I phoned the representative for this mobile EGR system cleaning machine called the DFS 910. At first I wasn’t interested but thought about the actual labor involved to remove EGR system parts just for cleaning purposes. When adding everything up it was worth a try to get hooked up with this machine and see if it would remove most of the soot build up.
The charge to do this operation was 650.00 and it took a couple of hours. You can see in the video the major exhaust leak off of the ninety degree connection at the rear of the EGR cooler. This was undetected by us which usually shows up as a black carbon streak. Once the machine applied pressure to the EGR system it was obviously clear.
At this moment we are repairing the exhaust leak with new sealing rings and replacing another pipe that had a crack. It’s food for thought that applying pressure to the exhaust system will find an exhaust leak if it’s big enough. This one was massive while the boost pressure was still up around 27 psi.
I’ve posted many videos here regarding the Mercedes MBE 900 diesel engines in our fleet and most of the problems have been about soot buildup clogging sensors, components and exhaust leaks / boost leaks. The ever present code 2631 occurs if you have any kind of boost or exhaust reduction. We have replaced leaking charge air coolers, resealed exhaust manifolds and other related areas to keep the gases contained for proper operation of the emissions system.
As always we learn something new and once you get hands on experience it comes down to a regular cycle of the same problems happening over and over again. I say don’t get angry and frustrated just learn more about what the cause and effect of each problem is and have a plan of attack each time the same old code pops up. Don’t get angry get even.
We are saving money by cleaning emission parts instead of replacing them. The steam cleaner and carb spray or a more modern term would be throttle intake spray. It does wonders on carbon and soot build up just don’t breath this stuff in. This reminds me to get the MSDS report for this spray. I’m pretty sure it will state to spray in a well ventilated area.
If you’re a diesel mechanic I’m sure you have your own concerns with whatever diesel emission system you’re working on so please comment and share your story here. I would like to read about any trials and tribulations you’re having or fixes and short cuts.
