EGR valve on Lanos: problems and solutions

The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve on used Lanos has long been the subject of research by many drivers. Regardless of its design and engine type, sooner or later the question arises whether to plug the EGR valve, repair it, or install a new one. Of course, the environment is important, but nerves are more expensive.

Why do you need an EGR valve in a Daewoo Lanos

The EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system is designed exclusively to reduce the nitrogen content in exhaust gases. There are different ways to deal with this, but the most effective way to comply with environmental regulations, according to manufacturers, is to use an EGR system.

The point of using the EGR system is simple:

Not all gases are sent immediately to the atmosphere, some of them are sent back to the combustion chamber to reduce the combustion temperature of the mixture. And the lower the temperature, the lower the amount of nitrogen oxides in the exhaust.

That’s the whole task.

The fight for the environment does not in itself cause anyone to protest. The other thing is that the recirculation system is not eternal, especially in Lanos engines, which have EGR installed in accordance with Euro 3, not Euro 2, standards. In both engines, the life of the EGR valve is limited to 120-150 thousand kilometers, and in some of them it does not reach even a hundred thousand kilometers.

How the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system works and how it does not work on Lanos

The system works quite simply. Exhaust gases from the exhaust pipeline are partially fed to the intake manifold, and their flow is regulated either by a vacuum-mechanical valve or an EGR magnetoelectric valve. In the first case, the valve is practically not controlled by the engine management system, while in the second case it is fully controlled.

And a bit of theory. The installation of the valve, and the entire EGR system (based on the Opel model, by the way), should perform the following functions:

1. Dilute the fuel-air mixture with an inert gas without oxygen.
2. Limit the content of exhaust gases in the combustion chamber to 10%.
3. This reduces the combustion temperature and pressure (since the combustion rate is lower).
4. Reduce fuel consumption.

In reality, we get a slightly different result. Since the volume of the Lanos engine is difficult to compare with the volumes of truck diesel engines and large gasoline engines, the disadvantages of using the system are much greater.

Namely, the accumulation of soot and carbon deposits in the combustion chamber, on the valves and piston bottom, which leads to increased wear, high fuel consumption and engine overheating. In advanced cases, engine soot clogging can lead to detonation.

Problems with the EGR valve, malfunctions, their elimination

All the things we’ve discussed so far are assuming that the exhaust recirculation system is working perfectly. However, the system is not as reliable as we would like it to be. Over time, the exhaust gases are fed into the combustion chamber in much larger volumes, which causes dips during acceleration, engine misfiring, spark plugs to throw, soot to appear on them, and air to be sucked into the intake tract.

The EGR valve fails quite quickly, but there is no need to rush to remove it from the system. If the system is working as it should, let’s not interfere with it.

The valve should only be removed if one of these faults occurs:

1. The valve is jammed. It doesn’t matter in which position, but in any case, it indicates the need for repair.
2. A huge amount of carbon deposits on the valve walls.

The EGR valve fails mainly due to poor-quality fuels and engine oils – the increased content of heavy fractions leads to the formation of soot, and this applies not only to the EGR valve, of course. Restoring the system is usually expensive and does not make sense at the mileage at which the valve has given up the ghost.

How to plug the EGR valve, price, articles

There are several options to get rid of the trouble with the recirculation system. The first and most expensive is to replace the EGR valve. It makes sense to do this only on engines with mileage up to hundreds of thousands. For example, a vacuum-type valve (articles 555286, 17097086, GM/Daewoo 96335930, Meat & Doria 88159) costs $90. Not a very humane price tag, at least nitric oxide (by the way, absolutely harmless to humans) is not worth that kind of money.

1. Remove the valve.
2. Take high temperature sealant.
3. Plug for the hole.

1. Apply sealant to the flange.
2. Replace the plug in place of the valve.

Therefore, the best solution is to physically and programmatically remove the EGR valve from the engine management system. This is true if there are no other malfunctions.

If the engine is equipped with an EGR (Euro 2) vacuum valve, no ECU reprogramming is required when the flange is shut off. However, the Euro 3 valve is controlled by the ECU, so it must be excluded from the system by programming.

1. Plug for Euro 3.
2. Plug for Euro 2.

Technically, to plug the EGR valve on a Lanos, it is enough to remove the valve itself, and install a paronite gasket without a hole under it, then replace it. Alternatively, remove the valve, buy an Opel plug with catalog number 5851970 or 12554606 (for Euro 3) for a penny and put it on high-temperature sealant. In this case, the valve itself can be removed after flashing the control system with a competent diagnosis.

Thus, it is advisable to remove the EGR valve in cases where it has completely failed, but the engine does not show any other symptoms of malfunction.