Your car's EGR valve helps reduce pollutant emissions. If it's too clogged, it will no longer perform this role, and your pollutant emissions will be multiplied. It's easy to spot a malfunction: if you see black smoke coming from the exhaust, it's time to clean your EGR valve.
Removal, cleaning or replacement kit?
The EGR valve helps reduce your pollutant gas emissions. To do this, it recovers intake manifold the exhaust gases and cools them to reduce the amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions. It operates mainly at low revs, when the car emits the most NOx.
However, the EGR valve is subject to clogging. Particles and soot accumulate. The resulting scale blocks the damper and prevents it from operating.
A blocked or out-of-order EGR valve can damage other parts of your engine, notably the injectors, which can in turn become clogged. The intake system may also be damaged. So it's vital to intervene before the problem gets any worse.
Changing the EGR valve is sometimes essential, but cleaning it often solves the problem. In fact, cleaning your EGR valve is part of regular maintenance, helping to extend its life and prevent breakdowns.
You can also choose to install a EGR valve deletion for all BMW E46 models on our website Macote.fr and soon all the other models in the range.
Cleaning the EGR Valve Guide
As the EGR valve only operates at low engine speed, drive at high engine speed (3000 to 3500 rpm) over several kilometers for around 15 minutes will generally burn off the scale that clogs it. The use of a cleaning product can also be cleaned, if recoverable, but the EGR valve usually has to be dismantled.
There are, however, EGR valve cleaning products available without disassembly. Simply inject the aerosol into the engine intake while it's running, then sometimes a second product into your car's fuel tank.
Finally, the best option is descaling. As the name suggests, this operation, which is carried out with a special machine, involves removing the scale that has built up on your EGR valve. Your mechanic can do it for you.
We recommend that you drive at high speed at least once. every 20,000 kilometers to clean your EGR valve before it's too badly damaged to avoid outright replacement. By maintaining it regularly, you may not have to change it at all.
However, if your EGR valve is too damaged, don't wait to change it, as this could have serious and costly consequences for your engine.
