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January 21, 2021

How To Replace An EGR Cooler, Even When The Bolts Are Broken

How To Replace An EGR Cooler, Even When The Bolts Are Broken

HOW TO REPLACE AN EGR COOLER

Replacing an EGR Cooler can be a discouraging but necessary task. Plugged EGR coolers are the leading cause of P0401 EGR insufficient flow codes. With a damaged EGR Cooler, the EGR system has a higher combustion temperature and poor performance. Follow these steps to ensure an easy replacement.

LOCATE THE EGR COOLER

The EGR cooler is located on top of the passenger side valve cover. Besides the EGR pipes, only the air filter lid and intake tube need to be removed.

DRAIN THE COOLING SYSTEMS

Place a drain pan below the radiator. Radiators have a petcock (shut-off) valve for draining or removing the lower radiator hose. Be sure to loosen the coolant cap to allow for airflow, turn the petcock valve and drain the cooling system. Both cooling systems need to be drained. The Ford 6.7 Power Stroke has two systems. One for the intercooler and EGR valve and one for the engine and EGR cooler.

DISCONNECT THE PCM AND EGR COOLER FASTENERS

Next disconnect the power-train control module (PCM), unbolt the bracket and remove it. Remove the inlet and outlet hoses from the EGR cooler. Squeeze and loosen the clamp and position it higher on the hose. Remove the EGR cooler and gaskets. Then remove the plastic intake tube and filter cover. On the front exhaust crossover pipe, unbolt all bolts and place it out of the way with the temp sensor remaining plugged in.

UNBOLT THE EGR TUBE (LONG PIPE)

On the tube running from the EGR cooler to the exhaust manifold, locate the two bolts facing upwards on the up-pipe of the manifold. Spray these liberally with your favorite penetrating oil (try ProMAXX Bolt Blaster). Let the oil soak and then use patience while turning each bolt out.

Note: Should the bolts break, don’t panic. The Nino ProKit by ProMAXX was engineered to extract the broken EGR bolts quickly and easily with machine shop grade tooling; then it uses stainless steel inserts which will provide a permanent, on the truck repair with a stronger tensile strength than the OEM connection.

Remove the two push pins holding the passenger side injector insulator to the EGR cooler housing. Expel the two thrust pins holding the traveler side injector separators to the EGR cooler lodging.

UNPLUG THE FRONT OF THE EGR COOLER HOUSING WITH THE CONNECTORS AND VACUUM LINES

On top of the cooler, detach all bolt attachment nuts. On the EGR cooler housing, pull up. It rides on dowels and is often difficult to break free from the manifold runners of the valve cover/intake.

The cooler is rather easy to disassemble from here. Begin by removing the bolts that connect the front housing to the cooler's foundation. Except for one bolt, the front housing bolts are not the ones at the top, but rather the ones at the stage below. Force the EGR cooler core out of the base is the final disassembly phase. Carefully pry it out of the front being cautious to not damage the sealing surface. Fill both cooling systems.

Hit each rod and stand on the base until the core becomes loose enough to remove and clean it. Remember to remove and replace the EGR Cooler seals on the backside.

FUEL INJECTOR BOLT REPAIR KIT MAKES THE FIX

Nino for EGR cooler replacement

INSTALL THE EGR COOLER

If the entire system is cleaned and equipped to go, before installing the EGR cooler, lubricate the seals you hooked up and deploy the inner metal gasket first on to the foundation. Push the core down into the foundation with something flat when you reach the seals to finish moving it into the base. Reinstall your cooler EGR now. Install lower hose or close the petcock then install the refill the radiator with coolant. Finally, reconnect the negative battery cable and tighten it.

To see a video of the EGR cooler replacement in action, check out:

Detailed explanation of how to replace the EGR cooler core on 11-16 Ford 6.7l Diesel. Plugged EGR coolers are the leading cause of P0401 EGR insufficient flow codes. Over time the coolers plug with soot and prevent exhaust gasses from flowing through. Always follow OE procedures if you are unsure of what to do.

Videos courtesy of Nathan Reust from In The Shop.

If the EGR tube bolts break during the replacement, you can also check out In The Shop’s repair video:

In this video I review and show the process of the ProMaxx tools NINO tool kit. This kit was very well thought out and should save a ton of time especially if you work on the 6.7 Powerstroke often.

EGR Replacement Tools and Kits

ProMAXX® has done research on thousands of EGR repairs and has taken the guesswork out of the job. If you have questions on what tooling you need for your next repair, give the experts at ProMAXX® a call at 724.941.0941.

The refresher pack is intended for replenishment of 6.7L Power stroke EGR Tube Mounting Bolt Repair Kit (Nino).

Superior quality machine-shop-grade tooling made from M42 cobalt. Micro-edge for walk-free machining and quick penetration. Short length for tight areas, thin web for fast clean drilling and chip clearing.

ProMAXX® Power Stroke – ALPHA combines the synergy of two popular tool sets that make techs more productive while reducing the cost of operations when changing the EGR valve on the Ford 6.7L PowerStroke engine. And, the combo kit saves you $90. Two kits in one package delivers extra value and provides greater return on tool investment.
Filed in: Diesel Engine Repair Kits, Ford Repair Kits, Power Stroke Repair Kits
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