EGR Cleaning: What did I get myself into?

Thanks Mendel, I used just flat screw driver and it was a madness removing some of the clips. So, I bought special metal clip removal, silicpn spray the holes, and it saved my sanity. The plastic clips are the most annoying things in Toyota underbody. I wished Toyota just use solid 10mm bolts instead of clips.
Although Toyota plastics are tougher than BMW, plastics fall apart after few wacks or just from heat.

 

Finally got good statistics about MPG after egr cleaning: 56. Distance 1060km with average speed of 48mph so it was all highway driving with cruise control. Several bypassings with ”pedal to the metal.”. I think that MPG is good. Some of the improvement may be due to italian tune up. Car has been driven hard.

By the way, i am rather impressed about the power. When i start to bypass a fullsized truck (juggernaut or what is it in english?) from 90kmh i usually reach some 135kmh or even more when i return my lane. Here trucks can be 34.5m long maximum. Anyway, I never thought Prius can do this. Do the MG’s assist at highway speeds? At least when going uphill the monitor show energy going from battery to wheels even at 100kmh

 

When the power is needed and available, yes.

 

Sounds about right. Here in the US most semi-trucks are 75-80 feet long (~20-25m) and I can get from 55mph (~90kmh) to 75-80mph (120-130kmh) by the time I pass them.

The battery adds 35-40 horsepower until it runs out. If you were to keep your foot planted from 80mph, you may get up to around 120mph (190-195 kmh) on flat ground before the battery drains and you'll slow down to ~110-115mph (175-185) while it recharges. You can go even faster drafting or going downhill

 

Good to know. I think 135kmh is enough excitement for me With high profile winter tires and 134K miles on the clock ride is not too firm anymore. In any case this is a fun car for long joyrneys

 

The acceleration and Torque depend on the battery state indeed. I can easily pass any Semi-truck. The maximum speed is 120mph on the speedometer. The mpg I noticed for 20 miles drive:
50 mph = 57 mpg
55 mph = 54 mpg
60 mph =50 mpg
70 mph = 46 mpg
80 mph = 40 mpg
suburban 40mph pulse and glide not so much stopping= 60-70 mpg.
drafting behind semi-truck 55mph = 68 mpg.
The speedometer in most toyota is off about 10%, but the Odometer is accurate.
The main issue on mpg is the wind drag and AC motor has the highest torque at certain rpm, not too high in 3rd Gen Powertrain. Probably between 0-30 mph.

Back to EGR, I check my service history on the Toyota website, I got a free ECU software update in June 2018 under TSB and warranty. Not sure if it is related to EGR reprogramming too. In the USA, we have 8 years/80k miles ECU and Emission system-related warranty. It is the Federal emission Law. So check them first if you have 8 years or younger car.

 

A chevy suburban getting 60-70mpg? Not even going down hill.

Speedometer off my 10%? Then you have the wrong size tires.
Mine is less than 1mph under.

 

Maybe your leadfoot justification, lol. I'm seeing similar to @ASRDogman, with one eye on the speedo and the other on Garmin (or ScanGauge II): if speedo says 80 kms/hr (for example), Garmin/ScanGauge will say 78~79.

Also, the last ECU update was inverter related, at least for me up here. It was the second update relating to inverter, and was to avoid you being (dangerously) completely stuck in traffic, if the inverter has a partial failure, something like that. Not EGR related, anyway.

 

Good to know that Speedometer Overspeed is not global. I realized that the speedometer in Germany is often 5-10% off higher than actual speed. I noticed it in some Stadtmobil cars I rented: VW Golf, Polo ~5%, Auris and Yaris Hybrid ~10%, Ford Transit ~6%. When I was in USA, it was not that high, only about 1-3% in Sienna, Camry, Corolla, and Matrix. I also found similar case in European forum Speedometer inaccurate - Auris Club - Toyota Owners Club - Toyota Forum
German regulation is so strict with tire size, suspensions, etc. We need to have proof that the rims are approved, brake parts also standard EC90, etc. We cannot even polish the headlight and will fail TÜV or MOT and cannot be registered/driven. It may be related to typical Germans who like speeding and getting 10 or 20 km/h speeding ticket is part of life. A speeding ticket is relatively cheap €15-€50 if it is up to 20km/h.
In many states like FL, 5mph above the speed limit is not ticketable, only a warning. But any Speeding ticket is always close to $180 or more plus an insurance penalty, points.

Yes, I did some experiments and showed up to 73 MPG when drafting behind truck at 90km/h. 3.2L/100 Km is close to 73 USA MPG.

I thought the Inverter ECU reprogramming was way much earlier, like 2011 or 2012. My car is 2015. I found 2016 TSB about EGR https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/MC-10134309-9999.pdf it needs some reprogramming for EGR management.

 

I found something interesting. The INVERTER warranty is EXTENDED to 15 years unlimited Miles.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10145747-9999.pdf
Man.., I am jealous how American buyers gets such Consumer Enhancement Program/Campaign. I remember I got brand new Dashboards for my 12 years old Sienna and Lexus in 2017.

 

Hello everyone. I am pretty new to this awesome forum. First of all, just wanted to thank everyone for the solid guidance on the EGR valve and cooler removal/cleaning. I am in the middle of reconditioning my battery and replacing a few modules, so with the downtime, I figured I’d do my EGR. I just kind of jumped into it without thinking and in the middle of it I thought to myself.., I wonder if I’m gonna need any gaskets or anything AND HOW THE HECK ARE THEY GETTING TO THAT INVISIBLE NUT BELOW THE COOLER?!?!? …. So I got on here and found this post. I’ve got a long history of mechanics, mainly Hondas back in the day then some Nissan 240s Lexus SC 300 and now this hybrid CT200H which is a whole new breed to me in comparison. I have learned a lot on here and I’m finally ready to put the pieces back together

I had no idea how involved this would be! “What did I get myself into” is right!

 

My girlfriend's Prius (160,000 miles) has been having issues with the P0401 code for a little while now.

Last August while getting her car inspected the shop wouldn't pass it because of the CEL so Toyota replaced the entire intake manifold stating the EGR ports were blocked. The invoice states the valve was working correctly and was NOT replaced.

She said the CEL only stayed off for a few weeks before returning, but then went away again for most of the winter. The CEL came back on in June again and when I scanned it with my scan tool it showed the same code P0401.

I'm going to take the valve and cooler apart for her this weekend and see if I can clean it up to get the CEL clear before her next inspection coming up in a month since I have the tools to do it.

I've read Oven Cleaner and pressure washing seems to be the best method for the cooler - but for the valve since it's aluminum, I was going to use a parts cleaner - I'm assuming any Carb/Choke cleaner with a stiff brush should be fine? Is there anyway to ensure the valve isn't sticking anymore before putting it back together?

If this doesn't clear the code, I may have to replace the entire valve, but after that what would be the next item to look into?

Has anyone had good luck with an off-the-shelf EGR valve from AutoZone or should I order an OEM one from online?