Do you plan to bypass the EGR valve to gain extra engine power, and do you want to know how to do it properly? You’ve come to the right place, for we have researched this question, and we have the answer for you.
There are four ways to bypass the EGR valve.
- Reprogram the ECU
- Use a metal plate to block the EGR
- Install a resistor on the wiring connector
- Install an EGR valve delete kit
Let’s talk more about the EGR valve in the succeeding sections. Learn about the complete steps to bypass an EGR valve in the sections below.
Read on!
What does an EGR valve do?
The air we breathe is not all oxygen. It’s not even mostly oxygen. Instead, the air we breathe is 78% nitrogen and only 20.9% oxygen.
Thus, the air that gets into the engine is mostly nitrogen and a little bit of oxygen. Now, nitrogen is naturally inert (chemically inactive). However, when that nitrogen is heated inside the engine, it binds with the other gases inside the combustion chamber.
The temperature inside the combustion chamber can reach up to 3,500 degrees, more than enough temperature that nitrogen needs to combine with other gases inside the engine.
This combination creates NOx. NOx is an air pollutant that can create acid rain.
This is one of the reasons why there is an EGR valve in modern cars.
Older models of EGR valves use a vacuum to operate the valve. The ECU (Engine Control Unit) controls the EGR valves in newer cars.
The EGR valve allows specific amounts of exhaust gas to reenter the combustion chamber and combine with the fuel-and-air mixture. The introduction of exhaust gases in the combustion chamber reduces the amount of oxygen that is present inside the engine. This leads to a lean burn of fuel.
This means that there is less fuel that burns inside the engine, and less fuel means fewer exhaust gases.
The introduction of exhaust gases into the engine drops the temperature of the engine during combustion.
Since nitrogen needs a certain temperature to produce NOx, cooler engine temperatures prevent the formation of NOx.
EGR At Idle
The EGR valve starts to work as soon as you start your car.
When you start your car, your engine immediately enters the idle state. During this state, the EGR valve will open by up to 90% to let exhaust gas into the engine. This allows the engine to consume less fuel.
EGR Valve At High RPM
As your car accelerates and reaches higher RPMs, the EGR valve starts to close. This is to allow more air to get into the combustion chamber to support the higher RPMs.
The ECU determines the size of the EGR valve’s opening depending on the current RPM of your vehicle.
Bypassing The EGR Valve
People that want to bypass the EGR valve have two common reasons.
First, they want to bypass the EGR valve because it is notorious for failing at the worst possible moment. And an EGR replacement is not a cheap part.
When the EGR valve fails, the engine will enter Limp Mode.
Limp Mode, or Limp Home Mode, is an operating mode that the ECU activates when it detects a critical problem with the engine or the transmission. In this mode, your vehicle will only be able to use a very low RPM.
The second reason why people want to bypass the EGR valve is to get more power from the engine.
Bypassing the EGR valve will increase air intake because there will be no exhaust gases inside the engine. Thus, more air means better fuel combustion.
However, since the EGR valve improves engine cooling, removing the EGR valve can lead to higher engine temperatures. Thus, it is a good idea to check the engine’s cooling system before doing an EGR valve bypass to make sure that the engine will not overheat after you complete the EGR bypass.
Bypassing Through The ECU
The ECU controls the EGR valve. The ECU can determine the needs of the engine and decide if it should close the EGR valve and let more air in. Thus, it is possible to reprogram the ECU to close the EGR valve more often or permanently.
However, this is an expensive solution. This is a custom reprogramming of your car’s ECU that only shops that specialize in ECU modifications can pull off. And these specialty shops don’t charge cheap.
Moreover, there are ECUs that these shops cannot reprogram.
Although this is the cleanest EGR bypass, this is also the most complex and the most expensive.
EGR Metal Plate Bypass
This is an EGR bypass that is easy to do with a pair of tin snippers. The idea behind this bypass is to completely block the EGR from receiving exhaust gas and sending anything down the engine.
