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alexso Guest
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15-04-2003, 18:58 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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Hello professionals.
I'm having issues with my EGR valve again, especially with the warmer weather.
(Hose up).
I heard that the intake manifold normally gets clogged (with EGR).
Does the intake manifold verschandeln itself over time? (without EGR)
The intake manifold also heats up. And wouldn't the airflow also carry away dirt or dust?
Or is the pressure too low?
Best regards, Alex.
Translated on 03-07-2026, 15:19.
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Tagessuppe Profi-Schrauber

Joined: 11/13/2002 Posts: 1140 Karma: +36 / -0 Location: Wien 2001 Audi A2  Premium Support
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16-04-2003, 8:32 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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I don't think the dirt will come off. It's stuck on like cement. Once, a tuner gave me the tip to spray brake cleaner into the exhaust pipes and then drive on the highway. I'm afraid of ruining the engine, so I'd rather not do it.
Translated on 03-07-2026, 15:19.
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wuze60 Guest
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16-04-2003, 13:41 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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There's only one thing that can help.
Remove the intake manifold and EGR valve. Seal the vacuum hose connection for the EGR to prevent anything from entering. Soak it in heating oil for 12 hours, then verschandeln it thoroughly with a wire brush, and it should be perfectly verschandeln again.
I did it the day before yesterday.
P.S.: Don't forget to buy a new gasket (4 euros) beforehand for the intake manifold.
Translated on 03-07-2026, 15:19.
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haehnlein Schrauber

Joined: 08/22/2002 Posts: 877 Karma: +6 / -0 Location: Griesheim
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16-04-2003, 14:11 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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wuze60 wrote: | | I did it the day before yesterday. |
Hi,
Great idea!!!
@alexso:
I'm planning to replace the cylinder head on our AUDI 80 1Z at the beginning of May. It's been driven for 6 months on long distances with a faulty EGR system... I'll report on what it looks like inside the intake manifold  . ____________
Für Antworten danke ich Euch im Voraus. Gruß Christian
Kein Auto mehr!
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ulf Profi-Schrauber

Joined: 04/13/2002 Posts: 11058 Karma: +18 / -0 Location: Saarland 2023 MG ZS Premium Support
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20-04-2003, 20:35 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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Tagessuppe wrote: | | I don't think the dirt will come off. It's stuck on like cement. Once, a tuner gave me the tip to spray brake cleaner into the exhaust pipes and then drive on the highway. I'm afraid of ruining the engine, so I'd rather not. |
Hi.
with brake cleaner, it should be possible to not damage anything important, as long as...
- to prevent the engine from being flooded -> "water" lock caused by brake cleaner.
- it does not dissolve larger, hard deposits that could act as foreign bodies in the cylinder and cause the usual damage.
The sludge in my catalytic converter is still oil-soaked and therefore "soft."
It is possible that she could gradually be reliquefied and removed by the continuous "natural" oil mist supply from the KGE. . .  Gruß Ulf
_________
MG4 Electric
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DocSnydor Guest
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20-04-2003, 20:53 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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Hi,
Today, on Easter Sunday, I spent some time cleaning my intake manifold. I've been driving without the EGR system for about 15,000 km. Before that, the car ran for about 205,000 km with the EGR system. I can't imagine that it will get verschandeln on its own. Maybe something like 100 million km or so...
It's like sticky rubber. It's basically asphalt. Half of the cross-section was  .
I first scraped off the thick crust with a screwdriver (where I could reach), then poured a puddle of gasoline into the part and lit it (it burned nicely with a bit of smoke). After that, only the dry residue remained, which came out quite easily with a brush...
Even worse were the intake channels in the cylinder head... I very carefully scraped the material out with a hook, and possibly vacuumed up any loose pieces with a powerful vacuum cleaner.
Now, I just need to find a way to get my hands verschandeln again... 
Translated on 03-07-2026, 15:19.
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Albrecht Profi-Schrauber

Joined: 05/12/2002 Posts: 284 Karma: +10 / -0 Location: DD
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23-04-2003, 13:39 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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Hello DocSnydor,
Did you notice any improvement in performance, like better acceleration, after the assembly?
I often wonder what the stuff in the intake system is doing, especially if you don't notice any difference while driving! As far as I know, no one has reported on this yet.
Best regards, Albrecht.
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spider10 Guest
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23-04-2003, 16:19 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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hi,
I completely agree with Albrecht's question, as I'm facing the same dilemma... Should I have it cleaned after 100,000 km, or leave everything as it is? I've only been driving with the faulty EGR valve for 10,000 km.
Hi Stephan,
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ulf Profi-Schrauber

