Hello! may prius is right at 110k miles and I was wondering if I could do an EGR delete on it. it hasn’t caused any issues yet, literally still runs like new, but I would like to get rid of it to keep it from running more junk through the motor. It may hurt gas mileage some, may improve it, either way Is fine with me... I know a lot of systems seem to put a plate on the openings of the engine where the ports were connected and reroute. Is any of this doable on the Prius? Would it need retuned? I planned on probably taking it loose and cleaning everything at the 120k mark when I change the plugs... probably won’t change the coils unless needed.... be due another Tranny flush, coolant flush, brake flush and new filters all around as well. is there any cleaners you would recommend running through the engine? I use to run GM Topend cleaner through my other vehicles but maybe that might be to hard for the converter on this vehicle. Don’t wanna clog it up... but I do wanna keep the vehicle in tip top shape as I plan on “running it in the ground”. Thanks!
A delete would be quite the undertaking. The exhaust heat recovery and the heater core are plumbed into the coolant hoses hooked to the cooler. A more likely solution might be to use a drill bit and drill the center out of the cooler itself. But that assumes the engine ECU doesn’t have a fit with the extra flow thru the EGR valve.
There's a theory in circulation on PriusChat that blocked EGR is a causative factor in head gasket failures. Me, I am roughly Switzerland as far as that theory goes; I've seen it, and I've seen the speculation for why it may be so, but I haven't seen much actual literature review, analysis, or experiment. So maybe there's something to it, maybe not. But on the chance that there is something to it, doing an "EGR delete" or blocking the flow with a plate could be tantamount to wearing a big sign that says "DESTROY MY HEAD GASKET PLEASE".
I'm with chapmanf on this one... an EGR delete without a carefully calibrated method of equivalent combustion charge reduction would be dangerous and counterproductive. Now, if you figure out how to reduce power per cycle appropriately, party on dude.
Well damn, this sounds unlikely lol. I’m a person that would rather do it once n be done. Taking off n cleaning does work, but it’s more work, and requires cleaning again in the future... I’m just used to seeing her deleted and stuff on diesels... which I know the Prius is far different, but if it could be done it would be great.
Well, on both types of engine, EGR reduces NOx emissions ... but on diesels it is a trade-off (lost efficiency in exchange for lower NOx) while on spark-injected engines it's a win-win (lower NOx and improved efficiency). So diesel owners are more likely to dabble in EGR deletes.
Just don't do nothing, for quite some time. That's your safest bet. 4th Gen EGR is apparently much improved (over 3rd gen). It's doing good things, and disabling it is basically going to do bad things. Not to mention it's a bear to get to, harder than 3rd gen. If you want to see where it's at, check the pipe.
I wonder if the use of ethanol in fuel makes EGR's dirtier or cleaner over the life of the vehicle? Anyway, not that is seems like it would be easy or do-able, but I once had a Ford that was known to have idling issues known to be the EGR - even with only 50,000 miles on the engines. I studied the reports and warnings of blocking off the EGR with a plate, but I took a different route by creating a plate with a much smaller single drill hole in it to reduce the EGR gas flow. It worked like a charm, and a previous bitch to get going from stop-signs / stoplights became a good runner.
It's rare that a 2-second google produces such a clean hit, but there it is: looks like ethanol & EGR is a good combo, at least for these latest GDI engines.
A Chinese university? I mean, if that's the truth - then is all of China already using ethanol in their fuel? Look, call me suspicious, but it was big corn (i.e. corn lobbyists) that got us to start putting it into fuel so that they could sell more to begin with. I'm on the fence to call out that study as a 'bought' study by, again, the corn lobby - let's just say I'd like to see more data from other sources.
Fair enough- I'd expect the best data to come from Brazil, given how much ethanol they're burning for fuel. But my Portuguese is lousy, so I went for something in English. While I can't properly vouch for them, I don't think the SAE is publishing just anything that floats in on the tide. I have no love for big corn but I'm starting to catch a whiff of anti-science here.
Anti-science, but I drive a 2019 Prius? Well, yeah, OK - I admit that I tend to think Toyota is in the caveman days with their interior designs on the Gen4's ... I'd rather have the interior of a Gen 3 or Gen2