Keep in mind that this method will still generate a Check Engine Light. The reason behind this is that this bypass does not go through the ECU.
Here are the steps for completing this method.
- Park your car in a level area.
- Activate the parking brake.
- Place the gear shifter in Park(P).
- Wait for your car to cool down.
- Uninstall the bolts that hold the EGR valve in place.
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- In some car models, there is a coolant hose that goes to the EGR to keep its temperature down.
- If there is a coolant hose that connects to the EGR, loosen the clamp of the hose and then remove the hose.
- Uninstall the EGR valve.
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- Keep in mind that the location of the EGR valve is different from one car model to another.
- To easily locate the EGR valve, look for the air filter and follow the hoses. The EGR valve is close to where the hoses connect to the engine.
- Trace the outer perimeter of the EGR valve on a metal sheet.
- Mark the location of the bolt holes.
- Cut the metal sheet, following the shape that you drew.
- Drill holes on the metal sheet following your markings.
Installing The Metal Plate
- Apply a layer of silicone sealant on the area of contact on the metal plate.
- Bolt the metal plate. The face with the silicone sealant should face the hole from the exhaust.
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- If your EGR system has two pipes going to the EGR valve, trace the shape of the other pipe on a metal sheet and cut it. Follow the methods to install a sheet metal on the first pipe and apply it to the other pipe.
- Some EGR systems have a coolant pipe going to the EGR valve to cool it. When bypassing a system with a coolant valve, you can plug the coolant hose to seal it.
- You don’t have to install the EGR valve over the metal plate.
- Cover the wiring harness with electric tape so that water and dirt will not get into it.
J-B Weld 31314 High-Temperature Silicone Sealant is available on Amazon through this link.
Bypassing With Resistor
This bypass focuses on the wire harness and makes the ECU think that the EGR valve is still there. You can combine this bypass method with the second bypass method above to minimize the activation of the Check Engine light.
- Follow Steps 1 to 4 from the section “EGR Metal Plate Bypass.”
- Disconnect the wire harness of the EGR valve.
- Get a 0.5-watt, 2.2-ohm resistor.
- There are three connectors on the wire harness coming from your vehicle. The fourth is blank. Connect the resistor to the first two connectors.
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- Fold the bottom wires of the resistor to create a U-shape.
- Insert the wires into the connectors.
- The U-shape will help the resistor to stay in place.
- Cover the wire harness with electrical tape or any waterproof cover.
- Check the EGR valve and make sure that the valve is closed.
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- One of the common issues with EGR valves is that they will seize. Although it is common for it to seize while in a closed position, it can still seize while open.
- If the EGR valve is open, close it.
- Reinstall the EGR valve.
EDGELEC 2.2-ohm, 0.5-watt Resistor is available on Amazon through this link.
Using An EGR Valve Bypass Kit
An EGR valve bypass kit is available to replace the EGR valve. The kit replaces the EGR valve with a channel that connects it with the air supply of the engine.
Thus, the EGR valve bypass kit will make your EGR valve take in regular air instead of exhaust gases.
The EGR valve bypass kit has everything you need to bypass the EGR valve on your specific model of vehicle. Thus, when you buy a bypass kit, make sure you’re getting the one made for your car model.
How to clean the EGR valve?
If you clean your EGR valve regularly, you could save yourself the hassle of unexpected problems with it. Moreover, it can help increase the service life of your EGR valve.
To start, remove the EGR valve from the engine bay. Newer valves have electronic components. Thus, it is best to clean it with a valve or brake cleaner.
Scrub the valve with an old toothbrush as you spray it with the cleaner. Repeat until you get rid of the carbon deposits.
CRC GDI IVD Intake Valve & Turbo Cleaner is available on Amazon through this link.
Conclusion
There are several ways of bypassing an EGT valve. Pick one that is most convenient for you to do.
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