TD5 EGR removal, IRB Devloments kit

[SteveG]

Hello all

I bought an EGR removal kit off Ian (username Porny on here) at IRB developments. It's a bit more expensive than most others but the kit seemed well thought out and included items like a replacement vacuum pipe for the brake servo etc that others didn't. It takes about an hour to fit, if you are slow like me , and if you don't round off one of the allen bolts on the exhaust manifold section

Kit List

1x Vacum Pipe

1x EGR replacement inlet manifold tube

1x Inlet manifold gasket

1x Exhaust manifold blanking plate plus two allen bolts

2x Heat Exchanger blanking plates plus four allen bolts

1x Rubber bung for EGR solenoid air filter

Step 1

Remove the engine cover, 3x 13mm bolts, and the fan cowl, 4x cross-head twist screws, for better access.

Step 2

The majority of the components to be removed are at the front of the engine. EGR Valve to the left, heat exchanger to the front and exhaust pipe from the manifold to the right.

An easy way to start is from the right working left. Undo two allen head bolts on exhaust pipe connected to the manifold..

Undo the two allen bolts on the inlet to the heat exchanger..

Bolt on exhaust manifold blanking plate with supplied new allen bolts. Then use one of the heat echanger blanking plates and two new allen bolts to seal the inlet side off. I used some hylomar gasket seal for the blanking plates..

Step 3

Undo allen bolts to outlet side of heat exchanger.

Now remove two blue air pipes going into top and ride hand side of EGR Valve (see pic below). Undo jubilee clip on inlet pipe leading into EGR valve.

Then undo four bolts holding EGR Valve to inlet manifold. You'll need an 8mm socket, spanner ratchet ;-) Have fun getting the lower right hand one off.

Step 4

While you have the EGR valve off, replace the vacuum pipe. This needs replacing as it has a T air pipe into the EGR solenoid. So pull off the air pipe here..

And then pull off both ends of vacuum pipe. The end at the brake servo just pulls out..

Unclip pipe and remove other end at the vacuum pump by using pliers to open pipe clip whilst pulling off. Use pliers to open pipe clip on replacement vacuum pipe and push on vacuum pump end.

Route through pipe and clip on, and finally push in brake servo end.

Step 5

Now you can fit the billet aluminium pipe in place of the EGR valve. Don't forget to fit new inlet manifold gasket supplied. Once fitted push on inlet pipe and tighten jubilee clip…

Step 6

Finally you need to pull the EGR solenoids' air feed from the air filter assembly and replace with the supplied rubber bung. It feeds in on the right hand side of the air box..

Here's the rubber pipe you need to pull, lower right..

And the rubber bung just pops on..

You can leave pipes and solenoids in situ if you want, or as I did take a couple of minutes to remove them completely. Here are the solenoids..

You need a 10mm socket for bolts, and here it is all removed..

Lastly you are left with a pile of bits..

Cheers

Steve

[JST]

Good article Steve.

Mines slightly different to that in that i only have one solenoid -didnt know others had two (its mounted vertically) plus i don't have the feed pipe into the air filter box.

any ideas why mine is different? its an early '99 td5.

[SteveG]

Good article Steve.

Mines slightly different to that in that i only have one solenoid -didnt know others had two (its mounted vertically) plus i don't have the feed pipe into the air filter box.

any ideas why mine is different? its an early '99 td5.

I think it changed from MY2004 onwards, maybe for Euro IV. Don't know reason. The extra solenoid feeds an additonal item on the EGR Valve (maybe a sensor) not sure. Does yours have the heat exchanger? If not I think was a 2002 add on.

I've only got MY2002 manuals etc and they state just one solenoid and that it must be vertically mounted.

Cheers

Steve

[JST]

I think it changed from MY2004 onwards, maybe for Euro IV. Don't know reason. The extra solenoid feeds an additonal item on the EGR Valve (maybe a sensor) not sure. Does yours have the heat exchanger? If not I think was a 2002 add on.

I've only got MY2002 manuals etc and they state just one solenoid and that it must be vertically mounted.

Cheers

Steve

no i dont think it does have the heat exchanger.

Could you not just put the blanking plate in between the pipe and the exhaust manifold then it can't add the spent gases to the induction.

i just disconnected the pipes going into the solenoid on mine so the solenoid cant work - or was that the wrong thing to do.....

[Porny]

no i dont think it does have the heat exchanger.

Could you not just put the blanking plate in between the pipe and the exhaust manifold then it can't add the spent gases to the induction.

i just disconnected the pipes going into the solenoid on mine so the solenoid cant work - or was that the wrong thing to do.....

Only post 2002 have the heat exchanger, was part of the upgrade to enable Td5 to meet EU3 emissions.....

