UKSaabs

I havent got round to doing mine yet but will do some evening this week. Can someone confirm what the two rubber hoses attached to the EGR are, coolant or vacuum????

PrimO wrote:I havent got round to doing mine yet but will do some evening this week. Can someone confirm what the two rubber hoses attached to the EGR are, coolant or vacuum????

They're coolant and you will get a little loss of water/coolant but not much

Hi Guys
Noobie to the forum and Saab's. Just bought my first Saab 9-3 a couple of days ago, its a 2.2 tid Vector on 03 plate. Never noticed on the test drive but after parting with my cash and on the way home (think it just waited for me to pay) I noticed a flat spot in the rev range at about 2,000 revs also a whole load of black smoke. Been reading this post and going to give cleaning the EGR a go, as well as a good service.

Great explanatory thread, hope it works =)

Hi all. I am at my wits end here, Basically my 2.2 tid is running rich (poor mpg/smoking) due to carbon buildup on my map sensor ( I am having to clean it every 12 miles now)
2 different mechanics have looked at the car using various scanners etc, one would assume that the egr valve is at fault but it opperates well remotely and is also dirty on both sides indicating it is working. So why am I getting carbon on my map sensor.
Am i correct in saying ....
clean air is sucked in through the air filter, through the MAF Sensor, through the intercooler,through the turbo past the MAP Sensor through the EGR Valve into the cylinder, Yep a one way street, So why is my MAP Sensor getting clogged up with carbon so much, (It's making my engine run so rich as it cant read the pressure) It seems the exhaust fumes are coming in through the EGR valve the wrong way which seems impossible considering the pressure the turbo generates.
The codes being thrown up say egr fault but it works by remote, All signs are that the EGR is working , ( I have cleaned it many times also the manifold and now the map sensor needs to be cleaned every 12 miles or the car runs rich and smokes like crazy, A never ending circle, (The MAF checks out as working and all the intercooler pipework is good)
I have tried 2 mechanics, read loads on the internet and god knows how many fault readers and still the problem continues,,,,,,,,,,,HELP

Hi All.

My first post here as I've just bought a 2005 93 Tid Vector & here's my first of many daft questions-

Where is the EGR valve on the 1.9 tid engine (150 if that makes a difference) & is removal & cleaning the same as the 2.2?

Thanks

Arrrgh....could be multiple things here.
Clean the EGR to restore performance and mpg
Check the Intercooler and connecting ducts for leaks (compressed air from the turbo escaping?)
Check the vacuum pipework from the crankcase feeding all sorts of components, including the shut-off thing on the turbo
Check the Diesel back fill fuel pipes - cracking here lets in air which allow fuel to drain back to the tank and make it hard to start (crank longer) and clearly also adds air bubbles to the fuel affecting mixture.

Seems like any of the above are common??

Want to say a big thanks for the EGR info.
Have had my car for 6 months and regardless of motorway or town have never seen my mpg go above 39.
After reading this thread i decided to clean my EGR which was as black as black can be.
Went to pick my kids up on sunday which is about 60 miles and mostly motorway, and the best mpg i saw was 56, i couldnt believe my eyes.
Once again many thanks

Yes, this is the best thread here for EGR cleaning. I had/have starting and stuttering problems reported on another thread for my 2005 2.2Tid 95 and decided the next thing was to clean the EGR valve, per this thread. It went fine but hasn't solved my underlying bad starting (but the stuttering is less). I didn't get the EGR shiney clean though, so I will re-do at the weekend and soak in Coke or petrol to do that, and I will also get to the MAP sensor and clean out the Inlet Manifold at the same time. Hopefully that might be the whole stuttering thing, but the starting might still be air in fuel, bad injector pump, poor CPS..... the list is long

Anyway - here are pics of my EGR clean operation. I would add that I don't think taking off the electro head part (Pic5) was necessary at all and you can break it/weaken the integrity - it was clean and smooth in there. It's the mechanical parts you need to check are working smoothly and clean at the other end.

I've been having EGR problems for a while. A quick clean by taking the plastic cover off, cleaning and lubricating had helped a little, but not for long. Having found this thread I pulled the valve off to clean it. I had the same problem getting the valve free, but I took the manifold above it off (4 screws plus two holding the wiring) and removed a bit of carbon. I used some squirty carbon grease and had the slider moving easily and then put it back.

Driving again, once I blasted out A LOT of smoke (not surprising as a lot of the carbon fell back inside...) it seems to be pulling a little better and less smoke, but I can't get rid of the engine management light and think it is still in limp home mode. I live in central London so it's hard to be 100% sure, but a run down the A2 to the M25 and back had it running smoothly, but no great power.

I tried what an earlier poster said and pulled the battery lead for several minutes, which nixed the radio memory and time, but not the warning light. I looked at the fuses and did not find an 'ignition' fuse, which wasn't surprising on a diesel when I thought about it, so disconnected the battery again for longer - 30/40 minutes.

Do I need someone with a computer hook-up, or is there a fault which it is picking up straightaway ? I wondered, as originally when I had the problem the warning light would come on and go off again repeatedly (getting to be on more than off).

