at 150k miles the egr valve cooler assembly should be cleaned

Good to know. Maybe time for Toyota to step up, at least acknowledge this needs attention, set an inspection interval?

Did you try the copper wire on an electric drill trick, per @danlatu ?

 

The 2 cans of Brake Kleen do the job well. If you do the copper wire trick, be careful on the gauge wire you employ. I had 18 gauge and it didn't fit between the fins and baffle.

In the cooler I removed from our Prius after 120 k miles, most of the plugging was at the ends, most prominent at the exhaust to egr cooler end. I was able to use a dental pick and create a better sight line through the openings for the flashlight to shine through.

Just another option .

 

I believe #20awg was the right size for me with the drill spinning, If I had done this from the start I would have saved hours with a lot less chemical soaking.
1500 miles left till I hit 300k club.

 

Let's make this one sticky too. Too many longtime PC are unaware this should be done in a high mile Prius. It's snowballing into an epidemic.

 

did toyota make any improvements in the later gen 3's?

 

I doubt it.

Just from what I've read here, my uneducated thought would be to reroute the pipe that goes between the exhaust manifold to the EGR cooler component. It currently connects upstream of the catalytic converter. I believe the 4th gen has been revised: similar pipe connects downstream of catalytic converter. I think even in the 4th gen intro doc's there was mention of improved or reworked EGR? It'd be nice if third gen owners could get a break, a fix that actually works.

 

You should make a DIY on how to remove it or at least post a link to how to.

 

I've cobbled together some Repair Manual excerpts in the attachments. Using that for a few tips, plus just following your nose, you'll get there. You might want to do a coolant change at the same time, since it involves engine coolant line removal I believe an E8 (female) torx bit is indispensable, for removing some bits. And Purple Power is supposed to be quite effective dealing with carbon in the EGR cooler. @danlatu recommends a 20 gauge copper wire on a power drill to work loose deposits in the cooler.

You basically want to clean everything, between the cooler connection to the exhaust manifold, through to and including the intake manifold. It seems like a design shortcoming, that this is required, so early.

Watch also @NutzAboutBolts video in 3rd gen maintenance (pinned at the top) about spark plug change: it shows the wiper motor and cowl removal.

Full disclosure: I've never touched it myself, lol. Oh: I did look at the "pipe", a couple of times now. That's the short stainless steel tube with flanges at both ends, that connects between the EGR valve and intake manifold.

@NutzAboutBolts has another video, specifically for accessing that pipe. I would consider it the "canary in the coal mine", something that's relatively easy to access, and gives some indication to build-up.

Just as an ex-draftsman, I'm supremely impressed at how nicely that pipe fits up, joining two disparate systems. Some precision machining at work.

 

Does anybody know if I can take my car into either the dealer or a mechanic to get this cleaned just as preventative maintenance? Not really a DIY type of guy other than preforming basic maintenance.

 

I don't trust the dealer, they may do a half assed job if they are busy. I would want to see before and after pics of how clean.

 

If you've ever watched a show like This Old House, you may recall the term "sweat equity". At best, maybe the dealership, or a competent mechanic (@danlatu comes to mind), could work with you: do the serious wrenching, and leave you to clean the intake manifold, EGR pipe/valve/cooler. The cleaning is time consuming, and would get expensive if done by the mechanics.

You would want to work with pros in such a way that your car would not tie up a high use service bay. Maybe they could do the disassembly 'round back, and then just drop the hood, lock things up, be willing to let the car sit there for a few days.

Also, at this stage of an evolving "issue", I would wonder if dealership mechanics are even competent , or willing, to do something like this?

 

Well "this just in", and I'm impressed Toyota Canada!
I got a letter from them today on a "Warranty Enhancement Program" number SOSH-W11-1A.
IF my car ever has the rough idle problem at cold start due to a sticking EGR valve they WILL fix it! This extends the warranty to 10 years after first use or 240,000 km, whichever occurs first. Has to be done at a dealer of course, and if it has already been done they may do a cost reimbursement. I suspect they would replace the EGR valve rather than mess with it. Probably more cost effective.

I don't have the problem (yet) at 32,000 km, but I'm told to put the letter in the warranty booklet in the car "just in case".

So I guess they ARE listening.

 

Nice.

It'd be nice to get a PDF, just what the fix includes. If it doesn't include the cooler that'd be very short sighted.

Edit: postman came, got the same notice.

 

Video hopefully coming by months end.

 

How often do you do that?

 

What do you think of this preventative measure, Jacek? I'm planning to pull out the EGR and intake manifold to clean them and install an oil catch can off of the PCV valve. Pretty big maintenance procedure.

 

On page 14 of the manual section that Mendel posted there is an EGR electrical connector with spec resistance values. Would measuring those help determine if the EGR is getting clogged (without the need for disassemby)? I can't tell what those contacts are measuring.

 

I doubt it. The valve gets an electrical signal to tell it to open and close. Not sure if it will tell you that the valve is stuck open.