Pre 2002 simply have a pipe going from the exhaust manifold into the intake.

You could just put a plate in between the stainless pipe and the exhaust manifold... but this is far from ideal 'especially' on post 2002 cars (something that all the people on Ebay just selling blanking plates fail to point out).

Most common set-ups:

People disconnect and unplug the solenoids and nothing else... this is ok as long as the EGR set-up is brand new.... an older one will be full of crud (technical term lol) and can fail to seat correctly - so still allowing spent exhaust gas back into the engine all of the time!!

EGR's on Td5 do, quite often, stick partially open - allowing spent exhaust gas to pass back into the inlet all the of the time, not just when the ECU should allow it....this is bad for the engine, and can lead to rapid bore wear!!

Some people just fit the blanking plate to the exhaust manifold....

This is principle is ok... however:

On a pre 2002 car, you still have a partial blockage into the inlet manifold (i.e. the plunger and associated casting) - although not giving you 100bhp extra, it is a worth while mod to remove this (i.e. the EGR intake on the front of the inlet manifold) and fit a straight through inlet section.

On post 2002 cars, doing this is a lot worse....

I will post a picture in a bit (although Steves' last picture also shows it) but a post 2002 Td5 has, what looks like, a throttle blade inside the intake section that bolts to the inlet manifold. If you simply blank the exhaust manifold, this blade will still operate (when demanded by the ECU) effectively blocking the intake into the inlet manifold..

If you disconnect the blade and plunger from the two ECU controlled solenoids, the blade stays at at angle (i.e. not horizontal) so you will always have a slight blockage... which again is not ideal from an air intake point of view - as you simply creating a pressure build up.

Personally, I would remove the set-up completely.... it is un-needed for use on UK roads... EGR does not effect smoke/opacity thus will not effect MOT's (same as removing the cat from post 2002 Td5's)

Removing the EGR set-up is also very important if you travel into areas (i.e. other countries) that use high suphler diesel.... use of high sulpher diesel, in a vehicle fitted with EGR will very quickly destroy the stainless pipe work... hence why RoW spec Td5's have no EGR fitted.

Ian

[Mo Murphy]

Good write up Steve.

Mo

[JST]

Ian,

i was hoping you might answer - thank you.

So on my '99MY as i have disconnected the egr solenoid thing (done when new) can i get hold of just a straight through inlet pipe and an exhaust blanking manifold?

is there anything else i would need?

[Porny]

Ian,

i was hoping you might answer - thank you.

So on my '99MY as i have disconnected the egr solenoid thing (done when new) can i get hold of just a straight through inlet pipe and an exhaust blanking manifold?

is there anything else i would need?

So you want an EGR removal kit for a pre 2002 Defender Td5 then??

Which would consist of a new straight through inlet pipe, an exhaust blanking plate, a bung for the air filter (not always fitted on a '99 Td5), all new gaskets where needed and a new vacuum to brake servo pipe.

I personally do not like just blanking the outlet on the vacuum pipe (i.e. the ‘T’ one the pipe that goes from vacuum pump to the brake servo).... Every other kit that I know of on the market sends you a daft rubber plug - or even suggests the use of a rivet or a bolt - nice.

I know of a couple people now who have had the rubber blanking plug perish.... which is OK... apart from the fact you suddenly lose the servo assistance to your brakes .

Ian

[JST]

So you want an EGR removal kit for a pre 2002 Defender Td5 then??

Which would consist of a new straight through inlet pipe, an exhaust blanking plate, a bung for the air filter (not always fitted on a '99 Td5), all new gaskets where needed and a new vacuum to brake servo pipe.

I personally do not like just blanking the outlet on the vacuum pipe (i.e. the ‘T’ one the pipe that goes from vacuum pump to the brake servo).... Every other kit that I know of on the market sends you a daft rubber plug - or even suggests the use of a rivet or a bolt - nice.

I know of a couple people now who have had the rubber blanking plug perish.... which is OK... apart from the fact you suddenly lose the servo assistance to your brakes .

Ian

yep sounds that way will have a look for your website.

Do you do forum discounts?

[Porny]

yep sounds that way will have a look for your website.

Do you do forum discounts?

Yes....

(and especially as you sorted out a winch bumper for me in the past )

Ian

[JST]

Your post worked Steve, i have ordered one!

[SteveG]

Your post worked Steve, i have ordered one!

hold on, I haven't worked out a commission deal yet

Also I didn't get a forum discount. Did get free P&P though so can't complain.

Steve

[Porny]

hold on, I haven't worked out a commission deal yet

Also I didn't get a forum discount. Did get free P&P though so can't complain.