You'll only lose a cup full of coolant when disconnecting those pipes, or you can plug them with a suitable pencil sized object. Make sure the EGR valve opens and shuts freely (its electro controlled unless you have an old style vacuum one). And apply some copper grease on re-fitting to aid removal next time.
I must look at my MAP - is that in the air intake manifold? I'll get the garage to clean it on Wednesday.
I am averaging 38mpg btw, round and about, never really going above 3000prm.

Well, chalk up another fan of cleaning the EGR valve. Did this a couple of days ago and got rid of the CEL code for EGR valve.

I did the EGR valve clean last weekend and it felt better, but I couldn't get rid of the fault warning, even by disconnecting the battery for 30-40 minutes. After a week it finally went off (and produced plenty of black smoke..), but cleared slightly as I took it to a nearby dual carriageway to see if it would pull better and clear out a bit. I got most of the way out of the sliproad and the blooming light came on again. Grrrr...

Greg, Do you have a ODBII |Reader? You might want to check the code(s) are actually the EGR valve.

I've been visiting Dave out in Byfleet, but there's a limit to how may times I can ask him to check it with his ODB magic box. It does (did) say that it is the EGR, but there was also another code about low turbo pressure, but that might have just been because the EGR was not functioning properly. When Dave did a quick external clean of the EGR the code disappeared for a short while, so I had hoped that removing it and doing it more thoroughly would solve it.

Greg - same here. But I only had EML come on once and I have changed a lot of sensors since then. Saab expert says I do now have a P0401 (wasn't there the 2 times previously when the AA checked, or Saab indie in Oxford) which could be EGR valve stuck open and not closing at higher/hotter revs? He said it could also be the intercooler is shot (got holes in it, blown out by excess turbo pressure or cracked somewhere, which messes up the air/fuel mix and causes ECU to back-off the engine over certain rev level [mine is 2800rpm] ).
So... all I am saying is maybe worth getting someone to check the intercooler if you think the EGR is functional.

I hate to say it, because I do like my saab, but I'm tempted to part company with my 9-3. Really I suppose I need a supply of parts to switch over and see what works, so it might be a good buy for somebody who has a working one. I just don't want to start spending money buying bits in a random attempt to find a resolution. Added to that the steering fluid hose replaced six months ago is leaking, so I need to find a different fitting to the rubbish saab design and the fron tyres are close to needing changing.

I reckon Ebay is looming for the old girl, unless I find a cheap damaged repairable near me to swap bits on.

I have a 04 2.2 tdi , After looking through this forum I guessed the black smoke from acceleration was because of the EGR valve, I removed it ( Thanks for the warning about the top pipe and hot liquid )( Which sprayed out over my hand and went about 5 foot ) and cleaned the EGR with EGR cleaner, I reconnected everything , it helped a little, next I put wynns injector cleaner in the tank, this helped a little aswell, but I do drive a lot at night, all I can see when there is a car behind me is a smog of smoke when I am accelerating, even a little bit, I am not a mechanic person at all, I have only just found out what EGR stands for , I do have access to the tools, but I need a idiots guide about what things should look like and everything that needs cleaning, Even though I drive a saab I cannot afford garage prices, so I am having a go myself, So please could someone advise, where the parts are and what the hell to do with them ( Like you would for a 4 year old )
Many Thanks

Col

glos saab wrote:I have a 04 2.2 tdi , ..... Even though I drive a saab I cannot afford garage prices, .....
Many Thanks

Col

Same - and I think that's why I have a Saab - you get a lot for your money because they are no more!

I don't notice the smoke during the day either, but at night I feel really guilty when I look in the mirror and see smoke. IMHO its partly just what diesels are. I think the Diesel Particulant Filter (DPF) part of the exhaust is supposed to suppress the worst of it, but maybe after a few years and without regular long runs, the DPF gets clogged and loses its efficiency. I do regular 30mins on a motorway, or longer, and I think this helps burn out the clogging, but I'd be interested in the real mechanics explanation. There's only so much cleaning of the EGR and inlet manifold you can do.
Another theory could be fuel mix - controlled by the injector pump in turn controlled by various sensors, like the Mass Air Filter (MAF) sensor which is on the off-side air inlet pipe, just above the large air-filter (which is just infront of the front wheel in the wing-space). I plan to change mine since it apparently is giving varied/inconsistent voltage readings (according to a Saab specialist garage).

I had the Swirl Valve (in the Inlet Manifold) removed, cleaned and freed up (it was seized) - that's supposed to improve combustion at higher speeds and might also be an improvement - not had a chance to notice at night yet. The actuator for that is behind the EGR valve, on the right side (looking from the font under the bonnet) and is vacuum operated - if you cannot move it with your fingers then it is clogged up and could be the culprit also.

What a brillant load of info,and I noticed it's usually about diesel motors, now for a thicko question is there an EGr valve on my 93 Aero (petrol) and if so ,where is it?
regards Chris

No EGR valves are not fitted to petrol engines