Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Valve

Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) System:

The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Valve is vital to your car’s emission controls. By circulating a small portion of exhaust back into the engine, the valve keeps huge amounts of unburned fuel from being released into the atmosphere.  These valves are recirculating hot exhaust gases back into the engine and they can become blocked with carbon and trigger a Check Engine Light.  In addition to the illuminated “Check Engine” light the engine will begin to run and idle poorly. When the EGR ports in the intake manifold become plugged we are often able to clean these effectively and save a great deal of money for the owner.

EGR Diagnostics and Repair:

It’s critically important that the EGR valve is working properly. If the valve is blocked or malfunctioning your engine performance will suffer. Symptoms like a rough idling engine or one that accelerates poorly should compell you to ask your service advisor to look for the source of the problem. Cleaning the intake manifold is possible but once the valve has failed your only option is to replace it.  A vehicle with a bad EGR valve will not pass emissions.

Firstly, from a safety standpoint there’s a slight risk.  A failing EGR valve may cause you to stall in unwanted situations. Secondly, from an environmental point of view, a failing valve will let harmful gases be released into the air.  In conclusion, the EGR system is difficult o diagnose for many shops but we do this everyday and are always happy to help.