Anyone ever cleaned out the EGR/intake pipe?

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TeddyRuxpin

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2x E350 CDI Sport W212s... for a bit
Hi,

I've removed/cleaned the EGR valve from my OM642 engine (W212 231BHP). Wasn't badly coked up, no massive amounts of build up (like in the pipe/intake pics below), just a stubborn layer of carbon over everything. I replaced the gasket and the rubber seal and put it back. No problems.

However, I/my OCD wants me to clean the EGR pipe at the front of the engine (might be called the 'EGR admission hose'), and possibly the entire throttle body pipe/intake.

Has anyone done this? I can only find one thread about it online, and it's more OM642 for the w211 specific, I think things are a bit different on a W212.

Included some pics pinched from another forum showing the area, and the gasket.

Doesn't look to be too difficult, just need to make sure that I have all the correct gaskets before starting the job.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone here has done this job, has any pictures, or advice etc. I'm also going to be replacing the green and black o-rings at either end of the turbo inlet pipe and the camshaft sensor too, so I'm gonna make a day of it.

Cheers!

Ed
 

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Or you could just get it deleted from the ECU - best result for the OCD as it never bothers you again.
 
Isn't that illegal & an MOT fail? Greta will be taking you off her Xmas card list too.
 
I've thought about it as I'll likely be remapping the car soon and you can get an EGR software removal, but I'd like to keep the EGR in place.

These cleaning jobs seem relatively easy so I have no problem cleaning these components once every couple of years.

I wouldn't be surprised if NOx levels are tested as part of the MOT in the next couple of years anyway:

Isn't that illegal & an MOT fail? Greta will be taking you off her Xmas card list too.

Yes, it is illegal to remove any emissions related gear that came with the car when manufactured - but in the case of an EGR software based removal, it's hard to detect as the car will still (currently) pass an MOT based on the simple tests on the only thing that's tested on diesels is a 'smoke emissions test', where the only thing measured is the density of the smoke: Vehicle test procedures | nidirect

As of 2018 it is a fail if the EGR is visually missing or modified (same for DPF obviously), but a software delete means all the parts are in place, so basically impossible to detect.

This may change in the future, and I'd rather clean some parts every now and again and spare the world of some NOx and soot.

Potentially you're putting more soot into the DPF, too.

Anyway, anyone done this job EGR pipe cleaning job?!?! :)
 
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Friend of mine has the same car and engine. On the weekend he decided to change the turbo seal as it was leaking residue. He stumbled across a video for the PCV valve and changed this too. Car drives much better in his opinion
 
Already changed the PCV and turbo seal (actually changed the turbo seal a few times), cheers! I've made my way around most of the engine replacing as many seals as possible, as long as they're easily accessibly by a muppet such as myself, and I don't end up making new problems! :)
 
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Hi,

I've removed/cleaned the EGR valve from my OM642 engine (W212 231BHP). Wasn't badly coked up, no massive amounts of build up (like in the pipe/intake pics below), just a stubborn layer of carbon over everything. I replaced the gasket and the rubber seal and put it back. No problems.

However, I/my OCD wants me to clean the EGR pipe at the front of the engine (might be called the 'EGR admission hose'), and possibly the entire throttle body pipe/intake.

Has anyone done this? I can only find one thread about it online, and it's more OM642 for the w211 specific, I think things are a bit different on a W212.

Included some pics pinched from another forum showing the area, and the gasket.

Doesn't look to be too difficult, just need to make sure that I have all the correct gaskets before starting the job.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone here has done this job, has any pictures, or advice etc. I'm also going to be replacing the green and black o-rings at either end of the turbo inlet pipe and the camshaft sensor too, so I'm gonna make a day of it.

Cheers!

Ed


Ed,

FWIW I cleaned mine on a R320 CDI.

I used GUNK degreaser{ GUNK Engine Cleaner & Degreaser with Trigger Spray ] and a heated ultrasonic cleaner for the tube. The EGR valve, GUNK degreaser and a small nylon bristle brush a{a car detailing brush] I did not use a metal bristle brush as it would scratch the aluminum surface of the EGR. Also took off the black plastic cover {carefully as the plastic break very easily] to clean the plunger cam mechanism. Also change the O ring seal on the EGR valve.
 
Hi mate,

I cleaned the EGR already, thanks - I used carb/EGR cleaner and I changed the seal and gasket. I am talking mainly about the pipe and throttle body in the front of the engine. Check out the pics.

However I didn’t take the plastic off the EGR valve itself. I didn’t want to break the plastic and didn’t know what was under there. Do you think it’s important to do?

Attached pics of my EGR after cleaning.
 

