tibrocks said:

Yes.. most likely. Would I be able to replace this myself? I found the replacement part on eBay for about £55 .. but not sure about the access there..
I would then flush the cooling system and see if it works?



This is a great find, definitely going to try it. Only thing is - how do I know if the valve is closed? any other way than taking everything apart to look at it?

Cheers

Click to expand...

Hi,
Just be aware that it's illegal to delete / blank the EGR valve on a vehicle used on the road and an undeclared modification can invalidate your insurance. That makes a "catch 22" as you can't declare a modification that makes the car illegal. The same applies to CAT and DPF deletion. It;s easy to recommend these modifications if you are not the one who might get a ticket. I know detection is unlikely, although the MOT introduced a check last year, but that doesn't help if you are the one who is caught. most, if not all, of the specialists selling EGR or DPF deletion modifions to ECUs will make you sign a dislamer.

Robert G8RPI.

Car is now fixed, Oil cooler replaced and cooling system flushed many times, looking good!

Thanks guys for your help!

Goudrons said:

If you're going to fool the ECU with that delete mod and don't want to strip the EGR down, you could make and fit (or buy) a blank, this will stop all the exhaust gases whether it's stuck open or closed.

Without the EGR delete mod, fitting a blank will eventually cause the engine management light to come on (and give you that P0401 again) as Euro 5 emissions regs state EGR operation/failure is linked to the engine management system. (Euro 4 didn't)
That delete mod fools the ECU into thinking it's all working correctly.

There's no real mechanical problem with doing this, mpg may improve slightly, engine should be a little more responsive and our MOT emissions test is soot based, not NOx, so it's win win.

Click to expand...

g8rpi said:

Hi,
Just be aware that it's illegal to delete / blank the EGR valve on a vehicle used on the road and an undeclared modification can invalidate your insurance. That makes a "catch 22" as you can't declare a modification that makes the car illegal. The same applies to CAT and DPF deletion. It;s easy to recommend these modifications if you are not the one who might get a ticket. I know detection is unlikely, although the MOT introduced a check last year, but that doesn't help if you are the one who is caught.

Click to expand...

So according to Goudrons the MOT test will fail to detect the EGR modification - then Robert how would they find this out?

Cheers

tibrocks said:

So according to @Goudrons the MOT test will fail to detect the EGR modification - then @Robert how would they find this out?

Cheers

Click to expand...

Hi,
As I said, detection of a deleted EGR at MOT is unlikely. If it was a crude modification like disconnection or obvious blanking, it might be picked up on the visual check if the examiner was familiar with the model of car/engine. Having a valid MOT does not prove that the car is legal in all respects and most of us know that some MOT testers are not as through as others.
There are two primary cases were "they" would find out that you had deleted the EGR or similar. First is a roadside VOSA or multi-agency roadside check. Diesels are more likely to be pulled over at these checks without obvious defects because of possible red diesel use. The second case is if you have an accident, The police of insurance may do checks. The investigators will look at ECU data routinely in serious accidents as they can get a lot of data from them.
It's a classic risk analysis, chance of it happening is small, but potential consequences are high. An uninsured accident with 3rd party injuries is very expensive. And yes, if there was a policy in force on your car the insurance has to pay out on the 3rd party claim, even if they cancel the insurance, but they will come after you to get the money back.

Robert G8RPI.

Both my diesel vehicles have electronic blanking for the EGR valve, and run better as a result.
On STAR (the Mercedes dedicated system) the readings are normal, without any EGR modifications registering. As For my Panda, I can't say whether any diagnostic equipment would pick up the mod, but it certainly doesn't show up at Mot time.

My own gut feeling about theEGR system is well documented here, and it would not surprise me if future diesel cars abandon such a crude arrangement as advances in other clean diesel technology are made.

As regards insurance, it now seems that any modification to a car is fair game for the insurer to crib at - including any mild engine mods like different air filters, chips, backboxes, plus roof racks, tow bars, stripes, extra lighting, wheel style changes, privacy glass, stickers, and no doubt many more. Guess that makes many of us technically guilty M'lord!

Sweetsixteen said:

...........
My own gut feeling about theEGR system is well documented here, and it would not surprise me if future diesel cars abandon such a crude arrangement as advances in other clean diesel technology are made.
.......

Click to expand...

Indeed, it's called a selective catalyst. This reacts the exhaust gasses with additional Nitrogen to produce Nitrogen (N2, diatomic Nitrogen, the normal atmospheric form) and water rather than NOx. The additional Nitrogen comes from a urea solution, commonly known as AdBlue. It is of course more equipment to pay for and go wrong, plus running costs. So car say it's a service task to re-fill the AdBlue tank.
Available from your local VW dealer .

Robert G8RPI

g8rpi said:

So far say it's a service task to re-fill the AdBlue tank.
Available from your local VW dealer

.

Robert G8RPI

Click to expand...

Mercedes will fill your Adblue tank free at each service - that's every 10k miles - or you can fill it yourself whenever you need. There is even an app showing recommended Adblue garages.

Originally, your car would stop if you ran out, but now it goes into limp until you refill again. You get plenty of warning. The display begins counting down when just 3 litres are left in the tank - that's about 1800 miles or more of motoring.

Trucks, trains and tractors are all steadily switching over to SCR technology. So far, it's proving a very reliable and robust system. Time will tell of course ....

Now the oil cooler is sorted, does the motor run ok?
Any flat spots (applying the throttle after a steady cruise or a long down hill on the over run)?
Hesitation on acceleration?
Excess smoke?

How long does it take for the EGR to light the EML after you've cleared the code?
They usually need to detect the fault three times in one drive cycle, so you might get away with ignoring it, then right before the MOT, clear the code.

The only trouble with this is you wouldn't notice another fault as the light will already be on.

Goudrons said:

Now the oil cooler is sorted, does the motor run ok?
Any flat spots (applying the throttle after a steady cruise or a long down hill on the over run)?
Hesitation on acceleration?
Excess smoke?

How long does it take for the EGR to light the EML after you've cleared the code?
They usually need to detect the fault three times in one drive cycle, so you might get away with ignoring it, then right before the MOT, clear the code.

The only trouble with this is you wouldn't notice another fault as the light will already be on.

Click to expand...

Car is running very well! When I replaced the Oil Cooler I've bought some other parts including brake disks/pads, belt, exhaust etc... Really pleased with it, runs smooth

only problem left is the EGR which I will probably replace? although very tempted to blank it...
the light comes on really quick, takes a day, maximum two so I'm not resetting the error code any more

I also bought a double din stereo but I don't know how to install the adapter will post the question in a different thread

Thanks all!