Got a CEL for 'EGR Low Flow'. Noticed the valve covers were leaking while in there looking, so pulled the covers. What a pain in the ***! What ever mechanic tighten those bolts should be shot. I mean, what part of 'tighten to 89inlbs do you NOT understand?! They were tight to the point of stripped and I needed to grind a 5.5mm allen down alittle with a taper and beat it in with a hammer. Full force and they finally broke loose with a 'tink'... Friggen BS...

So anyways... the cams, head, and splash shields where perfect (for 140k miles) with NO crud/carbon/sludge, but looked in the covers and wtf?! They were crudded to death! The perforated filters - which I didnt know were there untill I started cleaning - where completely blocked with crud. Off to the store for some new bolts (thanks a-hole) and cleaner... I wasted two cans of degreaser and a can of carb cleaner on the covers, and a can of oven cleaner and two cans of brake cleaner just on the filters. I ended up getting maybe 70% - 75% of the crud outta filters. Thats it. Man were they packed.

Putting it back together with same Victor-Rienz gaskets I already had, I started to wonder just what engineer decided on this BS design and what was he smoking? I mean, what? Really? Couldn't have just a simple o-ring type, or raised rails, or any number of easier systems that actually work, nooo...

Well, figured and back on, tightened to the 120inlbs needed to keep it from leaking (thanks again a-hole) after a heat/cool cycle to check for said leaks, I cleared the codes and went for a few full power runs to 80mph and a 10 mile drive.. No more EGR code! Hooray! No need to pulll the manifold, EGR, and TB to clean crud like all the DIYs said I had too...Simple breather filters were crudded. Cool.

I know, I know.. I'll pull the manifold at some point and clean it all up right, but for now I'll take it.


Sorry, was a rush job so no pics...

 

Yeah that happens to all the valve covers on the 1.8, 2.8, 2.7, and 4.2. Even the Hotsy washer won't get it all off sometimes. Doesn't seem to affect anything though.

 

The crud in the covers? No, think it wouldn't, but the crud in the filters seem to have set my code and blew the seals so glad I saw it

 

I meant the black fried on oil on the underside of the covers.

 

Ya, I know...

 

Jim, didn't you remember seeing them when I cleaned my covers?



By the way, my driver side bank's gasket (Victor Reinz...) started leaking a month or 1 1/2 month back. I don't know what caused it, by I drive daily with burnt oil smell and smoke from the leak. Two more weeks and I'll have time to pull the engine apart again...
Anyway, I agree about the design... even the Elantra's rocker cover has raised edges to house the gasket. Audi's design blows.

What type of bolts did you end up buying? Did you find the recessed head Allens or you ended up with regular hex head?
Tks.

 

Doh... I forgot I guess ...Mine where 100x worse than yours. Seriously. I scraped out the crud with a putty knife, and, since mine are plastic, there's alot of reinforcements inside to make cleaning it a PITA. I couldnt even see that there were filters till I started cleaning. Wierd the covers were so bad, but the cams/heads were clean as a whistle other than a little carmel color??...

Looking at yours, mine are different.. I have clips to remove the filters; and my rails are different - It looks like yours fit around the cover's lip. Mine fits into the lip. Wonder why the change?


I found the same bolts at the Farm Store (Ace). Allen head.

 

Wish I would've taken pics... But my cams looked like this guys in color/cleanliness (minus one cam )... Notice the gasket - mines the same, but fits in a groove in the cover, not the head.

 

My Elantra has a groove/channel in the cover, I know what you're talking about. I had to change the gasket on that one last March and it never develped a leak.

On the Audi the leak started either because of the design, or the rubber didn't hug the lip tight from the beginning. The passenger side one has no leaks.
I'll check my Fastenal store for new Allen bolts.

P.S. - Plastic covers = Truth in Engineering

 

I get the "EGR low flow" CEL on my 97 2.8 Avant with 230K miles every few weeks and just reset it. I was thinking it was a plugged EGR line but now it looks as if it might be crud in the filters. It looks like you had to pull a boat load of stuff off the motor to get to the valve covers. How long would it take to do the job if the bolts were normally tight?