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Hi.
You see them little tabs at the bottom of the black cap? Pry em gently and cap comes off, you ll see the actuator arm .
My problem was inside that black cap, there was so much crap in there that the actuator arm has no space to move even though the EGR bottom was just a bit dirty
Cleaned that ,put a little drop of oil on the shaft and the actuator and it was moving free . So far so good
Hi mate,

I cleaned the EGR already, thanks - I used carb/EGR cleaner and I changed the seal and gasket. I am talking mainly about the pipe and throttle body in the front of the engine. Check out the pics.

However I didn’t take the plastic off the EGR valve itself. I didn’t want to break the plastic and didn’t know what was under there. Do you think it’s important to do?

Attached pics of my EGR after cleaning.
 
Thanks!

I did see them and wondered if it should come off, but I am not sure I am brave enough to do that. I know what these things are like - on my old BMW E39 (albeit a much older car), anytime you touched any plastic, it would break. Especially tabs like these!

Just trying to figure out if it's worth the risk!

So is what I've done essentially pointless, as I didn't clean the actuator/arm?
 
I think i remember you from the Bimmer forums, I was also a member when I had an E39.

What you have done is not pointless at all , I usually clean both partsScreenshot_20200118-162513-270x585.png
Thanks!

I did see them and wondered if it should come off, but I am not sure I am brave enough to do that. I know what these things are like - on my old BMW E39 (albeit a much older car), anytime you touched any plastic, it would break. Especially tabs like these!

Just trying to figure out if it's worth the risk!

So is what I've done essentially pointless, as I didn't clean the actuator/arm?
The actuator is a U shaped thing that acts on a rod opening and closing the EGR , that rod and actuator can get quite clogged , its a simple setup
If you have Icarsoft you can check if EGR is opening and closing as it should. Or take a look when the cap is off and get someone to press the accelerator and see if it actuates

Use a flat head , pry on tab and pull up from that side ,then do the rest of tabs, there are 3 I think.
 
Thanks very much! I'll probably take the EGR off again and try to clean that bit when doing the rest of the EGR pipe cleaning, which I plan to do soon. Maybe warming the engine up for a minute or two will get some heat into the plastic and make it less likely to break.

My EGR is working fine, but it's more about longevity and knowing I only did half the job!

Have you ever tried cleaning the pipe and throttle body that I showed pics of in the first pic?

Cheers!

Ed
 
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Hi - i have a 2007 e280cdi estate with the OM 642 engine v6 with 104,000 miles at purchase - I bought it from the original sole owner this year and it had no history . So when I went about doing the basics I noticed a few issues . e.g. when I went to change the oil filter it looked like it was mashed a little i.e. the wrong filter had been fitted which didnt bode well for the other maintenance job. The air filters I suspect had never been changed and two small items 'fixed' themselves when I fitted new filters (see pics) 1) The scary dead spot when I floored the accelerator on overtaking disappeared and 2) that slow delay on turning the engine on startup seems to have gone away. SO having replaced the leaking turbo intake seal my next job is to check the EGR and likely soot blockage (another issue i notice is that new engine oil gets gunky and looks shag*ed very quickly ) - I found this PDF which claims to be a genuine Mercedes training bulletin . It states "To clean the EGR, .......... Order Liqui Moly cleaner LM5168. It will do a good cleaning the EGR. Use BG 245 fuel system cleaner every 2000 miles, & it will also help clean out the EGR. If the EGR is exceptionally dirty, use BG 245 every fill up." So my question is has anyone used the Liquimoly on this engine and where and how exactly do I spray the Moly ? Also it says use BG245 every 2000 miles , but doesn't say where i.e. is that also sprayed into the air induction system ? I know the lazy fix here is to use a diode to blank the EGR but I'd prefer to keep the engine stock if possible ? Thanks in advance -Ecoframe
 

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Hi,

I've removed/cleaned the EGR valve from my OM642 engine (W212 231BHP). Wasn't badly coked up, no massive amounts of build up (like in the pipe/intake pics below), just a stubborn layer of carbon over everything. I replaced the gasket and the rubber seal and put it back. No problems.

However, I/my OCD wants me to clean the EGR pipe at the front of the engine (might be called the 'EGR admission hose'), and possibly the entire throttle body pipe/intake.

Has anyone done this? I can only find one thread about it online, and it's more OM642 for the w211 specific, I think things are a bit different on a W212.

Included some pics pinched from another forum showing the area, and the gasket.

Doesn't look to be too difficult, just need to make sure that I have all the correct gaskets before starting the job.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone here has done this job, has any pictures, or advice etc. I'm also going to be replacing the green and black o-rings at either end of the turbo inlet pipe and the camshaft sensor too, so I'm gonna make a day of it.

Cheers!

Ed

Hi Ed,

I have a 2010 E350 CDI W207. So it should be the same engine.
I cleaned the mixing duct last week when I replaced the intake swirl flap actuator and the oil cooler seals.
It was quite dirty even with EGR delete by map.

