• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

Replacing EGR valve with suitable plug

Share this page

Steve1970

Steve1970

Senior Member
Country flag
Offline
Hi all! I'm looking to yank the egr valve on my 74 tr6 and replace it with a suitable plug. I haven't the first idea on where to start looking for a plug; I'm assuming I'd be looking for a short but large diamter bolt (not your typical home depot hardware stock), can anyone provide an exact size, or a link to a plug known to work?

many thnx.. Steve
 
Home Depot, Lowes and local hardware stores all carry the plugs. Just take the EGR with you to match it up.

I got mine at Lowes, but I don't have the number.
 
thanks, Paul. i just couldn't believe it would be that easy! i'll start with lowe's tonight
 
Just out of curiousity, why would you want to do that? Is there a benefit to doing so? Thanks!
 
EGR

i.e. Exhaust Gas Recirculation. One of the most beneficial air pollution devices installed on our modern cars. It does a signifigant amount of reducing the oxides of nitrogen in the modern car.


HOWEVER, Early designs without proper passage flow can cause more harm than benefit over a period of time.

The valves on early model cars(and I include Triumphs in this category) do not have height controllers, so it's usually full on, or full off. The passageways that are in the head/intake manifold are not evenly cast/machines, usually dumping exhaust in one or two cylinders... So what does this do for the other cylinders? Doesn't help them reduce the oxides of nitrogen.

Does increase carbon buildup in the intake manifold, head leading to excessive carbon buildup(especially if your system has been running rich) that will cause sticking valves, loss of proper air induction, loss of performance, mileage, etc.

If you keep the ignition and fuel system "dialed in" , especially with a multispark system(MSD) you can see as good as, if not better oxide of nitrogen reduction on a 6, without EGR.

When I was in California, I was a smog tech, with 4 gas machines available(when I left 5 gasses were just coming out). And I did readings on my 6, with egr on, off, PaceSetter exhaust, Crane/MSD ignition/ adjusting the needles on the Strombergs, and eventually replacing the Strombergs with SK's.

The cleanest my car ran, was without EGR, with Crane, Pacesetter and Strombergs(couldn't get the fuel pump discharge cams I wanted for the SK's) but the difference between the Strombergs and the SK's was not that much different, just richer on tip in, but still below state requirements. This was back in 88/89
 
In the Haynes Manual Chapter 13 "Supplement" The recommendation to clean the EGR valve at 12,000 mile intervals and some models had a service indicator lamp on the dash as a reminder.
I bet that hasn't been done often. When I removed mine, the steel pipe that connects the intake manifold to the valve was greatly restricted due to a build up of carbon inside.
I suppose Emission Controls have come a long way since the mid-70's.
BTW, I found suitable plugs at NAPA. Around here, NAPA tends to cater to the needs of pro mechanics, whereas Auto Zone, Advanced, etc seem to have the hobbiest in mind.
 
If I remember right, not always happens, the plug made for my '76 is 3/4-16. Just went and measured it and checked the threads with a pitch gage. That is what it is. I used a stud with a jam nut and set the length to best match the port.
 
Back
Top