Cleaning EGR Valve

In news:4qEHb.250896$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net, IceMan being of bellicose mind posted:

The "best" method? Ok, take the valve OFF the engine and with some short semi-sharp tool (ie, pocket screwdriver) start poking and scraping out all the hardened, baked-on carbon. Most of the worst build up will be on the HOT (supply side) port. IF you find a lot of carbon (to the point of occlusion), then you must give attention to the matching supply pathway in the intake manifold (again, nearly always the most carbon will be found in the pathway leading thru to the exhaust manifold).

Thanks Philip, I did clean EGR valve pipes last week with Gumout Carb+Choke Cleaner which states to be safe on oxygen sensors or Catalytic converters. I've mounted a wire in a cordless drill motor to clean the EGR valve pipes but I still could not clean valve tip. I missed to clean the EGR pipe to the EGR valve and the exhaust system, I'll take it off and clean it with a wire brush and gumout cleaner.

Thanks, Iceman

Here's one other "inspection." Remove the EGR valve. There are two pinky finger diameter passageways. One goes into the fresh air intake stream while the other leads to the exhaust system. Plug the one that leads into the intake air stream (vacuum). Now, start the engine. There MUST be a strong blast of exhaust gasses exiting the other port. If not.... then you know what you've got to do.

Interesting. Still learning. Somehow thought, the exhaust passageway would have to be removed from the engine for cleaning -- and the other end disappears somewhere relatively inaccessible. Now see, that simply by removing the EGR valve, one gains access to the exhaust passage for cleaning, and if the need arises, would then (as you described some time ago) briefly start the engine to blow out displaced carbon, though perhaps I'd put a sock or something over it to catch the cloud of debris ejected.