Blanking Off Egr Valve?

[Tee-Dogg]

ive basically been having a problem with my car for the last month or so with my egr valve. I decided to clean it and put it back in and since then the glow light has been coming on every now and again.

sometimes ill start the car up and its fine (no light) and other times ill start up, or take it for a bit of a thrashing, and suddenly the turbo will cut off and the light will come on again. Basically whenever the light comes on, i have a slight lack of power and no turbo.

I had a new egr valve fitted and was fine for a while then this problem happened again! And im just wondering, what if i was to blank off the egr valve? would this be ok to do so? and if so, how would you go about it?

(i have a 2.0L mondeo ghia tdci)

[stef123]

When my egr valve packed it (mechanism inside) I fitted a new one and then blanked it off. The valve is still plugged in so it will still be opening and closing bit there is no dirty crud getting through it now.

You can buy plates from eBay for a few quid, make sure it's a solid one though and not one with a hole in the middle as it defeats the point.

[Tee-Dogg]

if i blank the valve off, do you think it will stop this problem that keeps happening every now and again? it cant be a stuck valve as its a brand new EGR. What about that little air tube thats on it, do you remove that or keep that on? and also if i do blank it off would that mean the engine light will come on?

[jeebowhite]

Get yourself a stainless steel plate scott, if its a new EGR, it likely will have a benefit!

[Tee-Dogg]

I'm sending it back into the garage Friday they are going to have a look. Maybe they will suggest to do that

[Lenny]

Get yourself a stainless steel plate scott, if its a new EGR, it likely will have a benefit!

+1

I'm sending it back into the garage Friday they are going to have a look. Maybe they will suggest to do that

in any case its always best to blank the egr mate,

If i was you and had a week before going to the mechanics id purchase this Stainless Steel blanking plate for less than £5

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180927253047?redirect=mobile

Ive blanked mine, aswell as many others, blanking will prevent turbo failure in the long run, see the independent feedback from my guide on blanking the 1.6TDCi

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/42915-guide-fitting-egr-blanking-plate-16tdci-engine/

Id buy the blanking plate today, and have it in my hand on the day of going to the mechanics, tell them "while your there put that in please"

Rather than asking about it that day, paying them that days labour,

Followed by then purchasing a stainless steel EGR blank and going back to pay them again to open it up and fit it,

Id have it with me next time i visit,

That's best advise i can give.

[Tee-Dogg]

Ok mate I'll purchase one and get them to fit it. Is it all the dirt and carbon that Is make the egr play up do u reckon then?

[martyntdci]

you could always do the blanking plate urself, and gain some knowledge on things?

[Tee-Dogg]

Yeah but then will it need to be re coded because of the engine light?

[martyntdci]

what needs to be re-coded? nowt does

[Tee-Dogg]

I heard that the engine light can come on because it realises that the blanking plate had been fitted, not allowing any exhaust gases to flow through

[martyntdci]

thats the whole idea of fitting one. what euro engine? i have the euro4 1.8tdci and no probs....

[Tee-Dogg]

I'm not sure what it is ill have to look it up

[martyntdci]

i recon chuck 1 in for around 4 quid, and go from there.... if it works fine. if it dont still run it.. n reset the light..... you dont know until u try

[Lenny]

Ok mate I'll purchase one and get them to fit it. Is it all the dirt and carbon that Is make the egr play up do u reckon then?

Blanking the egr stops the recirculation of waste gases entering the induction system clogging your oil with carbon which slowly blocks the turbo oil feed pipe leading to turbo failure,

The black smoke issue your experiencing could be caused by various things such as:

Dirty diesel

Leaking injector

Excessive oil burning

Blocked dpf

One thing for sure is:

If your burning dirty then you should definitely blank the egr to prevent the recirculation of gasses,

After you blank the egr the car will take in 100% clean fresh air all of the time,

At present it takes in up to 80% fresh air

And up to 20% waste gasses

By blanking it creates more pressure in the exhaust flow, this is also good as it helps spool the turbo quicker resulting in reduced turbo lag which gives a slight mpg increase,

The increased flow of gasses in the exhaust also helps keep the catalyst and dpf cleaner.

For maximum effect id upgrade the induction filter to a green Cotton induction filter, these filters are a straight swap fitting in to the factory air box they are better built than th3 factory filter and allow quicker filtered air enter the engine.

This will help engine response and mpg.

I recommend upgrading because after blanking the egr: the demand for induction is increased by up to 20% and that's a good thing.

If you would like to upgrade th3 induction filter, I've gotten a 10% Discount code on my guide here:

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/36783-green-cotton-performance-induction-filter-fitting-guide/

Again you will see pages of independent reviews on that thread too.

