thook

Nothing is worth destroying our planet. Everything is connected. Had I another option, I wouldn't have removed the EGR system on either of my 4runners....one 3.0 and one 22re. The 3.0 one failed, and the 22re one...well, that was frozen up at the piping when I had to pull it pull my intake. Consequently, the threads completely stripped out. But, at the price Toyota, etc. wants for the valve I financially had to bypass. Maybe in the future I'll put it back on when/if I can. (Someway to repair the threads on the 22re?)One can get as technical as one wants about the reasons to remove or not remove, but the first thing I noticed when I pull either of mine was how bad it smelled! Intuition tells me it wasn't a wonderful thing to do. But, I had to at the time...so be it. Somewhere there has to be a middle ground with these systems satisfying both needs of the spectrum: environment and motor performance. Where that is, I don't know. But, I wish I did! The pollution is weakening the trees....I can see everyday. That means less oxygen in our air. Not good for us little human beings or the animal kingdom. What the hell are we doing?

(Oops!...did I rant and get O/T?)

LS1Steve

bingo.

people aren't catching on to that part. An improperly working EGR overall leads to the same damage to the environment, actually probably worse. My mileage has improved since disabling my malfunctioning EGR, and thats the bottom line.

DCS

What everybody knows is that the emissions equipment on these old turds is a PITA. You look at all hat stuff and you get codes and you see prices for replacement parts (the $135 EGR price is robbery) and you think, man, why bother?

We all have that sentiment. If my EGR fails, I will block it off and install a resistor. My reasons won't be power or smoothness, it will be to avoid paying $135 for an EGR for a 17 year old vehicle.

Anecdotal or seat-of-the-pants-dyno comments carry little weight.

Think about the last time you did an oil change and coolant flush on the same day, and then washed the car. It drove better didn't it? Felt smoother, and had just a little more pep when hopping on the highway.

Well guess what? It didn't ride smoother, or have more power from an oil change and a coolant flush and a car wash. You're experiencing the same seat-of-the-pants-dyno effect that has haunted tinkerers from day one.

If your EGR system is working properly, there are zero benefits from removing it. You will actually lose ground.

If it has failed, you may be able to repair it by blowing out the green VSV valve located on the passenger fenderwell, or finding a loose vac hose somewhere, or unscrewing the exhaust temp sensor from the EGR and flaking the crud off of it. These are free and require 4 minutes. If the EGR valve itself fails and requires replacement, then I'll be first in line at radio shack to get my 35 cent resistor and save myself $135 clams and 2 lbs of weight to toss that piece of crap in the garbage.

New cars don't have an EGR because the fueling algorithms are becoming more precise (higher resolution maps) and newer cats are made of even more magic material with more scrubbers and whatnot built into the matrix. Emissions standards can be met (nox reduced) without introducing inert gas into the intake during off-load operating conditions.

Insert dead horse gif here.

Don't get defensive about it. learn how it works. If you want to modify your vehicle, go for it. Just don't advertise unfounded claims about performance. That's snake oil.

If you want a freebie mod that will go undetected by the ECM, take your cat off and punch it out. According to my other thread, there's no downstream O2 sensor on these vehicles. So the ECM can't know. All you have is a less restricted exhaust stream. And a violation of federal law.

DCS OUT!

thook

Mileage is a good point, but was the increase really that significant? I did notice an increase, also. The 3.0 had an overly tightened valve (leading to a burned valve), yet removing the EGR still increased the mileage. But, it wasn't what I would call significant to justify the enviromental cons that are claimed. As for the enviro damage, does that rule still apply to a "functioning" EGR? In other words, if it works does it not reduce the damage? I have read, although I do not recall where, that the argument for EGR and pro-enviro is b/s.....the reduction is not that much when scientifically measured. Maybe someone was talkin' outta their ars...I don't know. Also, how is it worse when the EGR is malfunctioning? I just don't follow..

(EDIT: I just figured it out....fuel mix.)

thook

DCS out? Awe man, I was learning something here...you can't dive. I've never read or heard anyone explain it like that. So, thank you...I'm impressed. I suppose I'll look for you're other posts. Good reading!

