I've removed the front aluminium pipe and TBH the amount of crud in there was not as much as I expected for a 76k mile motor. However, it would have been a shame not to attempt a bit of a cleanup up. So far I have found the stuff sticky and awfully difficult to remove as there is engine oil mixed in there, have tried brake cleaner but this only worked in a sort of half-hearted way once the layer remaining was very thin. Any suggestions? I thought about firing up my pressure washer! But weather is bad right now so I am too lazy. And sorry for any typos, I'm typing one-handed as I am holding my 5 month old in the other hand! :yes:

I've removed the front aluminium pipe and TBH the amount of crud in there was not as much as I expected for a 76k mile motor. However, it would have been a shame not to attempt a bit of a cleanup up. So far I have found the stuff sticky and awfully difficult to remove as there is engine oil mixed in there, have tried brake cleaner but this only worked in a sort of half-hearted way once the layer remaining was very thin. Any suggestions? I thought about firing up my pressure washer! But weather is bad right now so I am too lazy. And sorry for any typos, I'm typing one-handed as I am holding my 5 month old in the other hand! :yes:

all that sticky gunk is unburned hydrocarbons... yukky stuff. im not sure what you'd use to clean that crap off..... how about that amazing oven cleaner where you have to don gloves and clean your oven bits in a plastic bag? apparently it works really well at stripping burned on food and grease. might be an idea to soak the EGR tube in that.

i wrote a short report somewhere on EGR cooler fouling and had stuff in there about cleaning. ill try see if i can dig it out, see what i wrote.