EGR lower stud and nut

leave it off forever - it's not really needed /

 

^This. Took out the stud too, they're sitting in a drawer in my toolbox.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Sometime after my first (and only) EGR cleaning, slow afternoon, I purposely took the nut off, permanently. Feeling adventurous, I backed out the stud too.

You need to go slow-and-careful with the latter. I used an E8 torx socket on a diminutive 1/4" drive Jet ratchet wrench. Even with conduits partially unfastened and pulled out of the way, it was very hard to get at and slow going. I could just barely get one click's worth of travel on the wrench, and the dissimilar metals made it stubborn all the way out.

Considered permanent removal the nut and stud that goes through the EGR valve too, except that it's readily accessible. Compromised: removed the stud and applied a thin coat of anti-seize to it's threads, reinstalled.

That was maybe 2 years back.

FWIW, the way @Ragingfit does the 4th gen engine into 3rd gen swaps, the EGR cooler, valve and pipe free-span between the two end points.

 

You might get away with not replacing it and might never have any adverse or detectable issues. I would, however, install it. Toyota does not put in fasteners casually and would rather not. Each fastener and its installation of hundreds of thousand units manufactured accounts for millions of dollars in cost.

In the aircraft industry, a repaired of refurbished component cannot be certified for flight even if one fastener is not correctly installed.

Even the reusing of a one use nylon lock nut resulted in the crash of the Galloping Ghost in the 2011 Reno Air Race.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Reno_Air_Races_crash

 

Remove it if you plan on keeping it and working on it yourself.

I had Hybrid Pit remove it on mine.
No issues at all and I know when I go in for the second time to remove and clean the EGR it will be a lot easier to remove.

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The universe is replete many recalls of missing fasteners, improperly installed fluid lines and electrical connectors and components.
Hyundai and Kia has had recalls of improperly rated or installed fuses in the brake controller that has caused their vehicles to burn to the ground. Yesterday, it was exploding seat belt tensioners.

Almost always it has been the lack of proper or missing fasteners that are the bane to us on Priuschat.

 

HAHA, I instinctively did this

 

Worth saying: you should tag these items, keep it in a box/tin of Prius stuff you don't want to lose, and reinstall before trading in or selling. Mine for example are kept company by an brand-new PCV hose, which I'll install when taking my Oil Catch Can plumbing off.

 

I've yet to do this fun job on my car. But I did go to the yard and pulled one. Figured it would be better to practice on someone else's rig. For the life of me I can't understand why that stud/bolt combo isn't a bolt with attached cone washer. I know, the dissimilar metals and all. But that's what never seize is for. And bolts can be made pre lubed for the assembly line.

I plan to take the time to do a proper soak cleaning. Not the waste of time cleaning where you spray a can of carb cleaner through it. And call it good.
Plus swapping it out gets back on the road faster.

 

I suppose you could sub a bolt, match the threads on the stud. Keep it short, use a washer, and lube the threads liberally.

FWIW, the cooler's upper bracket bolt looks like a likely candidate. Say get another one of those.