See attached pre & post pictures of the pipe which sits inside the mixing duct.
The bad picture of the mixing duct is during cleaning process. The pile of dirt is just a bit of what I got out from the duct.

Just give me a shout if there´s anything I can help you with.

Cheers
Tommy

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Hi Tommy,

Thanks so much for posting! I have actually been put off this project for a while, because I recently tried to replace the green and black O-rings on the big silver air pipe that goes into the turbo and really struggled to get it off....

Reason being, the grille and fan are in the way! No room to manoeuvre. I naively thought this was all accessable

Can you elaborate on the process a bit... however... I assume you had most of the engine out if you door the oil cooler seals?

Thanks

Ed
 
Hi Tommy,

Thanks so much for posting! I have actually been put off this project for a while, because I recently tried to replace the green and black O-rings on the big silver air pipe that goes into the turbo and really struggled to get it off....

Reason being, the grille and fan are in the way! No room to manoeuvre. I naively thought this was all accessable

Can you elaborate on the process a bit... however... I assume you had most of the engine out if you door the oil cooler seals?

Thanks

Ed

Hi Ed,

Yeah, quite a few bit has to come off to gain access to the oilcooler.
But to clean the mixing duct ain't actually that bad of a job. Just take some photos of how the harnesses and vacuum hoses are routed. Makes reassemble a bit easier.

You might want to drain off some coolant and loosen the hose going from the radiator to the thermostat. There's a drain point on the L/H lower corner of the radiator. Just turn the drain plug on the side anticlockwise about 3/4 turn to drain.

To get the pressure pipe from the turbo off you want to remove the big black silencer that it's fitted to. The silencer is installed with two bolts. One from the front into the oil filter housing and one from the side.

First I was gonna leave the fan in the car, cause it is possible. But it was very tight to get the silencer out so I ended up removing the fan. It didn't take many minutes though. But you have to use some force to squeeze it past some off the coolant hoses when sliding it upwards.
It has a connector on the L/H side. (left hand side looking forward from the drivers seat)
Two air-conditioning pipes looked like they hade been screwed on to it at the R/H lower part. (mine weren't)
I put down a piece of cardboard to protect the radiator once the fan was removed.

Then you have the charge air cooler (intercooler) hose to the throttle body. It has a type of clip clamp that you only slide up a bit (approx 1cm) and pull out the hose.
The small triangular silencer is fitted with 3 bolts. I left the small bracket attached to it.

I think there was 6 electrical connectors in total on the whole unit with throttle body, mixing duct & egr change over flap. I removed the vacuum hose from where it connects onto the plastic tube up on the engine.

Two bolts holds the throttle body to a bracket from the R/H side.
Two bolts between one of the pipes to the EGR cooler. The other pipe just pulls out.
The mixing duct is fitted with 4 bolts onte the engine (intake manifold).
Then I think it was only one more bolt holding the bracket on top of the unit to the engine.

I do have all the part numbers written down for the seals, but that will have to wait till another if you want them.

Cheers
Tommy
 
Hi Tommy,

Sorry it's been so long since you posted, wanted to say cheers for the reply and the information! I'm still toying with the idea of this.

My main issue is the fan shroud and/or the plastic part just in front of it - the part with the two bolts that are highlighted in the pics attached below. That is attached somewhere lower down, and I can't see how to remove it (at least with the fan in place).

Could you (or anyone) give any more info on how to take it/the fan off? I'm googling and looking at youtube videos, but very rare for a W212 E350 with OM642. If it's too complicated, I think I'll bail on it.

I don't want to break any plastic clips and the car is actually running just fine... I don't have a jack here so can't get under the car, get the under tray off etc. Do you need to take the under tray off and remove the fan? In this W204 video, it says that you do, but it's a bit different to my car:

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I've taken the cold air intake off and now I'm faced with this (attached)

Cheers!

Ed
 

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Managed to get the plastic shield with the 2 bolts highlighted earlier off - it is just two bolts, there isn't another below, it's just kind of 'hooked in'.

I can see one resonator bolt highlighted in teh picture below, but I'm guessing the other one needs access from below the car, so I'm probably going to bail out now :)
 

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At some point, I intend to take all my EGR and inlet manifold off and clean. I'll probably do the oil cooler seals as well.

In terms of emissions and the EGR delete, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of conning going on by vehicle manufactures about this. Yes, when the engine is brand spanking new and clean as a whistle, I am certain that the swirl flaps in the inlet and the EGR system improve the cleanness of the emissions, but with 10's of K miles on and all gunked up so they don't flow and work properly, I'm pretty sceptical and I bet they're not tested. I wouldn't be surprised that a cleaned and functioning inlet and swirl flap system (kept clean with an EGR delete) over the next 10's of K miles gives lower overall emissions than keeping the EGR active, resulting in continued degradation of the inlet/swirl flap system.
 

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