How to Clean an EGR Valve in a Subaru
The exhaust gas recirculation valve, commonly referred to as the EGR valve, is an important part of your Subaru's air intake. The EGR valve is responsible for directing some of the engine's exhaust into the manifold, which cools down the air inside the engine, helping to prevent your vehicle from overheating. Over time, the valve will become clogged and require cleaning. Signs that your EGR valve needs to be cleaned include poor engine performance while accelerating and a failed emissions test during an inspection. It's important to keep the EGR valve clean to help ensure that your engine works efficiently.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Allow the Subaru to cool for at least a half hour before attempting any work under the hood to prevent potential burns.
-
2
Open the hood of the Subaru and locate the EGR valve on top of the engine intake manifold.
-
-
3
Use a socket wrench to loosen and remove the bolts that hold the EGR valve in place. Pull the EGR valve off the manifold; it may require some force if there is a lot of buildup around the valve.
-
4
Spray carburetor cleaner on the EGR valve cover and inside the valve. Clean away loosened dirt with a wire brush and clean rag until you notice the valve moves up and down smoothly. Continue this process until the buildup is gone.
-
5
Clean the valve mount on the manifold where the EGR valve sits. Spray carburetor cleaner into the two holes under the valve mount and clean with a rag.
-
6
Place the EGR valve back onto the valve mount on top of the engine manifold. Replace each bolt, and tighten them with the socket wrench.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
For the exact location of the EGR valve and a diagram, refer to your Subaru owner's manual.
References
Resources
More Like This
Comments
-
igsdann
Jan 31, 2010
"The EGR valve is responsible for directing some of the engine's exhaust into the manifold, which cools down the air inside the engine, helping to prevent your vehicle from overheating." Just want to make a correction on this: The EGR valve does recirculate exhaust gas into your intake manifold, however, it's purpose is not to keep your engine from overheating. The purpose of introducing exhaust gas into the combustion chamber is to lower combustion temperature in order to reduce NOx emissions. This happens because exhaust gas is no longer combustible, thus does not produce or contribute to any additional heat, lowering the combustion charge's overall temperature. Keeping combustion temperature in check is important because when combustion temperatures exceed 2500 degrees Fahrenheit NOx (oxides of nitrogen) is formed.
