Can a clogged EGR regulator valve cause my car to stall out and die when it's idling at red lights?If I give it a little has it wakes the car up and keeps it from dying.One mechanic told me it was clogged up and that it can cause that issue. My boss says there's no way that's the problem... I say we've fixed cleaned or replaced just about everything else...Is this true or is the mechanic just trying to pocket a bit more $$??
The thing you did not say was if you had any codes. If the valve was stuck and that would have to be in the open position you would have codes for the O2 and the EGR. And that includes the answer from Cleonitro. Your more likely to have dirty throttle body butter fly's and a dirty air by pass or MAF sensor which ever your vehicle has.
Before I answer I am not specifically an auto technician but have worked on my own cars my whole life even rebuilding a 350 chevy small lock motor so I know a few things ???? ,,,, yes a malfunctioning egr valve can cause this issue but can be a number of things causing you motor to not get the right fuel/air mixture including a bad oxygen sensor, I suggest finding a second opinion to actually look at and test what is causing it
IT is stuck open causing a big vacuum leak into the intake manifold. Remove it and look for the carbon or chunk that is caught in the valve. TIP: often simply removing the chunk of carbon is all that needs done no need to replace the valve. Followed by using the replacement gasket that contains a screen made just for the purpose of preventing that from happening again.
No, there is no way a clogged EGR valve can cause the car to stall. The EGR valve is only supposed to open and allow flow when the engine is under load so if it's flow is stopped all the time it behaves no differently at idle than a new valve. HOWEVER, if the valve is dirty or carboned up and the valve is getting sticky and not closing all the way when it's supposed to then it can cause a stall. Do you know what kind of car it is? Update: It's a 2002 ford focus wagon These cars have a very common problem with stalling and it is usually caused by rotted out rubber elbows on the PCV valve vacuum lines. If you follow every inch of the PCV hard lines there will be at least two rubber fittings on either end of the system, poke your fingernail into the corners to see if they have gone soft and cracked.
