EGR Cooler Cleaning (What I learned!..)

The pressure washer is so much easier, and faster.
The oven cleaner will discolor it, but won't hurt it.

I used the plain hose with a nozzle and it took a while. The next time I used
the pressure washer, took a tenth the time...

 

No clue. I know of two thickness of coax (cable tv) cable, and it was just the regular (skinnier) cable I used. Even a bit of burr on the tip was snagging. I chamfered that off and then it was a snug fit, pushing it through the internal grid. I'd only use this if the solution can't get through (was overkill in my case), and I didn't use it at all the second time round.

 

Cable TV coax is RG59 or RG6....... RG6 is bigger but both are 75 ohm.... Satellite coax is usually copper coated steel.... the good stuff is solid copper.... you never know till you bend or cut it..Or pick up two 1000' boxes..... guess what one will be heaviest... so the copper coated steel would be better.
Another wire that works are the little flags that utility companies use to mark burried things.

 

I'm sceptical about any copper wire small enough to pass through the channels being stiff enough. I used a steel wire that was really hard to push through the hardened carbon deposits in the cooler.

I had to chuck it into a drill to bust through it some places.

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Thanks for all the input. I'm trying to get mine clean for several days. It looks way worse than any of the pictures on here. I'm going to power wash it in the morning and see what happens. Brake cleaner didn't do much. Sams Club oven and Fryer cleaner did put a dent in it.

 

With chemicals, I never thought it would come clean. With a pressure washer, it was quick and easy. I just screwed the cooler to a scrap piece of 2x12. I started with the fastest stream then went to the wide stream just to make sure it's all opened up and clean.

 

The oven cleaner breaks down the carbon, the pressure washer forces it out.
Don't forget to get the outer edges the best you can.

You have to let the oven cleaner sit and do it's job. Rinse and repleat, a few times.

 

What's the miles? Also, how would you rate it, in terms of clogged percent? Any pics?

 

"clogged percent" would hold my interest more if it came from a measuring bench than if it came from somebody who thinks his eyeballs have two decimal places.

 

I knew you’d be along.

 

I tried using a bicycle spoke, carefully. I got the narrowest gauge they had, and still too wide. Was not about to try forcing it.

Finally got tired of doing repeated soaks and took the cooler to the car wash to blast it out. THAT did the trick. Not much coming out of it now. Going to do a few more soaks, then back to the car wash and should finally be able to finish this disgusting job, LOL.

 

Why didn't you take the oven cleaner with you?

 

How did you hold the EGR cooler steady

 

I used Sam's Club Oven and Fryer Cleaner also. Very nice because you can pour it instead of some foamy spray can. But it was taking forever. Like you, once I hit it with a pressure washer (car wash) that finally got it.

 

I went to a car wash and just used my foot to hold up the EGR cooler. Worked VERY well, but my feet and one pant leg ended up soaked as expected lol. Some people had luck using the car wash grate to hold it in place. The grate wasn't big enough to do that where I went.

If you're doing it at home you have to be certain to use low enough pressure to be able to do it safely. (Holding it with your feet, obviously with shoes or boots on you can safely use higher pressure than hands.) Using higher pressure, you must clamp it to something otherwise there is risk of serious injury.

 

and by "serious injury" we mean the kind that can seem minor at first and require later amputation.

 

Was it in this thread someone mentioned a 2x12? Something like that, with a couple of bolt holes drilled at the two cooler side brackets. Make the 2x long enough that you can have the cooler bolted at one end, and stand on the other end.

simplest would be pilot holes for lag screws; avoids having to deal with protruding bolt on underside.

 

Hey guys just wanna let you know that I have been following this page since wednesday. I wanna thank everyone by the way. I tried everything from degreaser and 100% lye and all that and I’ll say; just go to your local car wash. I regret not going since Wednesday because the pressure washer did the job in under 10 minutes. Best of luck to everyone that’ll read this in the future

 

Oven cleaner, pressure washer. That's the best and fastest way to do it.

 

Exactly what I found. Repeated soaks with oven cleaner was way too slow. The car wash got most of it the first time. Soaked it a couple more times (including once overnight) then back to the car wash. After that it was 100% clean. Soaked it one more time to be sure, and not even a hint of discoloration in the oven cleaner or hot water.