EGR Maintenance

EGR clogging issues are associated with Gen3 liftback Prius, years 2010-2015
Most issues relate to 2010-2011 (perhaps all 2010-2015) model years of the Gen3 liftback,

I personally have not read any EGR issues on the "c" version of the Prius.

Link maybe?

 

I did the egr circuit on our old 2010 at around 120k miles.

At 140k miles, I would consider doing the job sooner rather than later.

Getting the circuit clean, then doing the cleanse every so often thereafter (I did every 50k miles as that interval) ensures there is one less thing to go wrong with your Prius .

The job is not that difficult, just fiddly.

Hope that helps.

 

ASAP......!....... if you plan on keeping it.

 

Prius c EGR is per 2nd gen Prius, very rudimentary, and not problematic?

Sorry, don't have more info on it. The Repair Manual makes a couple of token mentions of it, that's all.

 

Oh.... I didn't know that................ I thought it was the same screwed up one I have....

 

It is probably mostly on the 2010-11 models simply because they have been running longer and are getting there first. I cleaned my 2012 at 92k miles, and found it clearly building the same problem, but not nearly as bad as the pictures others with higher miles had posted. So mine still had a long way to go before becoming serious, likely past 150k.

Since 'v' models have the same engine, they should also face the same issue. But since the 'c' was mostly carried over from the Gen2 with an older smaller engine, and a more rudimentary but non-problematic EGR system, it seems reasonable that it may not have this problem at all. At least I haven't been hearing about any victims of it. Nor any pattern of head gasket failures stemming from clogged EGRs.

 

Yeah, I think that's what culminated in @Ragingfit doing a 4th gen to 3rd transplant on his v. He ran it with the EGR disconnected for something like 50K miles prior to it imploding.

 

Hmm so this person had an HG failure due to the EGR then went to a Gen 4 engine swap which then failed due to EGR being discontented?

 

no

 

When you can't drive the car anymore cause the EGR is hung up just unplug it.

 

Better stay outa this...

 

Here in California it can't pass the smog doing that.

 

Comment from the UK: My Toyota main agent confirmed they've seen the same issue over here but added: "Some Uber drivers do in excess of 10,000 miles per month. Generally with higher mileage vehicles, with poor maintenance they develop oil burning issues and that leads to a build-up of carbon in the EGR valve, which then needs replacing and the plastic intake manifold cleaning out when it becomes blocked. The labour time to clean the valve and manifold is close to 4 hours so it is not included in a service time. The EGR valves were modified during vehicle production on later cars, the number on the side of the valve would identify this." The Gen3 had a face lift in 2012/13 and from that time, all had the modified ERG valve and the issue never occurred again.

 

Do you know how to tell when they are lying: their lips are moving, or you receive a response .

Have you asked them back how they know, and where is their data ?

Once we see the data to support their claim, I'll believe them a bit more.

Until then, be skeptical and ask for more data.

 

There definitely was a mid-cycle Gen 3 change to the valve, covered some in this thread over here. As to what exactly the change was, doesn't seem anybody's had the time or inclination to really compare the two. I don't have a sample of each, so I can't.

It's clear the later one is taller, and has done away with a small opening, whatever that was for; RightOnTime thinks it might have been a lubrication point.

 

Hey, ok Thanks.

 

No head gasket failed because the EGR was unplugged.

 

I bought my 2012 Black v with 99,000 miles. It burned oil from the time I got it. Found out a month later when the oil light came on.
I tried oil additives. Nothing helped.
It started to run poorly. I changed the spark plugs at 110,000 miles. Plugs fouled at 120,000. Changed plugs again. Fouled again. Changed plugs and coils. Car ran poorly. Swapped coils, plugs, to test what was wrong. Got nowhere.
I had a VW Jetta TDI where the EGR pipe would break. I blanked it off but my friend Shawn said "just unplug it, it does the same thing." He was right, it closed the EGR until I got a new pipe.
Now for those who don't know the EGR came to be used in the early 1970's as a way to reduce NOx (nitrous oxide) emissions / pollution. It has the added benefit of reducing combustion temperature. Engines had run for nearly 100 years with no EGR so to assume you need one is foolish.!
One day the car ran so poorly I did not think I could get it home. I stopped for gas and thought of that old VW. Maybe if I unplug the EGR.
A miracle happened. my car ran great. GREAT!!!!!!! Tell me I should not have unplugged it.
Toyota issued a recall on the EGR valves and extended the warranty to 160,000 miles. I was at about 151,000. I scheduled an appointment. They tested it and said the EGR is working properly. WHAT !!! F Toyota!
AT 197,000 my head gasket blew. Not from a lack of an EGR but from the gallons of oil it burned in the cylinders. It burned a quart a week for 3 years. That's a lot of carbon building up inside. Don't get me started on that. I saw the Fused carbon glass on my pistons when I rebuilt it.
The EGR is one of the problems.
Bad rings are by far the greatest contributor to the failure of 3rd gen Prius engines.
The EGR just allows the oil and soot laden exhaust into the EGR cooler where it eventually clogs the valve and keeps it from closing causing the car to run like crap.
Give me any scenario that ties it all together.
I did 100,000 miles of research.