egr cooler call

[black89t]

so my gasket on my egr cooler blew today out of nowhere. i just got done looking at it and it looks like it's going to be a bitch to change. so i'm considering pulling the motor to change it. for those that have done it on the car are they any tips or is it just hell. :icon_evil

 

[Poodles]

I got the same issue...

 

[omfgitsdonovan]

isnt there a certain tool made for getting to the back of the head or am i wrong?

 

[Poodles]

Dunno, but the clearance is nearly non-existant.

I tried unbolting the tranny mount and jacking the tranny up to tip it forward already, not enough room. IJ mentioned jacking the engine up and removing the motor mounts and letting the front of the engine down lower while jacking up the tranny, not sure if that will work as there isn't a whole lot of room between the subframe and the oilpan.

I think the easiest is going to be a partial engine pull of unbolting the engine and tranny from their mounts and lifting it up and forward a bit, but the radiator is going to be an issue...

 

[GrimJack]

It can be done in the car, using a 1/4 inch ratchet and a very shallow socket. It's a bitch to do, but it beats pulling the engine!

Grind a socket down some if you need too, sockets are cheap.

I got in from the turbo side, pulled the downpipe, throttle assembly, and valve covers, then liberally apply vaseline to the left arm and slide it in there like you mean it.

 

[CPT Furious]

LOL at the Vaseline comment! Toyota ninja hands to the rescue!!! I voted for pulling the motor...

 

[Suprafast0422]

if you dont absolutly have to, i wouldnt pull it.

 

[Nick M]

With a lift and proper hoist, you can pull the engine in about 2 hours.

 

[hottscennessey]

if you take off the valve covers and grind down a 10mm socket on a 1/4" ratchet, it's doable... your back is going to kill you tho. You literally have to sit on top of the engine.

If you have anything else you can address while the engine is out, might as well pull it.

 

[black89t]

so to add to my problem its raining over here like a mofo. i don't really feel like doing any work outside and the forecast doesn't look like its going to change. but there is a plus. my buddy just moved into his new shop. if i'm lucky i can do it there with a lift. then it will be hella easy. i'm going to talk to him today. i don't really want to hassle doing it on the car. especially if where i'm working on it there's a lift. lol.

 

[jdub]

A lift is not going to help much, unless you pull the motor.

You can lay a pad across the top of the engine (an old matress works) so you can lay down and save your back.

 

[black89t]

jdub i meant it will be easier to just pull the motor if i can use a lift. it shouldn't take me more than 4 hours to pull it then reinstall it. also i can clean things up a little while its out. then again if he is swamped i will have to do it on the car at my house. fate will decide this one i guess. or do you think i'm crazy for pulling the motor for such a small problem?

 

[jdub]

The downside of pulling the motor is inducing a problem...forget to hook something up, old brittle harness, break connectors, etc. You will also need all new fluids (not necessarily a bad thing). The advantage is you can replace anything else that needs it pretty easy.

The EGR cooler is a PITA...it will likely be equal either way time wise.

 

[deabionni]

What about something like a pass thru ratchet? They have a somewhat lower profile than a regular ratchet, and you just may be able to get it between the engine and firewall without grinding anything.

 

[jdub]

^^^ That's the ticket right there

 

[GrimJack]

I have one of those - bought it specifically for this job, actually, and the regular 1/4 drive ratchet worked better.

FYI, I did this in ~2 hours, significantly less time than it takes to pull and reinstall the engine.

And I'm not kidding on the vaseline. I keep some in the garage for just such an occasion.

 

[bryanintexas]

I have one of those - bought it specifically for this job, actually, and the regular 1/4 drive ratchet worked better.

FYI, I did this in ~2 hours, significantly less time than it takes to pull and reinstall the engine.

And I'm not kidding on the vaseline. I keep some in the garage for just such an occasion.

I did it short period of time as well. Unbolted the tranny mount, and lifted the tailshaft of the tranny about 1/2". This gave me about 1" more room to work w/ . I used a Gearwrench flex-head ratcheting wrench, and bought the sockets to snap into them (really shallow). Keep in mind, I had the EGR and upper intake off (cleaning EGR port in manifold).

 

[black89t]

so there was a break in the storm today for a little bit and i decided i would give it a shot. it definitely wasn't fun, but wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. i ground down one of my 10mm 1/4 drive. that plus the snap in socket it made things way easier. also the intake side valve cover had to go.

here is a pic of how far i had to go. also one of the gasket (the other pieces feel under the car). in the upper right hand corner of the cooler you can see where it was leaking. the pic is sorta shitty.

 

[GrimJack]

Nice. Good call on attacking it without pulling the engine. So much less work...

 

[Frank Rizzo]

That doesn't look like a toyota EGR cooler gasket, it looks like the cardboard version felpro sells.