Thanks
 

Just want to say massive thanks for all the responses! Have ordered a new fuel filter and is on its way. Given our circumstances I have ordered the EGR bypass as well, better to have it and experiment with it, in case I get a sudden urge to feel handy.

Will also give a shot at cleaning the EGR valve as well, might finally be able to get it to idle smoothly. We can all dream though... :P

Shug

EGR has only one purpose, it is to lower the emissions buy increasing the temperature inside the combustion chamber. It will always reduce power but depending on how much exhaust gas is aloud into the chamber will depend on how much effect it has.

An internal combustion engine needs oxygen and fuel, if the combustion chamber is 100% full of this mixture it will produce the maximum amount of power, if you start filling it with other gases like exhaust gas it will produce less power, no in theory but fact.

The problem is modern engines are designed to work with this mixture of exhaust gas, oxygen and fuel so if you remove the exhaust gas without allowing more air in there is little or no advantage.

A good compromise on a lot of engines is to restrict the amount of exhaust gas buy fitting a plate with a hole, depending on your engine will determine the hole size but somewhere between 3 and 6 mm is usually enough.

I also have a Transit van, with the EGR blocked it will run but the engine management light will come on and the engine will go into a partial limp mode, with a 5mm hole it runs great and no engine management light. On my 260 the same is also true, a blanking plate with a 3mm hole is enough to fool the system into thinking it is working as designed but I have a smoother idle, better pickup and a marginal improvement in fuel economy.

EGR lowers emissions by reducing the temperatures within the combustion chamber. Just like an oxyacetylene torch - the more oxygen you add the hotter the flame gets. :}

Talk of mixtures should be left to petrol engines. Diesels don't work on mixtures as such within the combustion chamber.

Who on earth thought it would be a good idea to make a device that will eventually make your inlet dirtier than your exhaust?:shrug::shrug:

The same person who thought it was a good idea to eat his own sh!t :}