What causes EGR valves to keep going?

justmel

We got a Vauxhall Zaifra 1.6 club 2001 model last December,a few weeks later we broke down,called the AA and it was the EGR valve,the mechanic did go over the car and could find nothing else wrong but i am unsure of exactly what he checked.

Anyway we replaced it and it was all fine until about a month ago when it went again,at this point a number of people suggested blanking it off but i wasn't sure if it would cause more problems so again we replaced it.

Today i think it has gone again,my husband couldn't get the car to start first time this morning,same old symptoms of EGR valve,he gave the valve a tap and it started but i fear it's only a matter of driving a few more miles before it goes again and the car will be stalling as he slows and basically useless.

People are still saying to blank it off but my worry is that there is an underlying cause,a problem somewhere else on the car and blanking the EGR wont solve it long term.

Does anyone know what causes them to keep failing like this? And has anyone blanked one off and then gone on to have no more issues?

I'm lost to be honest.

colino

EGR valves will stick and stop working on all cars, but high volume cars underspec components to keep costs down and the non-oem market is even worse.
They operate in a harsh environment and if you also have engine wear to contend with (which I suspect if your new one has conked out after a handful of months) they are only part of a bigger problem.

WestonDave

Not sure if its the same problem with the 2001 Zafira but I had a N reg Astra (1995) which had repeated EGR failures. On the third one I took it to a different garage (as much because it failed near work rather than near home and I didn't want to drive it home!) and they told me that on the quiet Vauxhall had admitted that the tolerances in some engines (and I suspect the Astra engine is not too dissimilar to a Zafira one on the basis that they use the same floorpan) were such that with a "big" bore and a "small" piston, too much crud was getting past and furring up the EGR causing it to fail. Now that was a fair while back and was on a model range before yours but the symptoms I was getting sound similar to yours - stalling at low speeds/revs after warming up for a while.


Whether taking the valve out and cleaning it is possible as a DIY thing I don't know - possibly the above is a red herring. What I do know is that the solution offered by the garage was a replacement set of pistons to fit the engine better which started at over £1k by the time the labour was added in - the car was part exchanged pretty quickly instead! To be fair the 2000 Astra I had was fine.

justmel

I am fairly certain that this is part of a bigger problem yes,sadly our regular mechanic is of the opinion that supermarket fuel is the cause which i just do not believe.

Husband has rung Vauxhall who say they want £60 to investigate,seems as if the regular mechanic is not going to be much help so we will have to let them have a proper look into it to see exactly where we stand,i suppose then at least we will know even if the news is not good.

forgotmyname

Why are they failing? Sooted up. Or worn/sticking due to inferior cheap parts?

Blank it off and see if that solves the problem. If not then you need a proper garage that will diagnose it instead of just replacing parts.

Geodark

As well as replacing the EGR valve did you remove and clean the throttle body? Mine was nothing but trouble for months, until I took it fully off and gave it a good clean with a toothbrush and carb cleaner. It was thick with gunk underneath.

Was the egr valve error being thrown do you know?

justmel

One garage did mention cheap parts and said to get a proper Vauxhall one,the last two were delphi? I think that is the name,i could esily be mistaken.

Good point about the throttle body,no it wasn't cleaned before the new valves went on,i can honestly say i am useless when it comes to cars but now it's been pointed out that is a fairly obvious thing,it might be causing the valves to get clogged.

Husband still wants to blank it,i think Vauxhall need to check it over then we can decide from there what to do next,thanks for the replies,it's driving me nuts.

No codes are coming up at the moment but when the car stalls it's lights on,codes flashing then it goes away when it gets going again,very confusing.

Inner_Zone

Delphi are a GM OEM supplier, search for ignition switch failures in the USA.

Anyway a Delphi EGR valve will probably be the same as a VX supplied one.

My Vectra had a Fiat designed engine, Fiat issued a modified gasket for the EGR valve but VX did not, bought one from a Fiat garage and fitted it to my car as it was cheaper than blanking it out and getting the software updated. While you car probably won't have a Fiat engine it may have a Isuzu or other so it might be worth checking to see it they have issued updated parts.

Retrogamer

Not sure about petrols but on diesels dirty air filters, boost leaks, labouring the engine, flooring it from really low revs, cheap fuel and engine wear can all contribute to them failing faster.
The above usually ends up with the engine producing more particulate matter from over fueling which causes carbon deposits to build up in the EGR over time

Rolandtheroadie

Blank it off.

Just used some metal from a diet coke can to blank the FIL's 55 plate TDCI Mondeo.


If it goes again, I'll buy a plate to do it. they're on ebay for £7.

My own car has it done (1994 merc diesel) and I've just got rid of a Passat diesel that had it done (1999).

Next plans to blank the one on the OH's car.

Retrogamer

Does it not cause the EML to come on and / or go into limp mode with some cars?