Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes

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Thu 26 May 2016 17:49
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - bigshorty40

First timer here and hoping someone might be able to help with a problem I'm having with my Ford Focus.

I have recently blanked the EGR valve on my 2006 Focus 1.6 TDCI (DV6 engine) as I heard there were a lot of benefits in doing so. However, after doing it the engine management light comes on and I keep getting 3 fault codes / DTCs pop up. They are P0487 - Exhaust gas recirculation throttle position control circuit, P0488 - EGR throttle position sensor circuit out of range and P2142 - Exhaust gas recirculation throttle control circuit "A" high. The car is running fine, actually better than it did, and not going into limp mode.

Can anyone tell me if these codes are linked to the blanking of the EGR valve, or something else, and whether they will eventually stop, and if not, what I can do to stop the fault codes coming up again?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Fri 27 May 2016 10:28
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - elekie&a/c doctor
By blanking the egr system you have changed the original design of the engine.The engine control system thinks there is a fault ,so will continue to flag fault codes.Get it fixed properly or put up with the light on.
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Fri 27 May 2016 11:50
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - bigshorty40

Normally I would agree with what your saying, however I know a few Focus owners who have done this to their DV6 engines, and some have had error codes that reset themselves after a while, and some have had no codes at all. I have blanked the EGR valve on the engine side, so exhaust gasses will continue to reach the EGR, the valve is still connected so will continue to operate as normal. I'm happy to put up with the light on, especially now performance and fuel economy has improved, and hardly any turbo lag either, I was just wondering if the fault codes would reset eventually and not come back on.

Thanks for the information, much appreciated

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Fri 27 May 2016 12:09
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - Railroad.
The purpose of the EGR system is to reduce NOx emissions, nothing else. The ECM knows whether or not the EGR valve is open by monitoring air flow via the MAF sensor. If you blank the EGR system the ECM will not be able to detect the change in airflow when it commands the valve to open/close. It will then know there is a fault and so the ECM will respond accordingly. Engine power may be reduced to maintain the correct levels of NOx.
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Fri 27 May 2016 13:43
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - RT

If you've kept up with VW's issue in the USA and the much wider diesel issue in Europe affecting most, if not all, brands that sell diesel cars, then you'll be aware that NOx pollution is a major health issue - cars use the EGR to reduce NOx so it's inevitable that the authorities will take ALL possible steps to prevent tampering with the EGR.

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Fri 27 May 2016 14:10
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - Gibbo_Wirral

EGR blanking is popular on the 110bhp 1.6 DV6TED (or variant on that code) diesel engine in Peugeots, but you need to have the EGR valve mapped out in the ECU and a remap, otherwise you'll always have the light on.

If the EGR was fine, leave it be. If its playing up, replace. People only blank as a last resort on Peugeots because the valve is so hard to get to on some engines, and requires the entire engine being removed from the mounts and pulled forward.

Edited by Gibbo_Wirral on 27/05/2016 at 14:11

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Fri 27 May 2016 14:22
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - Railroad.

You should also be aware that it is an offence to modify a vehicle in such a way so that it no longer complies with the emission standards it was originally designed to meet.

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Fri 27 May 2016 20:26
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - bigshorty40

Thanks for all the info, very much appreciated.

I think, after reading these comments, I'm going to remove the blanking plate. The main reason for doing it was to preserve the life of the turbocharger. Apparently, the recirculated exhaust gases can end up clogging up a pipe(s) with sludgy crud that eventually end up going into the turbocharger and cause damage. I'm not very technically minded, so I don't actually know how the whole process comes about. All I saw was the fact that huge repair bills can be avoided by doing it, and since loosing my job through illness, and having to live a life on benefits, any money I can save is helpful right now.

Thanks again for the info!

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Sat 28 May 2016 11:02
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - Railroad.
Modifying the EGR will do nothing preserve the life of the turbo, or otherwise. Recirculated exhaust gas enters the air intake at the manifold, which is a long way after the turbo. Exhaust gasses leaving the engine drive the turbo by acting on the turbine. The best way to preserve the life of the turbo is frequent engine oil, air and oil filter changes, and by avoiding short journeys with a cold engine.
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Sat 28 May 2016 13:43
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - RT
Modifying the EGR will do nothing preserve the life of the turbo, or otherwise. Recirculated exhaust gas enters the air intake at the manifold, which is a long way after the turbo. Exhaust gasses leaving the engine drive the turbo by acting on the turbine. The best way to preserve the life of the turbo is frequent engine oil, air and oil filter changes, and by avoiding short journeys with a cold engine.

And the same measures to preserve the life of the EGR !

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Sat 24 Aug 2019 14:33
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - galileo
Recirculated exhaust gas enters the air intake at the manifold, which is a long way after the turbo. Exhaust gasses leaving the engine drive the turbo by acting on the turbine.

Slightly curious to know how recirculated exhaust gas gets into an intake manifold which is pressurised by the turbo compressor?

Recirculated exhaust is taken after leaving the turbo having expanded to drive the turbine at a reduced pressure, or am I missing something here?

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Sat 24 Aug 2019 02:50
Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI - Blanking EGR valve and fault codes - Tom Erik

That is not completly true on this engine, the EGR is one of the main reasons the oil on these engines fill with carbon, it known to clog up the pickup in the engine and causing catastrophic failure at low mileage cause of oil pressure loss, and the oil pipe going to the turbo, causing it to blow.

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