gasket maker did come off, so I worried that there would not be a good seal. Instead of paying $35 for a new one, I found one for $12.87 at autohausaz.com, which is 1.5 miles from my house. They say that if you order by 1300MST, you can pick it up the same day. I placed my order well before then, but it was not ready until the next day, and I still had not checked the EGR valve itself. It was dirty, but nothing like the plate and ports, but that was the first that I heard of a metal gasket that is not reusable; I found a replacement at NAPA. I finished after work and took her for a drive. No check engine light!