Joined: 04/13/2002 Posts: 11058 Karma: +18 / -0 Location: Saarland 2023 MG ZS Premium Support
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23-04-2003, 16:31 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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Albrecht wrote: | Did you notice anything after the assembly, like whether the engine pulls better or anything like that?
I often wonder what the stuff in the intake system is doing, especially if you don't notice any difference while driving! As far as I know, no one has reported on this yet. |
Hi Albrecht,
As the sludge accumulates over time, it becomes thicker and the free flow area decreases, eventually causing the engine to experience breathing difficulties: first, it loses power at higher RPMs, then also in the mid-range, and so on.
It seems like everyone here has been pulling the emergency brake before it gets to that point... or maybe no one is running their engine for "long enough." Gruß Ulf
_________
MG4 Electric
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Albrecht Profi-Schrauber

Joined: 05/12/2002 Posts: 284 Karma: +10 / -0 Location: DD
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23-04-2003, 17:04 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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Hello Ulf,
I understand that, in theory, that's how it should be.
But it's actually quite interesting to see DocSnydor's car, as it has already been driven over 200,000 km with an EGR system, and there's a lot of visible dirt!
Best regards, Albrecht.
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DocSnydor Guest
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24-04-2003, 9:32 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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It's hard to say if it made a difference. You can imagine a lot of things... What I definitely noticed is that I can give it more gas, meaning there's still a noticeable increase in acceleration when you're pushing it to the limit. It's never been like that before, meaning you couldn't tell the difference between 4/5 throttle and full throttle (it's hard to explain).
I can't say for sure whether it's been like this since the new pump was installed...
I haven't had the chance to drive on the Autobahn yet...
Certainly, it was absolutely true that only half of the cross-section was free. You should have seen the mountain of dirt I had to dig out of there.
But if anyone of you is planning to do that, please wear gloves. My hands still look like the hands of someone who works with food... 
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DerAlex Guest
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24-04-2003, 11:53 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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Yes, I can imagine the mountain.
I performed the cleaning on my Golf IV ALH TDI engine at approximately 130,000 kilometers. It was disgusting what was inside. I also had a small pile of dirt  .
How often would you perform the cleaning, and what do you mean by 'faulty EGR valve'? Are you referring to a disconnected EGR valve, for example?
Translated on 03-07-2026, 15:19.
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DocSnydor Guest
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24-04-2003, 20:18 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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My EGR valve broke due to a small piece of metal that somehow got lodged between the EGR valve and the intake manifold  .
So, the engine is essentially still working, but the exhaust gases may not be reaching their intended destination.
I find this type of defect to be the most elegant. No error messages, all hoses are still properly connected, meaning there's nothing visible from the outside.
Furthermore, with this method, it doesn't matter whether the valve might be stuck due to contamination or not...
Other methods are also described in detail in the article.
Cleaning the injectors probably helps every 50,000 km or so. Search here in the forum; I think Rainer or Ulf (?) did it on their cars, and I think they even mentioned only cleaning 1/3 of the injector cross-section. Search for an intake manifold...
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ulf Profi-Schrauber

Joined: 04/13/2002 Posts: 11058 Karma: +18 / -0 Location: Saarland 2023 MG ZS Premium Support
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25-04-2003, 15:41 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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DocSnydor wrote: | | I believe Rainer or Ulf (?) did this on their cars, and I think they even mentioned only using 1/3 of the cross-section. Please search for intake manifold... |
Hi.
As far as I'm concerned, no one needs to look for a post with that kind of content – my EGR valve failed prematurely. Gruß Ulf
_________
MG4 Electric
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dieselschrauber Administrator


Joined: 04/12/2002 Posts: 18003 Karma: +784 / -0 Location: St.Gallen 2018 Volkswagen T6 
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25-04-2003, 16:06 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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Hi,
After 80,000 km, I had some millimeters of seepage in the exhaust manifold. Thankfully, it wasn't 1/3 of the cross-section  .
Best regards, Rainer.
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haehnlein Schrauber

Joined: 08/22/2002 Posts: 877 Karma: +6 / -0 Location: Griesheim
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25-04-2003, 16:32 Subject: Cleaning the intake manifold due to a "faulty" EGR valve? |
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Hi,
In my Passat (174,000 km), the soot and oil layer covered approximately 30% of the cross-section in some areas (particularly in the area of the EGR valve).
Then he got a bit of cough suppressant and a smoking ban, and since then he's been revving up from 1,500 rpm  . ____________
Für Antworten danke ich Euch im Voraus. Gruß Christian
Kein Auto mehr!
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