big problems with egr valve

[stingray1987]

right guys/gals im having big problems with my egr valve on my 1999 1.6 16v sport.
right i brought the car a couple of months ago and the first day the engine light come on (just my luck), took it the garage and it was the egr valve so i booked it in be changed.
they changed the valve and told me it got bloked open by a shard of metal. the metal was fairly clean and quict thin ( looks liek it could be part of a gasket).
anyway i drove off the garage forcort and less than half a mile up the road the light come back, so turned round and took it back the garage.
yep you geussed it the new egr valve wedged open with another bit of metal.

i was then told they would take the shard of metal out the valve and put a plate inbetween the engine and the egr valve so it would block it off but the car would still think the egr valve was still working.
problem is since ive had this done the engine light keeps coming on after high revs or when crusin say 70-80mph for a few mins.
it goes off if you turn the ignition off and back on again but every time it comes on the car goes really slow.
the car doesnt seem to be running right anyway as my friends 1.2 16v corsa c very almost keeps up with it lol.

wot can be done? and anyone have any ideas wot it could be? please help as i want to keep the car but im really getting anoyed and will end up getting rid soon if i dont get it sorted.

[Jimi137]

I dont know too much about enignes and things but if u think it might be the gasket thats causing problems maybe get a new head gasket? Check all the tell tale signs its going tho like oily coolant and leaking fluids.

Personally i think its criminal that a garage just did a bodge fix like that on ur car - obv it aint gonna work right if its blocked off otherwise there wud be no point in having an egr valve. Putting a plate in front of it will not fix it - it will just cause them peices of metal to get caugh on the plate instead

My personal advice is to find out exactly what them metal pieces are and where exactly they have come from

[stingray1987]

I dont know too much about enignes and things but if u think it might be the gasket thats causing problems maybe get a new head gasket? Check all the tell tale signs its going tho like oily coolant and leaking fluids.

Personally i think its criminal that a garage just did a bodge fix like that on ur car - obv it aint gonna work right if its blocked off otherwise there wud be no point in having an egr valve. Putting a plate in front of it will not fix it - it will just cause them peices of metal to get caugh on the plate instead

My personal advice is to find out exactly what them metal pieces are and where exactly they have come from

well i think if its a gasket i think it will either be the inlet manifold or exhaust manifold gasket but im unshure and yeah your right i do need to find where it is coming from but its how much it will cost to do so as if its going cost loads would i be better getting rid of the car? im unshure wot to do

[Jimi137]

Well its best to get a quote about it i think b4 u just scrap it - some places like the HiQ garage near me will look around and tell u the problem for free then u can choose what 2 do with the car. I feel sorry 4 u m8 - its always a gamble buying an old second hand car but just remember ud be lucky to get 100 quid if u scrapped it and maybe 200 to sell it privately

[George611]

Id buy it lool.. where bouts yu from mate?? and can yu upload some pics of the bits of metal if yu still have them ??

[stingray1987]

here are some pics of my old egr valve blocked with the little bit of metal





when the new egr valve got blocked before they unblocked it and blanked it off the bit of metal was at least double in size of the bit in this valve but still thin and it was shiny sort of like polished alloy. any ideas where it is comming from would be great.

[prawny12009]

Bit of the catalytic converter honeycombe? they usualy stay relativly clean even though they are in th exhaust because of how hot they get, and whould be quite possible to get a bit blow back and through the egr valve.

You need to get it sorted as bits than pass the egr get sucked back into the inlet, the last thing you want is a bit off metal wedged down the side of your piston rings or a damaged valve seat.

You do know that the egr program on the ecu has to be turned off by the dealers after the valve is blanked, or the engine management gets confused.

[stingray1987]

cheers for the reply ill have the cat off and have a look over the weekend.

might pop up vauxhall see how much it will cost adjust the ecu.
any ideas of price sort out the egr in the ecu?