EGR valves

you may just find there is a bit of coke stuck in it and holding it open.

They can be, it depends on how clogged they are.

On the Mondeo forums, some of the TDCi ones are so gunked up there's literally a 1" diameter hole left in the middle of the sludge. They manage to clean those out. Brake cleaner is a great aide to doing this.

I set about taking it off today. One nut is fairly easily accessible if you call 2 extensions and a UJ accessible. The other is seemingly impossible to remove - no room to get a socket on, no room to swing a spanner (the engine butts up very close to the bulkhead). You can just about get a spanner to fit on if you bend it up in a couple of places, and then you can't get the leverage you need to undo it. As far as I can see, the only way to get the thing off would be to pull the engine forwards...

I can see why you don't work on French stuff now - my girlfriends ZX had similar issues when it came to changing the glowplugs...

exactly the sort of reason I went off French cars !! Mind you I had similar fun with the Ferrari, I had to make up a double cranked spanner and then re-inforce it and all it was needed for is to adjust the alternator belt !! I could find no other way to get at it, and my stock of tools is pretty good.

Don't some of them need the engine removed to change the cambelts, FFS?

"Dave Plowman (News)" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Don't some of them (and don't some Porsches also) need the engine removing to change the PLUGS, ffs...?

not my one!!

but yes, some do and it is quite expensive to get done. Which is one of the reasons I am quite keen on mine, home repairable on all counts. 308GT4 with carbs. and electronic ignition and it has a boot, and you can get a small person or two in the back.

and strangely enough some of the new daihatsu diseasels 4x4 also have to have the engine out to replace the cam belt, 1600 quid at the stealers or about half at an independent

My Discovery (I know it's not the same) has the egr removed and blanked. In fact it makes a lot of sense as it also allowed me to clean the aintercooler, plenum and associated hoses that were full of the egr crap .. thick, black goo. Goes a lot better without it.

Good man on having a Ferrari. I'm going to have one myself sooner or later. People will probably think it's a midlife crisis as I'll be middle aged by the time I can afford one :).

I've finally managed to remove the valve, with the help of a set of crowsfoot wrenches. I've bunged it in the ultrasonic cleaner (jamming the valve open with a G clamp, so the seating faces got cleaned), and it's looking a lot better, but will slowly leak water if it's filled up on the top side. Hopefully it'll work well enough when it goes back in and gets a bit carboned up...