Need EGR valve for MK5 transit?

[joek009]

Hi
I have a 1997 LWB Ford transit 2.5 ( cant remember if turbo diesel or not..)

I had black smoke coming out of the exhaust, like enough to make a big black circle on the wall where I park, and also a big oil leak. At the garage they said the oil is from the rocker gasket which they can replace. They think (95% sure they said) that the smoke is a worn out EGR valve, they can't find this part though and niether can I. It is quite an old van does anyone know where I might be able to find one of these?
Thanks

[Altransit]

You can disable the EGR valve by simply cable tying the flap in the open position, and disconnecting the actuating rod.
If you have oil leaking from the rocker cover, there could be a problem with this excess oil being burnt and causing the black smoke. This problem is usually caused by a missing 10mm headed bolt which normally blocks off an oilway under the cover in the area of the rocker shaft.

[marcrbarker]

Just to add Because sometimes a EGR valve doesn't shut I've often seen these valves simply blanked off with a scrap of tin plate cut out from a can of cooking oil. I've even seen cocacola and beer can metal used. Mechanics younger will sometimes say "you can't do that to EGR because the engine loses power / limp mode" but this model ECU doesn't know the EGR valve (or butterfly valve) are disabled. It only knows it's electrical connector is plugged in and nothing more.

[MinorMatt]

Just to add Because sometimes a EGR valve doesn't shut I've often seen these valves simply blanked off with a scrap of tin plate cut out from a can of cooking oil. I've even seen cocacola and beer can metal used. Mechanics younger will sometimes say "you can't do that to EGR because the engine loses power / limp mode" but this model ECU doesn't know the EGR valve (or butterfly valve) are disabled. It only knows it's electrical connector is plugged in and nothing more.

Sort of...

The non turbos have no ECU, so nothing knows the position of the valve, remove it, block it, remove the actuator etc and there is no problem

The Turbos do have an ECU, and monitor the position of the valve and will throw faults if disconnected or vacuum pipe removed/blocked etc (although the extent of the impact of said faults to to the driver is the engine management lamp stays on for 5 seconds on start up). However, unlike later ones, there is no provision to asses whether there is actually any exhaust flow through it - so it can be blocked by a piece of steel sheet without any issues.

If you use a drinks can etc for a blank, it will work for a short while, but it will fail - so use some steel sheet

There are also quite a few versions of the EGR...

[marcrbarker]

Just need to correct something I'd wrote, which Matt has picked up. The electrical part of the EGR needs to be moving about freely. If the mechanism is connected to the sensor is physically jammed the ECU will twig what's going on because the ECU reads a position sensor built into the valve's electrical part.

Pesky EGRs, they're only effective at the level of "corporate-worldwide-mass-production" with million-dollar fines for manufacturers and strict controls that cascade downwards from the top. For the individual van owner at the bottom they're a right royal PITA when one goes wrong. The event itself has negligible effect on the environment worldwide - but for the individual the van breaks down and he's often on his own. Salaried offical mechanics don't dare risking it so it's often a back-street garage cutting up discarded beercans to make a blanking plate.

EGRs are always changing, it's like 'cops and robbers'. Back in the day the very first ones (not this van's ECU!), you could just pull off the vacuum pipe and plug it with a screw poked into the dangling pipe. Then that stopped working when ECUs like this one started watching the valve moving. Then people responded by fitting blanking-off plates to permanantly block the flow. Allows the valve to freely move to keep the ECU happy.. Nowdays vehicles just fitting a plate doesn't work any more.

I've seen EGR blanking plates on Ebay, you can see what it looks like, it's just a bit of steel plate with holes. As Matt says don't use beverage can metal bceause it doesn't last. It burns through because there's flames trying to go through the valve.

[Altransit]

Yet we still don't know (because the OP hasn't told us) whether it's a turbo engine or not.

The majority of these Di engines were N/A, in which case, there is no electronic control of the EGR.

[joek009]

You can disable the EGR valve by simply cable tying the flap in the open position, and disconnecting the actuating rod.
If you have oil leaking from the rocker cover, there could be a problem with this excess oil being burnt and causing the black smoke. This problem is usually caused by a missing 10mm headed bolt which normally blocks off an oilway under the cover in the area of the rocker shaft.

Hi
Sorry for the crazy slow reply been on holiday. Had a read through what everyones said sounds like bypassing EGR is the best way to go. Is it terrible for the enviroment to do this though like am I going to be emitting more CO2 and be less efficient with fuel consumption?

[joek009]

Yet we still don't know (because the OP hasn't told us) whether it's a turbo engine or not.

The majority of these Di engines were N/A, in which case, there is no electronic control of the EGR.

I think it is a Di but I am not 100% sure is there a way to check haha.

[joek009]

What do you guys think about this?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185046417114
Should fit?

[dumper]

You can disable the EGR valve by simply cable tying the flap in the open position, and disconnecting the actuating rod.
If you have oil leaking from the rocker cover, there could be a problem with this excess oil being burnt and causing the black smoke. This problem is usually caused by a missing 10mm headed bolt which normally blocks off an oilway under the cover in the area of the rocker shaft.

Hi
Sorry for the crazy slow reply been on holiday. Had a read through what everyones said sounds like bypassing EGR is the best way to go. Is it terrible for the enviroment to do this though like am I going to be emitting more CO2 and be less efficient with fuel consumption?

Your more likely to get better mpg with it blanked off the egr only works on tickover and low revs

[joek009]

Just from reading on the net the mpg might be better but the emissions will be worst? Like the Nitrogen emissions are a lot higher? I would prefer to have better MPG but not at the cost of it expelling more bad stuff out of my exhaust haha.

[dumper]

Not another tree hugger don’t worry China is kicking out more co2 then we could in the next 50 years also if you are worried about it why are you running about in a mk 5 .

[Altransit]

Not another tree hugger don’t worry China is kicking out more co2 then we could in the next 50 years also if you are worried about it why are you running about in a mk 5 .

You summed it up Dumper
Until they ground all of the planes and stop the Chinese sweat shops from polluting the atmosphere, our feeble efforts with EGR valves are going to make no difference. Stricter engine controls are now making the engines less efficient, so they're burning more fuel for the same engine output.

If you're really worried about emissions, there are electric vans around now, using lovely clean electric produced by the newly re-commissioned coal burning power stations, because we don't have enough wind and solar power

[dumper]

Al don’t knock coal power I live just over the river from west burton coal powered station but they are greener some days when the can afford to fire up the gas plant

[Altransit]

Al don’t knock coal power

Trust me, I'm not, I'm just highlighting the fact that in the rush for greener cars, they seem to be forgetting how the electricity to run them is produced.
There was a huge local power station just down the road at Didcot. They decided that it was no longer green enough due to EU guidelines, so they de-commissioned it, and subsequently blew up the cooling towers.

I'm waiting to see now, with the current situation, whether they decide to rebuild it.