Thread: EGR to be or not to be

I can only answer one of your questions, probably the one you already know the answer to; it is not legal to de-activate the EGR or any other emission control system.
I can perhaps partially answer another question; if you do de-activate it, the ECU will detect the malfunction and record fault codes and your check-engine light will be forever illuminated. There are apparently re-maps available that will make the ECU turn a blind eye.
I removed my EGR valve for cleaning several years ago as part of my preparation for a big trip. It was one of the worst, most awkward jobs I have ever done on any vehicle. I found the valve to be spotlessly clean- in other words I had completely wasted my time- with iirc around 250,000km on it.

Originally Posted by landoman

I have searched through the threads on EGR and my brain spins …..

my EGR is on the blink …..intermittent power loss and engine fault light …I think this is the problem ……but maybe not ……could it be something else ?

got a few quotes to replace EGR …….$2000 or there abouts …..


question

should I replace or blank it out ?
is it legal to blank it out ?

what are the problems with blanking it out ……..do I need to do remaps ….use a diagnostic tool etc etc ….

totally lost

suggestions appreciated …

Hi Landoman,
In order of your questions,
1) That's one you'll need to work out for yourself
2) As POD has pointed out, it is illegal to remove any emission equipment from a car.
3a) The problem with blanking or removing the EGR is the large increase in NOx emissions. NOx is a major contributor of acid rain, smog, asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
3b) What is required depends on what motor is fitted to your Defender.

Tony

I recently took mine out to clean thinking it was cactus but same as POD it was pretty clean. I had no error codes but was drinking fuel when it was claiming to be closed. Have you checked the cause of the check engine light? Is it definitely EGR related? It is a pig of a job so you don't want to do it lightly, either yourself or forking out $$$.

Checking/cleaning is worthwhile in my opinion before getting a remap as your expensive tune isn't going to help much if the EGR is stuck open or otherwise busted.

In doing my research for the job I found you can get EGR "testers" for about $200, a bit exy for a one off but I imagine a garage might have one of these these.

Originally Posted by Lagerfan

I recently took mine out to clean thinking it was cactus but same as POD it was pretty clean. I had no error codes but was drinking fuel when it was claiming to be closed. Have you checked the cause of the check engine light? Is it definitely EGR related? It is a pig of a job so you don't want to do it lightly, either yourself or forking out $$$.

Checking/cleaning is worthwhile in my opinion before getting a remap as your expensive tune isn't going to help much if the EGR is stuck open or otherwise busted.

In doing my research for the job I found you can get EGR "testers" for about $200, a bit exy for a one off but I imagine a garage might have one of these these.

yes my first thoughts are to dertemine if it is indeed the EGR before I shill out big dollars to replace and find that’s not the problem

have been thinking of investing in a diagnostic tool like a nonocom ……..would this tell me if it’s the EGR or what else could be causing the engine light to come on. Again these things are not cheap either

Originally Posted by landoman

I have searched through the threads on EGR and my brain spins …..

my EGR is on the blink …..intermittent power loss and engine fault light …I think this is the problem ……but maybe not ……could it be something else ?

got a few quotes to replace EGR …….$2000 or there abouts …..


question

should I replace or blank it out ?
is it legal to blank it out ?

what are the problems with blanking it out ……..do I need to do remaps ….use a diagnostic tool etc etc ….

totally lost

suggestions appreciated …

What model Defender do you have? either a 2.2 or 2.4? how many km's?

Originally Posted by DazzaTD5

What model Defender do you have? either a 2.2 or 2.4? how many km's?

it’s a 2.2 2016 model ………think I’m about 80,000 k

I put some Penrite EGR CAT cleaner in the fuel tank this avo and took it for a burn up the freeway ………probably wasted my money as the engine light is still on ……BUT the engine and pickup seems a little more spritely ……..so not all bad

next step is to look at investing in a diagnostic tool ……..

the IID tool or the Nanocom …..the IID
site in Canada is a bit of a joke ……so difficult to use and totally unresponsive ……..looks like Nanocom in Cyprus will be the go……( both expensive ) ……unless someone can guide me to something else that might be good for a 2.2

I don't know whether CAT cleaner is likely to clear your problem, but the fact that the light did not go out on one drive is not indicative, I believe it needs 3 starts with the fault no longer present for the light to go out.

*2.2 can be a bit prone to EGR faults and yes some egr cleaners can work.
*As already mentioned, 3 good starts and the light will go off, for the time being anyway.
*As with a lot of mods to cars, such as a lift greater than 50mm, egr delete, jerry can racks on the side of a vehicle etc etc... they aren't legal for road use.

*I use and would only ever recommend the GAP tool, their support pages have a lot of info and their support is exceptional. If you are going to bother with anything else you might as well just get a $100 generic code reader for clearing codes.

P.S if you blank the egr on a 2.2 you will need to get it tuned out