EGR pipe repair order of disassembly and assembly question (1 Viewer)

[CruiserTrash]

what do you think about these wrench options for tightening/loosening the big nut on the vehicle?

TEKTON 36 mm Angle Head Open End Wrench WAE84036 - The Home Depot

Upgrade your capability to work around obstructions. With angled heads that allow you to progressively turn fasteners and fittings in confined spaces, Tekton's 30/60 angle head wrenches save you precious

www.homedepot.com

Hazet 452-36 Open-end wrench - striking face pattern 36mmDefault Title

Buy and save on Hazet 452-36 Open-end wrench - striking face pattern 36mm with fast shipping and unbeatable prices, you're good to go with EIO.com.

www.eio.com

This one too but use as a striking wrench?
Amazon product ASIN B0074HN7PW

My issue with trying to loosen mine is that I need leverage - a long wrench - but then the oil pan and frame rail limit the travel on the tool. It's a no win situation. With a short-handled tool there's no way I could get enough torque with my arm to loosen it, especially with the weird angles that result from laying on your back and reaching up and around things. Rather than try to do all that on the truck I grabbed an entire EGR setup off a junkyard 60 so I could clean it up off the truck (using bench vises, breaker/cheater bars, better access with heat, etc) and just swap the new one on. If you don't have a spare you might be looking at removing it, working it on a bench, and reinstalling it. How many bolts hold the whole thing on? 2 for the cooler, 2 for the EGR valve, 1 for the bracket that holds the flex pipe, 2 for the j-pip flange?

 

[g-man]

I loosened those bolts and the two nuts on the studs at the EGR inlet pipe right at the intake just below the carb, also the two bolts that hold the fan temp sensor bracket to the intake near the back of the egr inlet pipe where the pcv hose connects. If you go this route and don't disconnect the EGR valve plan on replacing the EGR inlet gasket at the intake as well.

I think I'm gonna deep 6 my flex pipe bracket ....that thing hasn't been connected in years. Just two rusty nuts holding the u bolt and bracket to the flex pipe.

 

[OSS]

Oh yeah - that freaking flex pipe bracket POS. Yes you can definitely not use it. I removed mine like 15 years ago and since then drove over 1000 miles on extremely rough Baja dirt roads that create insane vibration - and the flex pipe and egr valve and cooler were just fine after that incredible punishment over the years.
That flex pipe bracket is totally unnecessary. Overkill.

 

[g-man]

For anyone removing the EGR valve, cooler and J pipe...The big nut holding the j pipe in the cooler is 36mm, the nut to the side of the EGR valve is 32mm, and the nut under the EGR valve at the flex pipe is 27mm.

my metric wrench sets only go to 17mm, So I have ordered this set NEIKO brand from Amazon, it has the 27 and the 32mm

Amazon product ASIN B000H0S8SE
and this 36mm which I will cut down to fit under the truck. I will report back on how well this works

Amazon product ASIN B018CQJGCQ

 

[OSS]

Yeah I cut/shortened some of my big EGR nut specific wrenches too.

 

[Spike Strip]

Leave enough handle on the 36mm wrench so you can drop a 2x4 or pipe on the end of it and then whack that with a dead blow. Has worked well for me a few times to loosen those rusted nuts when the space is really tight. Particularly if you still have all the air pump valving in place.

 

[g-man]

Finished up on this yesterday. New SS pipe in place. The new ferrule worked great. The replacement egr pipe to manifold stud was sticking out too much for me to get the pipe in place. I just had to lock two nuts together on it and turn it into the manifold more. I did manage to remove the EGR valve from the flexpipe and intake pipe. In order to get things back on easier. You know you're going to be wrestling with the flex pipe while trying to get the piping into the intake if you keep it in one piece ...and it would have been a bear to try and push it all up through the bottom in one piece.

The EGR valve mounting ear broke in the vise while trying to break loose the nut. The nuts on the flexpipe were as tight as the big nut. NOT EASY to remove. Heat and spray oil and a pipe on a wrench! Pic of the newly cut wrench and the broken EGR valve.

 

[g-man]

I think that washer by the wrench fell out of the Cooler??? Maybe it was inside or maybe it was just hanging on the outside of it. Anyway it didn't go back in. I didn't know where it would go. Anybody recognize it?

 

[g-man]

Pic of the wrench and how it fit on the big nut. Notice the new bolts at the heat riser joint on the manifold! Yes I just had to go through that and went with the block off plate.

 

[g-man]

Here's where I marked to cut it just inside the frame. Prob should have come in another 1/2 inch. I had to get the wrench ALL the way on the nut before it would get past the frame. And I did use a small crescent wrench to make small moves of the nut so I could get the 36mm wrench back on it.

 

[g-man]

SS pipe flange end at the manifold

 

[g-man]

Newer to me EGR valve:

 

[g-man]

Finishing up bolting the pcv piping/carb fan sensor bracket to the intake. Tight fit but able to get a hand down in there and turn the ratchet downward.

 

[OSS]

Newer to me EGR valve:

No guarantee-

I purchased 6 (yes six) used EGR valves over the years and every one of them didn’t function like a new one. Either small leaks or sticking piston. My biggest problem was EGR valves getting stuck open after driving for a while on the freeway. Come to a stop and the engine would stall cuz that damn valve was stuck open.

 

[g-man]

I've only had a problem once with a clogged or stuck EGR valve. It would stall and then not want to start. Or it would start and stall. I took a hammer to the side of it while running at high idle and beat the carbon out. Possibly unstuck the valve too.

My initial test drive yesterday went well. No hiccups.

 

[micruz60]

I've only had a problem once with a clogged or stuck EGR valve. It would stall and then not want to start. Or it would start and stall. I took a hammer to the side of it while running at high idle and beat the carbon out. Possibly unstuck the valve too. But I had chunks of carbon in the bottom of the air cleaner afterward as evidence.

My initial test drive yesterday went well. No hiccups.

That is a JOB doing the whole shebang

I had a successful clearing of the EGR valve by using oven cleaner into the gaps, tapping around the valve body with a hammer and then flushing it with brakecleaner.

 

[CruiserTrash]

@g-man I was prepping my spare EGR system last fall - trying to get an entire clean system ready to swap onto the truck - and snapped one of the EGR valve ears off too. More heat, more lubricant.

@micruz60 I did just brake cleaner and whacking the valve and lots of carbon came out. I'll have to try oven cleaner next. Good idea.