how to clean a zafira 04 2L DTI EGR valve

[ETAF]

I have a zafria 2.0L DTI 04 plate - May 2004 registered

and yesterday my wife brokedown , it started , but would only goto 1000 revs - no dashboard lights and smoke out the exhaust.

Roadside thought it maybe EGR valve - took it to there centre to then but on flatbed truck to return home and it started OK - gave it a lot of revs and it ran fine
she drove the 80miles home and it was great , used a few times today
and then it did it again

I went over to have a look, took off the cover for the EGR valve and the mechanism moved freely and the piston went in and out

started the car , and only 1000revs and the piston was IN and i could not move the lever , so the solenoid looks to be working
I did have a push around all the pipes to see if I could make it run OK and made no difference

So i thought we would drive it back home 1mile away and then I can have a look
pulled away and went 10-20yards and it cleared and drove back ok - i was following - still blue smoke out the back , but that got less as we got nearer home

I now want to remove and clean it all out - but cant find anything on the web detailing how to do that - and when i enquired about the cost of replacement part @ £320 , they mentioned hydraulics
so dont want to take it off , only to create another problem , if i take a pipe off an loose all the liquid!!!!!
two pipes appear to come into the unit- not sure how I would get those on/off anyway , as they seem to have a metal crimp on and not sure how to remove that without damage

any guides, advice help would be great , thanks

currently out of work , so finding £320 + someone to do it all - would be a huge problem at the moment .

 

[Belle427]

Its difficult to advise on specific cars but have a quick search on you tube, there are literally hundreds of guides there on cleaning egrs.
Make sure you have an old washing up bowl, small paint brush/toothbrush, aerosol carb cleaner and some disposable rubber gloves.

 

[ArgyllMC]

Sounds like it could be caused by a DPF starting to clog. Had similar problems with mine recently and DPF was final cause of problem. You can get them cleaned professionally and the EGR valve should be cleaned at the same time. A diagnostic reader should show you a %full for the DPF which wil be a good starting point.

From experience don't run car if you can avoid it until issue is sorted, just creates more issues.

 

[ETAF]

Thanks for the information

The car runs a trip on a thursday of 80 miles all motorway and 80 miles back on Friday all motorway - every week
and then 3 weeks ok and 6 weeks before that, it went to devon and back - 200 mile trip one way

so it should be getting a regular HOT run and not just school run USE
and hopefully the DPF is burning out the soot .......

My code scanner shows no engine codes - but I guess I would need a specialist unit to read that information - so £40 just to read the codes I guess

thanks for the replies

 

[Belle427]

the car may not be fitted with a dpf on that year

 

[ETAF]

ok thanks - any way of knowing at all ?

started at 8am to avoid the rain - due here around 11am - although no sign yet
I had all the manifold bit off and gave that a good clean - was not blocked up at all - although not clear and lots of carbon built around the sides - but plenty of exhaust could get through

Also cleaned out the piston part of the egr valve - no matter what i tried it would not come off so have to clean from the top section as best i could

Looks like the EGR Piston is now moving ina nd out with the revs - last time it was did not appear to move

took the egr valve electrics off - and car engine light comes on and limp mode i guess - so cannot run with the egr off -
but seems a bit better - loads of smoke out the back when it did start

guess I just try for a while
But I had hoped to find a blocked with gunge area - on my Saab EGR it was full

anyway
thanks for all the help and if anyone has anyother suggestions , we can have another look

 

[Belle427]

certain cars can have the egr blanked off with a small home made metal plate, it saves all the gunge building back up when you have cleaned it all out.
Not sure about yours im afraid, a bit of internet searching should tell you.

 

[ETAF]

thanks , yes I have seen that for the Saab I was working on last month

not sure about the zafira but I suspect it can be as the gasket across the top would be able to block off the section

But its more around the possible fault causes
if it goes wrong again, i was after

 

[mfarrow]

The EGR's are apparently little activated on newer cars and new version of software for older cars. It does seem a bit wrong, the whole concept I mean, to have exhaust gasses flowing back into the intake.

Agreed no DPF on this age of car.

 

[Belle427]

see how it goes for a few days and report back

 

[Nitronick]

God if I had a quid for every Zafira EGR Valve I have blanked off or cleaned!

Have you checked ECU for any DTC? All to often you wont get a code for EGR but for Intake Air Leak on Vauxhall's with and EGR fault. If you are either replace EGR or blank it.

Oh and I can confirm this vehicle will not have a DPF on ( thank god those things cause more grief then they do good)

 

[ETAF]

Thanks very much for the reply

As you have changed so many - do the symptoms wont go above 1000 revs and no engine light or codes, match with an EGR fault ?

Have you checked ECU for any DTC? All to often you wont get a code for EGR but for Intake Air Leak on Vauxhall's with and EGR fault. If you are either replace EGR or blank it.

No codes from the scanner I had
and no engine light was on - But only have a scanner and not a techII

I could not get the EGR valve off the manifold - so cleaned as best i could from the top manifold area. and it was not blocked - very little soot in that area, made sure the valve moved in/out OK

I tried to twist - but was scared to break the solenoid or coolant pipes
I used a mallet and a bit to wood , asthere was a lip on the top I could hit to move the EGR assembly away from the main manifold - BUT it would not shift
Any suggestions on how to get it off - as i could take out again and clean properly if needed and if that fault is an EGR issue

IS the fault described typical of an EGR valve issue
car would not rev above 1000 revs - seems strange for a valve
Happened twice and on both occasions when starting
I followed the car after the 2nd fault when it seemed to start again
a lot of smoke blue/black from the exhaust when first running and then less and less
Oil level fine

I unplugged the electrical connector to the valve completely and still had revs upto 3000, regardless of how I moved the valve.

because of the engine light and limp mode I guess , limited the revs- but even disconnected it do not limit the revs to 1000

which is the intermittent fault -

After the clean , and a lot of attempts to get it to start, when it did start a load of smole came out the exhast to start with , and then reving at 3000 revs it was quite clean. followed the car for a while and it was clean

Its been out on a few short start stop trips now
But as the vlave/manifold was not completely blocked I'm doubt full

 

[Belle427]

the biggest egr problems are when the valve is either stuck open or closed.
It may have been stuck open in your case.

 

[ETAF]

Thanks - when it started and run at 1000 revs only - turned the engine off - I did move the valve but maybe it was dirty and restarted the car and no change

can a stuck valve stop the car revs above 1000 revs - with no fault or engine light ?

just when I disconnected the EGR and then had the car running at 2000 revs - I moved the valve in and out and it made no difference

car has worked on a few start stops today

only concern is wife travels 80 mile to her mother on a Thursday and returns Friday and would not want her to get stuck again, if there is something else i can check

 

[Belle427]

i did a jag a while ago, the egr was gummed up and stuck partially open.
I couldnt drive it as it would not rev at all and refused to rev past a certain point, no management light on either