EGR Cooler Cleaning (What I learned!..)

Got this job done during my winter break finally. Replaced the spark plugs first and then dived into the EGR system. During the removal of the coolant lines, I used a ziplock bag to catch any coolant that came out. If you drain the bottom two, nothing should come out from the top two. I couldn't let all that stuff to drain down and make a mess. And when I was done, I just put it all (a little over 250cc) back into the expansion tank and I was done. I would highly recommend using a ziplock bag or similar.


When I removed the EGR cooler, I thought I was going to see a terrible picture (my car is 2010 @ 151k). Especially thinking how my intake ports were, I found my EGR cooler in a much better shape than I was expecting. I started by spraying brake cleaner, ran some wire through the passages. All worked good and I started the Oxi Clean treatment. Mixed about 200ml solution (very hot water), poured it in with one end of the cooler capped off. Solution started bubbling. I left it in for a few hours. Then, I tried to drain the cooler. Only half of what I put in came out. I was wondering where the other half of the Oxi solution. The EGR cooler wasn't feeling empty. I removed the cap from the other end and the missing solution came out!..


This told me right there that majority of my passages were clogged and not letting the oxi solution move freely. I mixed some more and repeated the treatment several times with no success. I sprayed more brake cleaner but that didn't provide much help either.


I then went to Ace Hardware to buy a long flex wire. I started inserting the wire into every single passage (there are 65 by the way 5 rows of 13), I couldn't believe the stuff that came out. Spent a good one hour repeating this again and again. Then I capped one end and filled the cooler with brake cleaner. Let it sit for an hour. Incredible mount of black sludge came out. Though despite all the things I have done, the passages still weren't perfectly clean. I wasn't able to see the light when I looked through it.


I then used an air compressor, and that did the trick. I was spraying the passages with a brake cleaner and then blasting it off with 100+PSI air. Close to an hour of repeating this finally cleaned the damn cooler. I would say I cleaned 95% of the passages. A few that are on the corners are very difficult to get to.


Please see the attached pictures I picked for you. I now understand why everybody says what they say about this job. I am glad I will not do this again...




Want to make a comment/recommendation about the Oxi clean. I really didn't see a miracle with this chemical. I think a brake cleaner will do a much better job.


If I were to do this job again,


- I would start with a wire, after poking through all the passages,
- I would spray a brake cleaner through every passage,
- I would then soak the cooler with brake cleaner (about a 1/3 of a spray can will fill it up entirely). Just cap one end, fill it up and cap the other end so it wouldn't vaporize. Half an hour should be fine.
- Then blast it with pressurized air immediately. If you repeat this (Spray brake cleaner/then pressurized air) several times, the job will get done.


If you have a very powerful air compressor (or may even be a pressure washer), this will alone do a better job than any of the chemicals out there. And you will get done literally in minutes. The thing doesn't need to be shiny, it needs to be open.
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Thanks Ray and yes my surgery went well but was Very Long!... Between figuring what I needed to do and how I needed to do, started Friday finished Sunday. I wasn't working on it all that time but that was the total down time for the car.
And after you finish everything and figure out that this could get done in minutes, you get mad at yourself.
That's why I shared...

Sparkplug replacement and the EGR system cleaning were the last set of the preventative maintenance jobs I planned for the engine (after the intake manifold and intake ports cleaning). My roommate had witnessed all the stuff I went through.
When I was done, he asked me if my car was running any better, I said no and there was a weird smile on his face.
This is the part that is very difficult to explain.
My car is running the same way it was running before all of these work I have done but I am pretty sure it is running happier right now. And that makes me happy.

 

Absolutely. I could do it in one day if I were to do it again.

Water pump always comes to mind believe it or not but it is hard for me to just replace that as a preventative maintenance at the moment. That are so many other things and all are at 150+k miles

What symptoms would I get? With this car, I don't have an engine temp gauge as all cars do...