I heard that the engine light can come on because it realises that the blanking plate had been fitted, not allowing any exhaust gases to flow through

I've got a 2010 DV6 engine and never once have i had an error on screen, I've purchased an ELM327 should an error ever appear, but egr blanking doesn't bring up a code because the egr still opens/closes the blanking plate stops the circulation.

One last thing i would suggest now do what you feel yourself im only here to advise,

But since you were experiencing excessive carbon deposits,

Id use a can of "Wynne's Engine Flush" on your next oil change,

This can of flush is available from Halfords, cost me 8.27euro so perhaps 5.00 GBP

You pour it in to your oil prior to draining it, put it in and run the engine at 2,000rpm for 10-15min prior to stopping the engine and draining the oil.

This can of flush will break down and extract the carbon deposits in the turbo oil feed pipe and oil sump pan left behind from the time the EGR was active.

Heres how it looks:

[Tee-Dogg]

Thanks for all the advice guys. What actually triggers the glow light to come on though? Because the egr valve is obviously the problem, but some days its fine and I get no light, but other days it comes on and won't go off. Like I said its a new valve so it can't be getting stuck? Its all a bit confusing lol

[Lenny]

Thanks for all the advice guys. What actually triggers the glow light to come on though? Because the egr valve is obviously the problem, but some days its fine and I get no light, but other days it comes on and won't go off. Like I said its a new valve so it can't be getting stuck? Its all a bit confusing lol

when you say glow light: do you mean the glow plug light or engine management light?

If it_ glow plug light then you need new glow plugs, that would also cause a lot of unburnt fuel.

[Tee-Dogg]

It's the glowplug light. But that can apparently mean different things. When it was given a diagnostic test it indicated a problem with the egr valve, but I don't actually know whats wrong with the valve. Like u say maybe it just needs a blanking plate put in and it will be ok

[martyntdci]

if it is the glow plug (doubt it) then why didnt mine appear in the dash on my focus tdci when i had no power going to the glow plug loom.... as the glow plug loom was at fault... the infeed was snapped off.... so deffo had any power to any of them....

just purchase a blanking plate and try it.... the valve is either stuck open/closed due to the carbon build up of crap..... so to stop this permanently block it off, or this will re-occur

[stef123]

when you say glow light: do you mean the glow plug light or engine management light?

If it_ glow plug light then you need new glow plugs, that would also cause a lot of unburnt fuel.

The glow plug light also acts as an engine management light (more so for the intake side if things I believe) and is common for it to flash or stay on when an egr fault is present. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with glow plugs.

[Tee-Dogg]

My guess is carbon build up, causing it to get stuck or is triggering something off. That's all I can think it could be, so hopefully the garage will realise this and put the plate in that I'm going to give to them. If they don't then I'll have to put it in myself I guess

[Tee-Dogg]

Another thing I wanted to ask is if u block the valve off, does that metal pipe ever get clogged up? Because the carbon will be hitting the blanking plate and surely could cause build up within the pipe?

[Lenny]

Another thing I wanted to ask is if u block the valve off, does that metal pipe ever get clogged up? Because the carbon will be hitting the blanking plate and surely could cause build up within the pipe?

blanking the line there is potential for carbon to build up in the line but it would take years to fill the line with carbon,

The blanking plate will prevent flow creating back pressure so it wont enter the pipe it will flow out the exhaust instead,

[jeebowhite]

To be honest the carbon buildup on the plate would be negligable. When your running the EGR valve as its meant, the hot gasses are diverted two ways through the EGR and out to the exhaust.The hot sooty gas then flows through the constricted EGR valve, down to the EGR cooler, back into the engine and then second time round might hit the exhaust. Becuase its travelling and directing through that confined space, it forces it to cling onto the side and onto the already built up coke.

When you blank this off, your just throwing everything out the exhaust, which is generally speaking a wider area, which means that it doesnt cool down and is less clingy than it would be at the EGR. You might find you get a light buildup of carbon on the plate, but whats easier... Unscrewing two bolts, pulling the plate, spit polish and wire brush and return, or removing the EGR, spit polish, wire brush, screwdriver, and all working in a gap the size smaller than your closed fist then return and reconnect?

Its well worth it, I cursed my CMAX as installation was like walking over molten lava - blindfolded, with little more than paper between your feet! it was a difficult placement, but as soon as I got the plate on the scratches, sunburn and swearing where all worth it. I am looking forward to doing the Mondy, as its so easy to access, and is hopefully (touching wood repeatedly here!) just a 2 minute job.

[jeebowhite]

No sooner than I posted my last message my EGR blanking plate turned up. Took me an absolute age to install it though.... on my MK4 mondeo - 3 minutes 27 seconds...