Cooled EGR

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by UFO

I am not convinced NOx is a serious problem. Acid rain is not an issue in the front range of Colorado, smog was much worse than it is now.

Despite higher traffic and all that, acid rain is now less of a problem, but that didn't come magically - it is because of better fuels, pollution control systems in cars, and in the industry.

My understanding of acid rain is it's caused mostly the sulfur from coal plants.

They can / should wash their gases before emitting them into the atmosphere.
We have to do so at work to get rid of gasses containing sulphur.

I never advocated "throwing out all the emissions control gear from our cars", so please don't put words in my mouth. I am not ripping out the catalytic converters from my vehicles, and certainly not disabling EGR or evaporative controls on my gasser.

But you are knowingly disabling a pollution control system - and unfortunately enough, you're not the only one on this forum to do so.

If you are reasonable I think you will find my actions are proper enough, regardless of whether you agree with me specifically.

It's a good thing you're running on B100 as it has great advantages over regular diesel - I wish I could - but why negate a good part of that effort by putting out more NOx

If you want to be a purist

I'm not one of those greenies in sheepwool socks and sandals

[UFO]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

How a certain engine reacts to adding/removing EGR seems to be a highly individual thing. Some report milage going up, others down. I read recently that in newer cars the ECU has so much control over the engine that EGR operation is almost unnoticible, so we have cleaner cars without sacrificing performance.

I have not researched the differences in diesel EGR in the US vs. Europe, but I hear the US has stricter standards for NOx and thus flows more EGR. That causes definite problems with intakes, reduces mileage, and makes it necessary to have EGR coolers on the newer diesels.

The US Jeep Liberty (Cherokee in Europe) CRD will develop serious issues with the manifold sensors, the EGR valve and FCV (flow control valve) if left alone from the factory, not to mention intake cleaning is prohibitively expensive due to the labor involved in removing the manifold. Just do a search in the CRD section of lostjeeps.com if you want data on EGR related failures. Green Diesel Engineering has adopted this orphan vehicle, and is doing excellent work in optimizing the EGR flow to the point where it stops causing problems. An ECO tune is out of my reach at the moment; soon, but not yet.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by euromodder

It's a good thing you're running on B100 as it has great advantages over regular diesel - I wish I could - but why negate a good part of that effort by putting out more NOx

I answered that in a previous post, and in my last post.

[ConnClark]

I have disabled my EGR. My justification is my car with was the first production car to have a Diesel Particulate Filter. This was before cars had a regeneration mode and in fact was why it was discovered one was needed. Anything that produces soot plugs up the filter which makes the engine work harder and that makes more NOx on its own.

These filters had a problem with plugging up so bad that four possible bad things could happen. The best case is your mileage sucks and you have no power. the next best case was the car would quit running. The next best case is the pressure would cause the filter to break up and throw chunks of itself into the turbo (it was located between the exhaust manifold and the turbo). The worst case is the back pressure was enough to crack the head.

Eventually the EPA mandated a recall to refit the cars with a newer Catalytic Diesel Particulate Filter that didn't filter as much. Unfortunately the cars still don't have a regeneration mode so the filters still get plugged to the point that it doesn't flow well. The only way to clean it out is to drive at sustained high speed (90mph+) for a couple of minutes or to drive it up a long steep hill a few times.

Since it was designed for California Emissions the engineers assumed a different driving profile and warmer climate conditions. IF you spend two hours a day on the highway and don't drive in cold climates it will stay relatively clear. If not you must "regenerate" it as mentioned above. Since I live in a colder climate and only get on the highway twice a week for less than fifteen minutes, I can't keep it clean even if I disable the EGR.

[vtec-e]

ConnClark, you need something like this in your exhaust:

Now theres an ecomod that could change things!

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by vtec-e

ConnClark, you need something like this in your exhaust:


Now theres an ecomod that could change things!

Hmmm, you come back home, shovel that soot into the furnace, and you've got free heat

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by UFO

I hear the US has stricter standards for NOx and thus flows more EGR.

Stricter NOx standards will become the norm for diesels everywhere.
It's only a matter of time.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by euromodder

Stricter NOx standards will become the norm for diesels everywhere.
It's only a matter of time.

(Click on image for discussion.)

[UFO]

Originally Posted by euromodder

Stricter NOx standards will become the norm for diesels everywhere.
It's only a matter of time.

There are far better ways of dealing with NOx than EGR. Catalysts for example. Water injection as another. No need to sacrifice fuel efficiency to the NOx bogeyman.

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by UFO

There are far better ways of dealing with NOx than EGR. Catalysts for example. Water injection as another. No need to sacrifice fuel efficiency to the NOx bogeyman.

...my thoughts exactly, because EGR is simply automotive "...fart sniffing..." in my mind.