safe chemicals clean egr

check some of egr threads, perhaps some people have mentioned what they ysed.

@NutzAboutBolts youtube video might have info

 

Yes, in particular for the EGR cooler, which is 100% stainless steel. I would not use it for the EGR valve (mostly aluminin) or intake manifold EGR passages (intake has rust-prone metallic embeds); it's overkill, and is somewhat corrosive. For them, brake cleaner shots, brushes and rags are sufficient.

But, for the EGR cooler:

Plug one end of the cooler, mix about a pint concentrated solution of powdered "Oxi-Clean Versatile Stain Remover", pour in the solution, prop up in the corner of a sink, let sit about an hour. If the cooler is extremely clogged: run thin wire through to help get the solution in.

It will bubble up for a bit. After about an hour, drain, rinse and repeat.

In my experience, albeit lowish miles, it took about 5 soaks thus, to get it like-new clean.

 

Try a pressure washer, pretty fast and no chemicals needed..
Pay attention to your hands, stay clear the pressurized water if using a high power one...

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A pressure washer will only clear it out. Oven cleaner will get rid of the carbon/soot.
Clear it with the pressure washer first, then use the oven clean, sprayed in both ends several times.
Let it soak about 30 minutes. Pressure washer again. Repeat until the water is clear.
The oven cleaner will clear out the soot from the edges the pressure was can't really reach with pressure.

You're done in about an hour..... Verses all day or days......

 

Weve been using Zep/Purple Power soak then Wire on a Drill with decent success. Ill try these other methods out too! Thanks guys!

 

I used parts cleaner (acetone) and a wire hanger on mine. If you spray a ton of parts cleaner it breaks down the gunk and then you can push it all out the other side using a straightened coat hanger. You have to take the whole assembly apart though.

 

I found coat hanger wire too big or thick for this EGR cleaning and it think it may be stiff enough to cause some damage if you ram it in or drill it in with a battery powered drill. I found some great wire at HOME DEPOT which is really made for hanging suspended ceiling panels in offices. It is was under $ 10 and is thinner and stiff enough to do job and strong enough to use with power drill thru the entire cooler after all the oxiclean and break cleaner flushes.

 

We also use Purple Power. I have also found that compressed air before getting the EGR cooler wet saves a lot of time. My sequence is compressed air, pressure wash, Purple Power soak, pressure wash, and then blow dry. Be sure to use a mask and face shield when pressure washing or blowing out the soot.

 

Someone will probably let me know if this was proper but other than the ways and products already mentioned, I plugged one end of mine and sprayed oven cleaner until it was almost full.

I then took a propane torch and moving the flame around all sides, heated up the housing until the liquid oven cleaner was bubbling, then let it sit to soak and cool. I also found the size wire used with survey or locate flags is a good size to push hardened stuff out, I just happened to have several laying around.

 

Someone here:

Somehow torches and oven cleaner sounds a bad combo. I did similar, but a little less extreme: plugged one end, poured in Oxi-Clean solution (powdered concentrate Oxi mixed with hot tap water), let sit an hour to bubble, rinse and repeat. No torch.

Oxi is somewhat similar to oven cleaner, basic, but nowhere near as caustic. But it works.

 

You're supposed to heat the over after spraying on the oven cleaner (in an oven).
So heating it shouldn't be a problem.
The easiest and fasted way is to pressure wash first, then use oven cleaner.
It's also cheaper.

If the cooler is clogged and hardend, it will take longer to clear.
I asked a year or 2 back if anyone has used a glass beader to clear it out, but no responses...

 

Too much small print to read the can but I did feel an initial uneasiness but got over it quickly with how much effort it can be to clean those things. Don't want to give anyone any bad ideas, strike the torch idea !

 

Take a photo of it, and zoom in! I've had to do that several times!

 

I put a rubber stopper in one end, then fill it with straight, heavy duty liquid drain cleaner, same basic (pun intended) ingredient as oven cleaner, but much easier to pour it in than to spray it in, especially since I tried the foaming spray first. The spray foamed up and only coated the top, and didn't get into the small holes very well.

I don't have access to either a pressure washer or compressed air, so I had to wire out the nearly clogged egr cooler passages out, then do many soaks and rinses with near boiling hot water before the rinses finally came out clear.

I did get a brass garden hose nozzle that concentrated the water into a fine, somewhat higher pressure stream, but that only did so much, it did work well at getting me soaked lol because it didn't have On/Off control like a pressure washer wand.

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we have about a quart of sodium hydroxide crystals, ostensibly for soap making, if the missus ever gets round to it, but maybe I’ll give that a try next time.

Drain cleaner is a bit of a witches brew these days, Drano, for example, even has little shards of aluminum.

 

I'll make a note! Maybe try the drain cleaner next time...
After the pressure washer...

 

Wow, I would be looking for a nearby high cliff to throw it off of if I did not have a pressure washer! More "power" to you for getting the job done!