How To: EGR Removal and Cleaning for Rough Idle Fix

protegeric said:
as far as the screws go... i had problems with one also, i just used a pair of pliers. u guys could try that, u dont need channel locks or needle nose or vise grips really. just some regular pliers. i installed one screw this way.

heers a question though... if my gasket fell off and i did not reinstall it, how much problem would i be having? im still having a little problem with stalling, not too bad, just a little. because im not sure that the gasket was reinstalled properly or at all. oops. would the problem be pretty bad, or does it sound like im missing the gasket?
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Sounds like you are missing the gasket to me. I didn't even know there was a gasket until the second time I took my EGR off (after cleaning it the first time my once smooth idle got rough). I was like "hey what is that little metal gasket doing down there".. somehow in the 2 or 3 days it didn't completely fall out of the engine bay.

I cleaned it up again , made sure the gasket was in place, and voila.. back to smooth like it was before :)
 
Hey guys. I just replaced my drive-belts on my Protege and have news to report: My idle has SMOOTHENED UP noticeably! I also did change a dirty air filter at the same time but it was replaced 6 months ago when diagnosing and repairing the rough idle. The alt/WP belt was completely toast after 72K miles! Only 1 ridge left (barely) out of 4 and beginning to tear at one side. The PS/AC belt was okay but had normal age cracks in the ridges. I used Goodyear Gatorback Poly belts. Man it was a good thing I caught this impending failure yesterday... bizare only one belt was toast.

So... This is definately worth a try! After one day, my idle is really rock stable after belt replacement. I'll keep ya 'al posted.

BTW: I did the EGR and ISCV (plunger) clean-out, replace spark plugs & wires, reset ECU and idle was still a bit rough.
 
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After i cleaned my egr valve using the instructions in this thread it only lasted 1200 miles before the rough idle reappeared again. So unfortunately this How-To seems only a temporary fix. Being kinda sick of this problem reapearing again i decided to order a new one from a dealer in alabama which has the best price i could find of $125, and $6 for the gasket. I ordered it to be shipped via 2nd day UPS for $18 and got it quickly and installed it and i have no more problems hopefully for another 50000 miles. Doing the work myself wasnt as hard as the first time i did it but it is a tight spot to fit 12mm socket wrench to take the egr off. If you want to order it from the place i got it from here is the info:

egr valve $124.40
gasket $5.70
2 day UPS shipping was $18
total was $148.10

ordered from http://www.trussvillemazda.com (800 240 2121)
parts sales guys name: Marshall

here are pics of the old and new egr valve so you can see how its redesigned.

old -> http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i20/yourmomblows/car/egr/old/
new -> http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i20/yourmomblows/car/egr/new/
 
Laser03pro said:
Where did you guys get the 3in1 oil I looked everywhere.
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hardware stores, home depot places like that. you will not see it in aotomotive stores as i never did. if you are able to take the egr valve out then order a new one and save yourself a headache. i thought i can clean it up and was all happy about it just to see the problem return after 1200 miles. but its your choice. goodluck
 
SoonP5ismine said:
hardware stores, home depot places like that. you will not see it in aotomotive stores as i never did. if you are able to take the egr valve out then order a new one and save yourself a headache. i thought i can clean it up and was all happy about it just to see the problem return after 1200 miles. but its your choice. goodluck
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Mine isn t having a problem but I was going to clean it out while I had the intake off.
 
Laser03pro said:
Mine isn t having a problem but I was going to clean it out while I had the intake off.
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good idea but in reality what oil can withstand 900F+ heat like exhaust. thats the hottests part of the engine besides the catalytic converter at normal operating temp. i was advised by my friend to not put much oil in there as it will burn off quickly and leave deposits.
 
My P5 started doing this last week. Did it once or twice in the morning then stopped. It started doing it more the last couple of days and the check engine light came on. I followed the instructions in regards to locating and removing the EGR valve. The valve was gummed up and the valve was stuck open (spring compressed and not retuning). I cleaned it up with throttle body cleaner and greased the valve and spring with lithium grease and re-installed it. Put everything back together and gave her a crank. Just like new!! I am not the most mechanically inclinded person, but if I can do it, anyone with the proper tools and some patience can do it. I found that removing the 2 12mm bolts were a bit difficult, but I got them out using a wrench and a socket.

THANKS FOR THE POST....IT SAVED ME A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS!!
 
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I hope it lasts for ya. mine only lasted 1200 miles (approx 2000 Km) or so. then i had to buy a new valve. How many Km did you have on it when the check engine light came on? also if you get check engine light it should throw 2 different codes: insufficient egr flow and multiple cylinder misfire. i guess you wont see those for a while since you just cleaned it. Anyway once again good luck and make sure you post here if it happenes again.

cop1976 said:
My P5 started doing this last week. Did it once or twice in the morning then stopped. It started doing it more the last couple of days and the check engine light came on. I followed the instructions in regards to locating and removing the EGR valve. The valve was gummed up and the valve was stuck open (spring compressed and not retuning). I cleaned it up with throttle body cleaner and greased ithe valve and spring with lithium grease and re-installed it. Put everything back together and gave her a crank. Just like new!! I am not the most mechanically inclinded person, but if I can do it, anyone with the proper tools and some patience can do it. I found that removing the 2 12mm bolts were a bit difficult, but I got them out using a wrench and a socket.

