Why should one put in an EGR blanking plate?

[Mbryant]

Could someone point me to a thread explaining why I should put in a plate. Excuse my lack of mechanical terminology but it looks like from my research that there is an opening in the engine that is being shut off. Is that the case? What was the original purpose of the tube/valve and why is it no longer needed?

[Ursula]

here! here!
ahem, that is to say...
have no idea what all the techies are talking about. and i'd really like to know. (%20 gas mileage increase? yeah!)
could someone explain what it does in plain and simple, in non diesel mechanic terms?
thank you...

[jessef]

I posted this a few times. Evidently, it got lost in translation.

EGR in diesel engines

In modern diesel engines, the EGR gas is cooled through a heat exchanger to allow the introduction of a greater mass of recirculated gas. Unlike SI engines, diesels are not limited by the need for a contiguous flamefront; furthermore, since diesels always operate with excess air, they benefit from EGR rates as high as 50% (at idle, where there is otherwise a very large amount of excess air) in controlling NOx emissions.
Since diesel engines are unthrottled, EGR does not lower throttling losses in the way that it does for SI engines (see above). However, exhaust gas (largely carbon dioxide and water vapor) has a higher specific heat than air, and so it still serves to lower peak combustion temperatures. There are trade offs however. Adding EGR to a diesel reduces the specific heat ratio of the combustion gases in the power stroke. This reduces the amount of power that can be extracted by the piston. EGR also tends to reduce the amount of fuel burned in the power stroke. This is evident by the increase in particulate emissions that corresponds to an increase in EGR. Particulate matter (mainly carbon) that is not burned in the power stroke is wasted energy. Stricter regulations on particulate matter(PM) call for further emission controls to be introduced to compensate for the PM emissions introduced by EGR. The most common is particulate filters in the exhaust system that result in reduced fuel efficiency. Since EGR increases the amount of PM that must be dealt with and reduces the exhaust gas temperatures and available oxygen these filters need to function properly to burn off soot, automakers have had to consider injecting fuel and air directly into the exhaust system to keep these filters from plugging up.

EGR deletion

EGR deletion in diesel engines is considered justifiable by a wide range of people, including the environmentally conscious. Although deleting the EGR system results in increased NOx level; hydrocarbon emissions, particulates, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are drastically reduced. Furthermore, EGR deletion results in an increase in fuel economy as high as 25%. Exhaust gas recirculated back into the cylinders adds wear-inducing contaminants and increases engine oil acidity, which can result in an inefficient, poorly running engine. The increased level of soot also creates the need for diesel particulate filters to prevent environmental contamination.

To sum it up.

Almost every diesel make has an aftermarket EGR blanking plate/kit.

Manufacturer's install them (for the most part) to decrease carbon dioxide and to meet local emission standards.

More power, less smoke & better fuel economy are the reason why people install (block EGR system) them in all shapes & sizes of diesel vehicles.

[Mark_R]

I posted this a few times. Evidently, it got lost in translation.

More power, less smoke & better fuel economy are the reason why people install (block EGR system) them in all shapes & sizes of diesel vehicles.

Spot on, most 400's have the egr valve removed over here and the difference in performance,smoothness and lack of smoke is really noticeable. As for fuel economy 1-2 extra mpg isn't that noticeable but those that check do agree it helps (if you own a 400 and worry about economy, You have the wrong car )

[Ursula]

thank you, i get it now, and i need one. there seems to be no drawback. why didn't they make them like this?
I will be contacting the appropriate fabricator. even the 40 dollar ('a bit steep') pricetag seems like a small price to pay for such benefits.
again, thank you for humoring the terminologically challenged. is that a word? it should be.

[jessef]

why didn't they make them like this?

Manufacturer's install them (for the most part) to decrease carbon dioxide and to meet local emission standards.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Manufacturer's install them (for the most part) to decrease carbon dioxide and to meet local emission standards.

You mean nitrogen oxide. An EGR valve will save an ounce of NOx at the cost of a pound of hydrocarbon emissions, particulates, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Here are some links that you might find of use:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhaust_gas_recirculation
  http://www.delica.ca/forum/what-do-you- ... -7793.html

Falco.

[Mbryant]

Thanks for the replies, now to find a plate or get one manufactured.

[mararmeisto]

It's interesting to read in the material that the inclusion of an EGR (in diesels) generally leads to higher particulate counts because of the decrease in fuel burned (the black cloud when you stomp on the pedal). This lowers fuel economy. Because of increased regulations to combat particulates, filters are included in the exhaust system, which has an adverse effect on fuel economy (lowering it again).

So, something was added to engines to control one thing (emissions) which greatly outweighed the benefit of another (increased fuel economy) and because it introduced another issue (increased particulates) another measure was taken which again impacted a benefit (increased fuel economy). Makes one wonder why the automotive industry is still putting these valves into vehicles.

Since removing mine, I have seen an increase in power, a dramatic decrease in smoke (I REALLY have to stomp on it to get it to smoke now). No determination as of yet on impact to fuel economy. Will report later, but I doubt it's going to be the "up to 25% increase" purported in some of the material.

[FalcoColumbarius]

......Since removing mine, I have seen an increase in power, a dramatic decrease in smoke (I REALLY have to stomp on it to get it to smoke now). No determination as of yet on impact to fuel economy. Will report later, but I doubt it's going to be the "up to 25% increase" purported in some of the material.

Easily 25%.
[quote="FalcoColumbarius, from "How To Fit An EGR Blanking Plate" in "Delica FAQ Section""]The reason why I did this is because I noticed that my EGR valve was full of sludge so I decided to clean it out. Delicat had told me that I should block it off but I argued that Mitsubishi had been making machines for sometime, including one of the most beautiful & functional aeroplanes in history ~ the A6 Zero.. so they ought to know what they are talking about. Delicat argued that it wasn't Mitsubishi's idea to put it in but the Japanese Ministry Of Transport's idea, in all their wisdom, God bless them. I cleaned it out, I polished it. This is what happened:

My city mileage went from 8.5 kilometres per litre to six. My engine was running hotter with less power and pouring black soot out the tailpipe. I was genuinely chuffed. I turned my IP down by just under a quarter turn (a lot) in a bid to rid myself of this excess soot, which only pulled back the power. Fortunately, Delicat had given me a genuine Mystery Machine mild steel blanking plate and I decided to install it.[/quote]
Falco.

[Pajerist]

Sounds like I need one. Where I can get EGR blanking plate?

Thanks!

[konadog]

Why not just unplug the vacuum hose to disable the thing?

[lopar]

Why not just unplug the vacuum hose to disable the thing?

Not as pretty..... adds more realty for "special" projects.....

[fexlboi]

Where I can get EGR blanking plate?

http://www.oddballoffroad.com

[Pajerist]

Where I can get EGR blanking plate?

http://www.oddballoffroad.com

Thanks fexlboi!
Wondering is it the same for 2.5L and 2.8L engines?