EGR valves

[MikeMan]

I've heard of quite a few people removing their EGR valves but has anyone actually found it increases power? I was thinking about it and it might actually have the opposite effect on long driving. If the heat of combustion is hotter then it might cause the thermostat to open longer meaning more drain on the engine from the water pump. Can someone please prove me wrong?
I hate the fact that they're there, I just want to get rid of them. They just piss me off for some reason..

-Mike

[Hodo]

EGR valve is there to cut emissions. Its pretty simple, it reroutes some exhaust gases back into the intake stream diluting the intake mixture, thus cutting cumbustion chamber temps. It doesnt stay on ALL the time contrary to popular belief. It turns off on WOT situations. It doestn really affect the engine coolling or heating only the combustion chamber temps. This could and most likely will cause you to fail emissions test. It will cause high chamber temps leading to higher than normal NOx emissions, and possibly a preignition situation. If your state does not test for NOx or for emissions (Lousiana) Then you would be fine for removing it and installing a bypass system. As for long term driving affects it may affect milage and put a little extra strain on the engine, and it maybe illigal in your state, or county. I am leaving mine in place and just replacing it every 60k miles.

Hope that helps out a bit.

[MikeMan]

I thought there were two egr valves? Maybe there's just one with the two pipes coming out. Anyway, I've heard that removing them increases performance (more air/fuel instead of dirty exhaust) but at what cost? The more I think about it, the less i believe that removing/disconnecting them would actually increase performance.

I live in Australia btw where they don't check emissions... Unless the cop suspects that there's something wrong.

-Mike

[DeleriousZ]

i'm thinking if you somehow vented it into the exhaust or into the atmosphere it would increase your performance a bit and increase your fuel efficiency.. probably create a cleaner explosion and all that.. probably also create less carbon and buildup. i'd do it for a tank of gas, then put it back for another tank.. see what happens with your mileage and performance.

[Hodo]

It would alow more air/fuel into the combustion chamber without it connected but it would also lead to hotter combustion chamber and exhaust emmissions, this would lead to a hotter cat, and your O2S would pick up the added fuel in the stream if not setup right and the ECM would cut fuel, in the process. It may make a difference, just not a big difference untill you have built up the engine. Untill then the only gains you would see would be negligiable at best.

[DeleriousZ]

but if you don't have a cat like me, and you're not too worried about emissions, and the air that's coming into the engine is around -30 celcius... and you reset the ecu.... that might see some gains then... maybe like 2-3 hp? lol

[Hodo]

I'd say yea about that, 1 maybe 3 hp not enough to really worry about it till you do alot more work on the engine.

[Zgringo]

Common guys think about the question. Anytime you add exhaust (spent) gasses to the intake you cut down on you A/F quality and lower the VE (volumetric efficancy) of the engine. Your adding more (spent) air with less oxygen thus raising the amount of fuel per oxygen makin for a hotter exhaust to keep the cat's hotter and work better. Without cat's you don't need the EGR valves and if you keep the engine tuned proper you'll make more power.