THANKS FOR THE POST....IT SAVED ME A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS!!
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SoonP5ismine said:
I hope it lasts for ya. mine only lasted 1200 miles (approx 2000 Km) or so. then i had to buy a new valve. How many Km did you have on it when the check engine light came on? also if you get check engine light it should throw 2 different codes: insufficient egr flow and multiple cylinder misfire. i guess you wont see those for a while since you just cleaned it. Anyway once again good luck and make sure you post here if it happenes again.
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My P5 has just under 150,000kms on it and this is the first time it began to sputter and set off the check engine light. I had a local shop check the OBD2 on the car and they said it was showing a problem with the EGR valve. They didn't give me much more info and they re-set the check engine light. The light came on a day later and the car began to sputter more often and for longer periods. Thats when I decided to do the self cleaning method to see if it would help. I have the Innove 3110 code reader on the way via an E-Bay purchase, but for now the check engine light is off and the car seems to be running 1000 times smoother than it did a few days ago. I'm hoping it will also help my fuel mileage as it seems to have dropped within the last few months. Hopefully it lasts for a while, but if not, I guess I got my moneys worth out of it. If it fails again I may just go and buy a new one from the dealership.
 
wow thats still nice. 150000km is 93000 miles and mine crapped out at 50500 just 500 miles after warranty was over. some other people ive talked to said that theirs went at 35000 miles. anyway the new egr valve is redesigned from my original one. look a a few posts up. i posted pics.

cop1976 said:
My P5 has just under 150,000kms on it and this is the first time it began to sputter and set off the check engine light. I had a local shop check the OBD2 on the car and they said it was showing a problem with the EGR valve. They didn't give me much more info and they re-set the check engine light. The light came on a day later and the car began to sputter more often and for longer periods. Thats when I decided to do the self cleaning method to see if it would help. I have the Innove 3110 code reader on the way via an E-Bay purchase, but for now the check engine light is off and the car seems to be running 1000 times smoother than it did a few days ago. I'm hoping it will also help my fuel mileage as it seems to have dropped within the last few months. Hopefully it lasts for a while, but if not, I guess I got my moneys worth out of it. If it fails again I may just go and buy a new one from the dealership.
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Um, after cleaning and throwing a CEL I checked under the hood to find...


I forgot to plug the connector back in!!

Make sure you don't forget this last step. (doh)
 
When I put my turbo on, I disconnected my EGR and ran a breather filter on the pipe to avoid getting a CEL. And it worked thus far...
 
I cleaned mine today, took about 45 minutes. It wasn't a tough project and I usually find ways to f things up. The bolts were kind of a PITA but with a Craftsman ratchet and my GIANT MUSCLES (lol), even Iowa/Minnesota winters posed no match!

Holy crap that thing was dirty though. I sprayed it with brake cleaner, then carb cleaner and it didn't seem like it was doing much. I soaked it in Simple Green for over half an hour while I mowed the lawn. Then soaked it in carb cleaner for a few minutes. Sprayed the crap out of it some more with carb cleaner. STILL LOOKED DIRTY AS HELL!!! At that point I gave up and reassembled it. The valve is in the PERFECT position where you can ALMOST see what you are doing, but no, you can't.

Then I broke a damn bolt on my battery clamp from overtightening it. I do this s*** frequently. Again, giant muscles. ... haha.
 
khaosman said:
I cleaned mine today, took about 45 minutes. It wasn't a tough project and I usually find ways to f things up. The bolts were kind of a PITA but with a Craftsman ratchet and my GIANT MUSCLES (lol), even Iowa/Minnesota winters posed no match!

Holy crap that thing was dirty though. I sprayed it with brake cleaner, then carb cleaner and it didn't seem like it was doing much. I soaked it in Simple Green for over half an hour while I mowed the lawn. Then soaked it in carb cleaner for a few minutes. Sprayed the crap out of it some more with carb cleaner. STILL LOOKED DIRTY AS HELL!!! At that point I gave up and reassembled it. The valve is in the PERFECT position where you can ALMOST see what you are doing, but no, you can't.

Then I broke a damn bolt on my battery clamp from overtightening it. I do this s*** frequently. Again, giant muscles. ... haha.
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Next time try soaking it in super clean this stuff will clean anything.
 
khaosman said:
Then I broke a damn bolt on my battery clamp from overtightening it. I do this s*** frequently. Again, giant muscles. ... haha.
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lol I must be a super secret bodybuilder or something, I break bolts/nuts/whatever every single time I touch my car :p

My car is a little stumbly at idle when fully warmed up, it may be time to do this again. Damn I should never have done it the first time, I didn't need to at all!
 
its impossible to get those damn bolts off the bottom!!! its really pissing me off
 
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