Is this new EGR valve?

[Norfolk Jim]

Morning chaps.

Set off for long day down round Bath on Friday. Left at 7 and car running fine...................................

Pulled away very quickly at Barton mills roundabout (wheels tramping to get grip) to avoid lorry with wrong indicator going, so revs pretty high and then car slowed up (as I came off roundabout) and EML came on - slug mode................ managed to find a garage in Newmarket nearby with code reader and he said it related to EGR valve; said he could look fully the next day........... I was in hury as 2 surveys near Bath so after a chat about high revs could dislodge soot and upset sensor he reset for me and car was fine all the way down round M25 and then just as I joined M3 message came up 'Reduced Perfromance'.................. oh sh*t I thought. Not as slow as limp mode as could rev in 1st and 2nd but in 3rd and above a lot less. Could make 70 downhill with a wind but any incline was down to 55.............

Car kept like this to Warminster and then had to drive through Bath to keep next appointment - that was fun going up the hills!!!!! I did my next survey at around 2.30 and got my old code reader out the boot to see if anything was stored - didn't recognise any so simply asked it to clear all codes and see what happens. Got about 50 miles along M4 and Reduced Performance came up again so kept with it at around 60 +-10mph to M25 which was chocker (Uni throw out day etc) - took me nearly 2 hours to get to M11 of stop start................... then going onto M11 I noticed car was responding more to accelerator and then was back to normal..................... I could do whatever speed I wanted and accelerate as hard as I wanted all the way home.................got home and my usual clean and shiny exhausts were absolutely filthy black and yet I had seen no smoke in rear mirrors.

My question is did my chug around M25 on a very hot day burn something off in EGR or exhaust and could it have cleared it all now??? I only use Shell fuel and never do short runs and never had any issue like this before. I've recently though has an injector re-sealed as it was weeping slightly and they said it was slightly carbonised but that was 3 weeks ago. I see EGR's for my model are around £130 from Neo's and from look around sounds like only an hours job. Could it also be something else linked to cause this - will simply replacing do the trick??

[aerojon]

the code is the key,without code = guessing..

[Norfolk Jim]

Saabtech said it sounded right and mileage seems right for it to happen......................... £109 for a new one and about 30 mins to fit - worth a punt and will see if it's gunked up.....

[Max Headroom]

That sounds like what I had  - not quite limp mode but slooow.

I took my egr valve apart and freed it up  -there is an article on how to do this on one of the Vauxhall forums - its very easy. The egr valve lasted a good couple more years but failed me again so I replaced it with a s/h item a friend gave me.

Alternatively blank the damned thing off

I sold another spare egr valve that I had but still have some blanks kicking around in my workshop somewhere, if you fancy going down that route

[Norfolk Jim]

Thanx Max - I've ordered the new one as so cheap compared to my wifes 2010 1.6 Golf Tdi which set us back nearly £700!!!! I can't afford to be stuck on long journeys with the dog in the car on a motorway.................especially in this heat

I'm looking at selling mine anyway as although I do really enjoy it i really need something bigger for stuff I carry around and also a bit higher as my poor black lab pup at 13 months seems to stoop to look out when sitting up.

[Geoff1951]

...

I'm looking at selling mine anyway as although I do really enjoy it i really need something bigger for stuff I carry around and also a bit higher as my poor black lab pup at 13 months seems to stoop to look out when sitting up.

Going shopping again, Jim!  May I respectfully suggest the dog tries a Skoda Octavia estate, vRS version. 230 bhp petrol, or 185 bhp diesel...?

[Norfolk Jim]

I have been looking at those Geoff but don't think funds will quite reach them. So far I've had a mooch around a 2010 Volvo XC70 D5 212 hp with the active chassis - was nice drive but high mileage. V comfortable and huge boot area. My aim though is for a 2011 Nissan X Trail Tekna which has all the toys on it. I found one under 100k for just under 7k in mint condition but obviously need to sell my car.

The dog was a lovely cuddly puppy but grew very quickly into this 14 month old 28kg lean mean hunting machine!!!!! He's quite tall but that's due to being a particular breed of pure bred lab from field trial winning stock - he's called a Drakeshead lab and anyone who knows them can spot it in him straightaway. very very quick at learning and always looking for instructions. You've be amazed how many partridge or pheasants I've had dropped at my feet on walks - all alive and fly off - and he's not been trained to do it!!!! All hard wired in. He'll run dawn till dusk so quite a handfull. Walked him 16 miles round a Scottish loch and then he wanted to play!!!!!!!!

[wrighar]

EGR swap on a TTid is a 5-10m job

2 bolts, 1 cable, easy(ish) access.

Worth pulling and giving a quick clean if it needs it (not usual on TTid's)

[collywobble]

Should have stuck with your 2.2 TiD Jim!  I cleaned the EGR on mine not long after I bought it at 81k miles, always use branded diesel, a bottle of Forte at every service (despite what a certain Job's comforter on here says additives do work - my old Astra G is testament to that - cut out one day as I was half way out of mt drive, AA man gave me a horror story about injector seals, leak off pipes and vacuum hoses - a bottle of Wynn's EGR cleaner and Fuel treatment and it has never gone so well!).

The 9-5 is now on 184k miles, heven't cleaned the EGR again, the only worry is an advisory on rear inner wing corrosion near the seat belt mounting.  Looks like the old girl is heading for the scrapyard in a year's time!

[sgould]

Rear arch rust is becoming normal!!

I fixed mine relatively easily (I hope!)

Remove the arch liner.  Clean off the rust.  Paint with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80.  Paint with Hammerite. Paint with a coat of underseal. I used "Hammerite with Waxoil".  Early days, but looking OK at the moment.

[Geoff1951]

Good looking dog, Jim. Are you sure his mother wasn't frightened by a Great Dane?

[ScarbSaab]

EGR swap on a TTid is a 5-10m job

2 bolts, 1 cable, easy(ish) access.

Worth pulling and giving a quick clean if it needs it (not usual on TTid's)

I wish I was working on a Saab! I'm in the middle of cleaning the EGR on my father-in-law's Avensis, and it took a lot longer than 10 minutes to get the thing off! (2 nuts, 1 bolt, 2 coolant pipes, 1 cable, terrible access behind components, cable ducts, pipes.) Left it to soak overnight.

[Norfolk Jim]

Good looking dog, Jim. Are you sure his mother wasn't frightened by a Great Dane?

Could have been but the black one is his mum and yellow is his dad; both field trial champions with famous champion fathers Drakeshead Viper and Drakeshead Vodka. He's simply too clever for his own good and is constantly on the go driving me round the twist in this heat. You'd think after an hour and half walk over fields with him off lead all the while he'd simply collapse when home......nope shot off down the garden with a football in his mouth!!!! Incredible to think how small he was exactly a year ago. He's so well natured.

Cost me a lot of money an you can see certain things already hardwired in. We never trained him to sit but from day 2 he was already sitting for his food. He simply ignores other dogs when out on walk (you don't want them running riot on a shoot). Travels impeccably and main thing has slept all night since 8 weeks old in our rear porch - even slept all night on the floor at the head of our bed in the camper when in Scotland in May.......................... as you can see you've got me on a passionate subject........................ love labs