temp fix broken egr tube - 98 conti

[theghetto]

My service engine light came on a few months ago. Its a weekend only driver and I hadn't gotten around to getting the error code. Well registration came due and the car failed smog. They gave me the code which was insufficient EGR flow.

My dad and I removed the nuts where the EGR valve is connected to the intake, and upon wiggling it, the whole thing came loose with 6 or 7 inches of steel pipe at the bottom. After examining it we realized it was broken at the flex part. On either end of the flex part is where two little hoses connect to the sensor. I jokingly accused my dad of busting the tube off as my back was turned when the valve came loose, but the break in the "flex" or "corrugated" part is all black and it looks like exhaust has been leaking out.

So anyway, we decide we are going to replace it. Its a much longer tube then average EGR tube on other vehicles apparently, and the only way to get the bottom part off the exhaust manifold is from underneath. So we jack it up, and according to a Ford procedure you are to remove some Y part and some others in order to even get a little room to get a wrench up there. Right off the bat we can't even get the first nut off this Y part because its like non standard. We've got all socket sizes metric and standard, none of them fit. I gave it a turn with the closest fitting one and it just rounded the nut a bit. It wasn't rusted at all, so I don't think the nut lost a size or anything. Its just a bizarre size, and there are several more in harder to reach areas. So we gave up on that route for the moment.

The egr tube is dealer only or scrapyard, and is like 80 bucks new, plus the pain in the ass of removing the old tube.

We are thinking about using some high-heat J-B weld crap and trying to glue the tube back together. I understand exhaust gasses travel through this tube, but it is very long, and the break is much closer to the EGR valve then the exhaust manifold. Plus the little tubes connecting the sensor to the egr tube are rubber / silicon, so it can't be that hot right there can it? The J-B is rated at constant 450 degrees without melting.

Bad idea?

 

[bradyelich]

The new part would be best. Use a temp gun to see how hot that part gets. Exhaust gases are around 900 F at the cat converter I think. The cat has to heat up to work properly.

 

[lincolnelite]

The new part would be best. Use a temp gun to see how hot that part gets. Exhaust gases are around 900 F at the cat converter I think. The cat has to heat up to work properly.

Normally it's the DPFE sensor that failed when you get this error and replacing it fixes the issue. So the metal tube broke when you try to remove the sensor?
How about just extending the rubber tube (if you can find one) from the sensor up to the broken tube?

 

[theghetto]

Normally it's the DPFE sensor that failed when you get this error and replacing it fixes the issue. So the metal tube broke when you try to remove the sensor?
How about just extending the rubber tube (if you can find one) from the sensor up to the broken tube?

No we think the tube was broken already. Its supposed to be one long bent metal pipe from the exhaust manifold to the intake. Between the EGR valve and the DPFE sensor there is a nut on the pipe you can loosen to separate the upper section of the pipe connected to the EGR valve from the rest of the pipe. But before loosening that nut we just removed the bolts holding the EGR valve to the intake, and when my dad was trying to wiggle the valve free, the whole pipe just broke off at that "flex" area you see in the picture.

Interestingly, that "inner" end of the pipe in my hand actually slides over the piece still in the vehicle by a half inch or so. So the inner pipe isn't broken, only the outer flex section you see there. So even though the "flex" part is broken, the pieces still slide together very snug, which is why we considered using the jb weld. There would be very low risk of any of the epoxy actually getting inside the tube.

I did also remove the DPFE sensor to examine it and put it back on. Once we get the pipe fixed, if the error code is still thrown then the next thing I'll try is replacing that sensor. Man if it is the sensor I'll be pissed because its really easy to remove in comparison! We just assumed it must be the break causing the insufficient flow error. But now that we see the pipes sort of slide together, I'm not so sure.

Here's a pic of a similar tube. I can't find a pic of the original anywhere.

 

[theghetto]

Well I thought I would post results. We went ahead with the JB weld knowing it might not last. Gave it 24 / 36 hours to dry. Cleared the code by removing battery cables and drove it around awhile. No lights came on, so I took it straight to the Smog check place. Test was rejected because the computer hadn't done the EGR check yet so the data was insufficient. Argh. So drove it around some more. On the way back to work the service engine light came back on. argh.

So I stopped by Napa and bought the 80 dollar dpfe sensor. Put it on and reset the computer again. Drove it all over the place last night and this morning and the light has remained off. I think it was worth doing myself, learned a great deal about what the EGR system is all about.

Thank you guys for your assistance!