EGR system guidance/maintenance

[hat_man]

Hello again,

Another silly question from the guy with all the silly questions LOL!

After reading the threads below about the EGR system I am wondering if this is the type of system that can be in need of a good cleaning every once in a while to keep it operating efficiently. Or is it something that doesn't need that kind of maintenance.

My little truck has over 212k miles on it and I have driven at least half of them. I haven't really done anything to it maintenance wise other than changing the oil and filters regularly, and the plugs and wires once since I bought it. I did clean the MAF and the throttle body though.

If this is a system that does need attention, then are there other systems/things that I probably need to address and how do I go about it? Is there a thread on here somewhere? I would gladly do a search, but some help in knowing what to search for would help.

Thanks for the advice.

[ksa8907]

Check to be sure your particular engine is equipped with it, but yes, it needs to be cleaned every few years ideally.

[hat_man]

How do I go about that?

[ksa8907]

take it off and clean it with kerosene. or buy a new one, or cheaper still, just block it off and do a warm air intake. with most vehicles the PCV valve will allow small amounts of oil into the intake and it will get blown around and burned. gets in the exhaust and ends up in the egr, after x number of years and miles the egr tubes and/or valve gets plugged or seizes causing problems. either clean, if possible, replace, or improvise.

[razor02097]

Some EGR systems are worse than others but they all will eventually need to be serviced. Many times there are few if any symptoms of a clogged EGR system. You may get a check engine light depending on the type of vehicle.

Cleaning the EGR system usually involves removal of the EGR valve as well as physically cleaning the passages. Depending on the severity of the contamination you might have to remove other components.

[brucepick]

I don't know if this if true for most or if it is just a Honda thing:

EGR system feads into a set of passages in a 2-piece aluminum casting, which is a kind of mini-manifold that feeds to the intake system. The 2 pieces are like a clamshell - you take off the top piece which exposes the lower one with all the passages cast or machined into it. Clean the passages and the small ports leading to the intake and reassemble. On the Civic it's below the injector rail.