EGR questions

Jae 'Bird

Jae 'Bird

1st Gear Poster
Joined
Dec 11, 2023
Messages
73
Age
19
Location
Edmonton, Canada
Vehicle Details
1990 Ford Thunderbird Base with PEP 151A, 3.8L NA V-6
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I am wondering about deleting the egr, I know some people say to not bother if the vehicle is stock, but I really like the idea of not having that old junk going back into my motor. My question is, since my car is a 1990 would I need to tune it out if I were to delete it? is there even a way the car knows its gone? lastly, has anyone here done it and is it hard? my cars a 3.8 na btw
 
First off, don’t do it. EGR helps significantly with cruising highway fuel economy, and costs absolutely nothing in terms of power or performance, and if the engine is running properly, then the exhaust gasses being recirculated do not cause any harm. Given that you have a 3.8NA, it will never be a powerhouse, but actually does get decent highway fuel mileage, so there is no reason to sacrifice the one thing it is good at!

Now that we have said that, if you insist on deleting it, the OBD1 computer knows the resistance of the EGR vacuum solenoid, so that needs to stay, and there may be an EGR valve position sensor, so you need to keep the valve there and working. However the OBD1 cars don’t have a DPFE sensor, so it can’t sense whether the exhaust gasses are actually flowing, so if you insist on disabling it, the simplest and cheapest way is to just put a penny between the EGR valve and the intake manifold to block the exhaust gas flow. Just make sure the gasket is on the intake side to prevent a vacuum leak. The other advantage to doing it that way is that when you realize it was a mistake, it is just as easy to undo it.
 
I'll echo the opinions thus far - keep it.

EGR is not detrimental to performance in any way (all the solenoids to let exhaust gas into the intake are closed above about 1/3 throttle), and its main benefit is an improvement of something like 15-20% in fuel economy. It works by introducing inert gases (no oxygen) into the combustion cycle during cruise. This effectively reduces the displacement of the engine and thereby the amount of fuel/air mixture required to operate.

The only drawbacks to it are the physical presence of the plumbing, the carbon deposits that may build up within the intake (mostly avoided by staying on top of routine maintenance - no leaky PCV, running rich etc.), and the need to maintain the components that make it work should they fail.
 
Stock or a 500 horsepower blown motor there is zero benefit to deleting EGR.

Same with PCV or EVAP, emission controls =/= power robbers.
 
Jae 'Bird said:
I am wondering about deleting the egr, I know some people say to not bother if the vehicle is stock, but I really like the idea of not having that old junk going back into my motor. My question is, since my car is a 1990 would I need to tune it out if I were to delete it? is there even a way the car knows its gone? lastly, has anyone here done it and is it hard? my cars a 3.8 na btw
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I would leave it. I don't believe that what comes out and back into your engine is that much and it is merely exhausted gasses. I would suggest leaving it in.
 
Ok thank you all for the wonderful advice, I have learned me a thing or two today....I am gonna leave the egr alone, the way God intended
 
You can't find anyone to "tune it out" These days;there was a lawsuit. Doing that is considered a defeat device, and is illegal. Exception is track only cars.
 
I removed my egr on a 89 sc while doing head gaskets, didn’t tune it out. Runs great and no check engine light, but now im curious to add it back on to see the effect on fuel mileage. Egr should reduce pumping losses on part throttle.
 
Grog6 said:
You can't find anyone to "tune it out" These days;there was a lawsuit. Doing that is considered a defeat device, and is illegal. Exception is track only cars.
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That's true, but up here in Canada, we don't really have any one who cracks down on it, same with diesels, people delete them and no one gets caught, its pretty nice
 
You must not live in Ontario or Québec. :rofl:
 
I could not live in Ontario or Quebec, I would hate it
 
89SupercoupeSC said:
I removed my egr on a 89 sc while doing head gaskets, didn’t tune it out. Runs great and no check engine light, but now im curious to add it back on to see the effect on fuel mileage. Egr should reduce pumping losses on part throttle.
Click to expand...

The other thing it helps with is longevity, lowering combustion temps while at cruise speeds. On a SC with its somewhat notorious tendency to run hot and pop HGs, it’s definitely something I’d consider putting back.

Some year manual transmission SCs actually came from the factory with factory EGR delete.
 
I wonder how the OBD-I systems advance timing with EGR delivery, since there's no DPFE to measure actual flow.
 
XR7-4.6 said:
The other thing it helps with is longevity, lowering combustion temps while at cruise speeds. On a SC with its somewhat notorious tendency to run hot and pop HGs, it’s definitely something I’d consider putting back.

Some year manual transmission SCs actually came from the factory with factory EGR delete.
Click to expand...
I wonder what years, because mine is 89 and a manual
 
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