Steve

Steve,

I can only apologise for that... it didn't click that you were SteveG off here (one of those village idiot days) - as I didn't know your surname. I'd happily send some money back (though with paypal charges, probably not worth it)

However... if you ever want a remap

Ian

[SteveG]

Hi Ian,

no problem. I like to remain anonymous, hence I put the white letters on my BFG's on the inside

Cheers

Steve

[110WestCape]

Just a question for future reference perhaps ........ when standards change to Euro V ...... will these bits and pieces not be required then ? Suggest people keep it anyway.

Cheers

Wikus

[SteveG]

Just an update after driving it for a week. The engine is more responsive, obviously by a noticeable amount . I've not noticed any major difference in mpg though.

So on engine reponse alone I'd recommend removing EGR.

Cheers

Steve

[Porny]

Just a question for future reference perhaps ........ when standards change to Euro V ...... will these bits and pieces not be required then ? Suggest people keep it anyway.

Cheers

Wikus

Not in the UK.....

The current 2008 MOT system for Diesel (i.e. compression ignition) vehicles only requires an Opacity test, (i.e. smoke) and not an actual emissions test as per petrol (spark ignition engine).

The EGR system (and the catalytic converter for that matter) does not actively affect smoke…. This differs from a diesel particulate filter (which is also exempt from testing at the current time). The only requirement is that the max smoke value for a turbo charged diesel is a mean (of the last 3 smoke tests) not exceeding 3.00m-1. For an initial 'fast pass' the smoke value must be below 1.50m-1.

In simple terms.... the only reason a modern diesels have CATs and EGR (along with other things) is to enable a manufacturer to meet the current EU legislation (for example EU4/5), but once a vehicle model has been type approved, and sold to the customer... the customer is technically free to do what they like regarding emissions, as long as they meet the requirements of their country, which in the UK is just the MOT test.

Ian

[JST]

Mine arrived today, looks well made and put together everything you need in there,. fitted it (approx 30mins) but not test driven it yet.

Even though my solenoids had been disconnected and the EGR shouldnt have been working it had obviously been leaking some EG through into the inlet, prob the whole time as well!

I fitted it for peace of mind, less restriction in the inlet system now , although i am not expecting to see any noticable mpg/accel improvement due to the old one being disconnected.

[clarkster]

Hi!

I've tried to contact IRB via their web site, mobile and landlines. I've emailed a couple of times over the past week also - all with no reply

Does anyone know if they are still in business / trading? I appreciate that this post topic is quite old, but any help would be most appreciated! I'd really like to order one of these kits as it looks to be the most complete kit and of the best quality.

Thanks

[M&S]

Glad this was dragged back up...I fitted a removal kit to my Disco that didn't mention anything about the air filter box or servo pipes It's been going for a year now so it's all ok, just wondering why I haven't had to disconnect/blank these? Is it different for teh Defender - I wouldn't have thought so?

Mines an '04 but doesn't have the heat exchanger if that makes a difference.

Thanks, Martin

[dantd5]

You can find other makes on the market!!! Eblag is your pal

[landy andy.]

Ian (porny) is still going, but can be a bit slow with a response.

Hi Martin,

Suprised that you don't have heat exchanger my 04 Defender did????????????

Andy

[Philip Tonkin]

Ian is still in business, he is very busy at the moment and i'm sure he will be in touch. There are other EGR kits out there and they may even be cheaper but the IRB kit is from Billet aluminium and by far the best quality of any I have seen (so I bought one)

M&S - STTOPPP!!

Please make sure there are no holes in the pipe between your Vacuum Pump and the servo otherwise it's just not going to work. I dread to think how your brake pedal feels or how hard you pump is working.

Early kits replaced this pipe but latter ones came with a well designed bung to be ziptied in place.

Phil

[M&S]

Thanks for the concern Phil, but it has been on for over a year now and the brakes feel fine There's no open pipes anywhere, hence why I was puzzled looking at these pics.

I'll have a look at mine later and see if I can see why it's different - it's been a while since I fitted it so I can't remember the instructions now.

I got my kit from TD5 Alive and followed the instructions (it's also a well made kit).

Andy - I was surprised as well as I expected it have one, but nope, no cooler. Shame because I was thinking of turning it into a hot water heater Mine was one of the last off the line, they had probably ran out of heat exchangers by the end of the week

[Anderzander]

Early kits replaced this pipe but latter ones came with a well designed bung to be ziptied in place.

Phil

Are you referring to the IRB kit here? ie they now come with a bung rather than a replacement pipe?

I hope not! It was the pipe that seperated it from the competition. The material of the induction pipe seems largely irrelavant other than aesthetics - and other kits have bungs too... I thought the pipe replacement helped it look professional too.

I hope I've misread your post.