ok, so first of all what will blocking off the egr improve? it has been recommended to me, but the nearest I can figure is for it to keep the intake manifold and therefor the carb cooler. will this gain any hp? So is this a good idea while I have everything apart? thanks.

 

It wont improve anything by blocking it. It only works while you're cruising down the highway at part throttle to give you improved gas mileage and reduced smog out the tailpipe. Its not active at wide open throttle so you will not gain any power from blocking it.

 

so why do people do it?

 

They're ignorant.

 

LOL. 'Nuff said.

 

Blocking off the EGR passage does help eliminate excess heat underneath the carb. A cooler intake charge helps power somewhat. It's definitely not a mod that you'd notice in the seat of your pants though, so it probably doesn't matter much one way or the other.

 

I figure most people get rid of it when it starts causing problems and stops working properly.

 

hmmm if you have an aftermarket intake manifold (edelbrock performer) will it work at all?

 

Depends. Some models of the Performer have provisions for EGR. Most guys just get the non-EGR model, but you can get them with it as well.

 

alright, I will have to look at the maniflod but i already have normal gaskets so I will probably just use those.

 

If you have Performer #2101, which is by far the most common one, it doesn't have EGR provisions. It's real easy to tell if yours has it or not. It'll have a mounting area for the valve right underneath the carb pad, usually on the passenger side if I remember right. Here's a pic of one from Summit that has the EGR mount.

 

yea i'm pretty sure it doesnt because i dont remember seeing anything like that.

 

Is there anyway to remove the EGR, and NOT have to reprogram the computer to get the SES light to go away? Can the likes of a resistor be installed in line or something?

The class I race in allows removal of emission equipment but does not allow reprograming of the computer. And since I really shouldn't be 'crusing' while racing, the EGR is kinda pointless. I have a '92 TPI setup FWIW

 

You can always employ the really low-tech method of disabling the light like I did. Just pluck the bulb out and throw it in the console glove box. Besides, if you mostly use the car for racing, it's not like you need to retrieve trouble codes all that often. Other than the light coming on, the egr not functioning doesn't really affect the way the car runs. When my car started throwing the infamous code 32 (egr) all the time, I got sick of the bright orange light staring me in the face at night, so I just removed the stupid bulb. I did try replacing the egr valve and also tried another solenoid, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna pull the intake manifold just to clean out the crossover passage. You can still retrieve codes whenever you want to by plugging in a scanner that has the LCD readout.

 

The only thing I don't like about the pull the bulb method, is that it can easily mask a more serious problem, just like what happened to another racer over the past 2 events.

 

Ummm yeah I suppose....maybe....not very likely though. If you're still running on the factory programming, any serious problem would cause the ecm to kick into limp home mode, which keeps all settings in safe parameters. In addition to that, any serious problem would make the car run pretty bad, so it'd be obvious that it's time to check for any codes. The ironic thing with my car, is every time the check engine light got triggered, it was still running just fine. The last time I had a really bad problem (leaking injectors), the car ran horrible and that stupid light never lit up once. Seriously though, if you're really that concerned about keeping the light functioning, my suggestion would be to send your prom chip to someone and have them disable the egr function in the bin file. Besides, that'd be an advantageous opportunity to have a few other annoying things switched off or changed, such as VATS, fan turn-on/off temp settings, speed limiter, etc. On the other hand, if you had a radical motor where you've made lots of changes in the prom (timing curve, fueling, etc.), then I'd be more worried about keeping that light functioning. Most hard mechanical type problems never seem to trigger the light in my experience though. Changes in the prom is where you usually run into any kind of trouble, such as running too lean on the fueling tables and burning up a piston or valve. Just my , take it for what it's worth.

 

Thanks for the info. There's a big debate ongoing in the series I run (Camaro Mustang Challenge) about the ability to program the things you mentioned out of the ECM. Right now, doing anything to the ECM is not allowed. It is only a stock 209hp motor, so I see your point about less things going wrong.

Only experience I've had in the camaro wik the light coming on was a VSS issue. I still have the EGR stuff, but no cats/airpump etc. Had timing go way off, run like crap, no light. Later burnt a wire or two, ran like crap and no light.

I did start getting bad gas mileage in my 01 Ranger, then soon after got a SES light, lean both banks (Turned out to be a split vac line) Granted, there's prolly a whole lot more 'sensing' in 01 vs 92.

 

Could you please tell me what needs to be removed to get to that light bulb? Does the dash have to come out? Cheers