20005spd

well if you think that egr does not impact the environment or it does very little, then how much do you think it affects gas mileage. very little.
im with ya if you have a broken egr, i guess i would block it off too. but i deff would not take it off for performance or mpg gains.

fact is your not the only 1 blocking off your egr. or running with out a cat or w/e emmisions things you take off for "performance" or "mpg". so add up all those "insignificant" harmful gases being dispersed and now its alot.

i wouldnt just take that ÅÅÅÅ off for no reason, especially a cat. its like $50 for a universal high flow cat, and 99% of stock cats flow just as well as high flows when they arent clogged. just a few things to keep in mind.

thook

Well, since we're on the EGR subject...my 3.0 never had the temp sensor. PO's mech must have ripped it off. If I can ever get around to reinstalling another valve, I assume this little thing is important?

(Good point on the CAT....stock vs. high-flow)

20005spd

ya i would try to fix the egr or replace it before i tore it all off. sometimes its something really stupid, or if you look around you can find good used parts for cheap. same goes for any emmissions related things. playing engineer with your truck can be good and bad.

displacedAlaskan

My EGR valve is stuck open, and I want to bypass it or remove it but don't know exactly what it would take to do so. I'm not an experienced wrench head. How did you do it Chickenlover? The POS is adversely affecting my gas mileage, thus it is harming the environment because they have to pump more gallons of gas out so I can go the same amount of distance, and I have to dump more wasted fuel out my tailpipe because some people decided they needed another way to make money off of suckers so they invented an EGR system.

Anybody please help me save the environment by giving me some tips and pointers how to bypass the piece of crap.

snap-on

The EGR system is used when cruiseing on the interstate under low vacume condition.

the valve itself is vacume acutated, you can lift the valve manually and see your idle drop and or truck stall. (easyest way to determine if your EGR is stuck open)

When cruiseing on the intersate the computer goes into open loop? ie it hunts for the condtions for optimum running. The EGR comes into play for this. It calls for the EGR to open (by activating a vacume solinod) and then watches the O2 for a change (rich/lean) when that doesnt happen it assumes the EGR failed to operate and throws an EGR code. (ask me how i know)

running lean = hotter temps also means better fuel econimy but a power loss

The proper way to de-egr your motor is to re-program the ECU chip so it isnt looking for an EGR.

you are liekly to fail a sniff test emissions test with a bypassed EGR even with a properly reprogramed ECU.

MudHippy

Block-off plate, search on the subject. Then you'll need to make your own, unless you can figure out where to buy one. Mine's blocked, no codes, runs GREAT.

ovrrdrive

These threads get so cluttered up by these guys that blindly believe in pollution control that its impossible to get much useful information out of them...

Even if every single person that reads this forum disabled every single piece of pollution control on their trucks it would still be a drop in the bucket in a worldly sense as far as clean air goes.

If you're serious about saving the world, this forum isn't the place to do it...

Btw, I took out my cat and felt a power increase.

displacedAlaskan

Amen to that!
The sad thing is that they actually believe that emissions control crap does save the world, and the fact is it doesn't. It helps line some peoples pockets with money. Thats it.

Bumpin' Yota

if you are referring to the same engine coolant temp sensor I think you are, they better have blocked off it's hole or else youll have coolant all over the place in your engine bay....lol

crazyyota

I know this thread is a bit old but just thought I would post up something interesting. a buddy of mine took his 91 yota with 3.0 in to get it smog'd ... well, it failed horribly... we brought it home, screwed around with a few things, and I thought hmm maybe he has a bad egr. so I disabled it. took it back to the test station a few hours later and wala! passed with flying colors. and now hes getting about 3-5 mpg's then he was before. now its time for me to go home and take mine out!! just some food for thought

Bumpin' Yota

What exactly did you do to disable it AND how is the power now?

runethechamp

Posts like this make me feel pretty intelligent and sophisticated.

thook

Alright...since someone dug it up....

I meant the gas temp sensor at the side of the EGR valve.

Bumpin' Yota

Too bad he is correct. Travel abroad sometime and you'll see....

runethechamp

Maybe he is correct, maybe it doesn't help much, but that kind of thinking is pretty ignorant and selfish.

Why did yotatech ban articles on removing your cat? It doesn't matter if you take it off according to those statements.

Do you ever vote? One vote doesn't make a difference so why does anyone care about voting?

Every little piece helps, if everyone tries.

And yeah, I saw your smiley.