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Removing the whole EGR valve from the 450 Cdi is a very complex and time-consuming procedure, which is strictly not required. You can remove and clean EGR valve in situ by removing actuator and steel valve cartridge from aluminium housing. Removing cartridge is made easier if you have in your possession a suitable tool that can turn cartridge and break it free from soot and hard deposit inside housing. Removed cartridge after cleaning using elbow grease and Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner. T25 Torx bit, 1/4" ratchet with short extension and special home made tool used to rotate and break free cartridge in housing. I have later been advised the bolts actually have 4 mm Allen heads. T25 Torx bit is therefore not the right for these small bolts and will damage the heads and make it difficult to fit the right 4 mm Allen bits. The area where the tool fits measures 28.09 mm in diameter. The slot is 5.85 mm wide. ID of tool 28.25 mm and width of tooth 5.6 mm. Tool is also guided in aluminium housing. You have to keep twisting cartridge until it moves freely and can be pulled out with pliers. I have drilled 6.5 mm radial holes in my tool so I can turn tool using a screwdriver. Exhaust inlet into valve cartridge. Exhaust outlet from valve cartridge. Exhaust flows out of the slot in above photo and out of its tip, see photo below. Close up view of seat and disc. Note that seat is serrated and burnt. It may be possible to repair by machining but cartridge can’t be easily disassembled since valve at end is TIG welded to valve stem. This valve won't seal but no major problem since I've blanked off exhaust supply at exhaust manifold. View from engine space and EGR valve aluminium housing with actuator and internals removed. Valve cartridge fits with slot facing the lower bolt hole (the most inaccessible bolt). Blanking off exhaust supply to EGR valve will ensure there is no need to open out and clean in the future. Tool is made from a brass pipe fitting. Its tooth is stainless steel and silver brazed to slot filed in pipe fitting. Tool is turned down to 39.3 mm on the OD where it is guided in aluminium housing. One can chamfer the cartridge as shown in below photo but diametrically opposite slot (12 o'clock, 6 o'clock is position of slot). Initially I chamfered 60 degrees anti clockwise from slot when viewed from actuator side but found that was no good due to my chisel interfering with car body. A sharp chisel can now be wedged into the chamfer to pry cartridge out making next time EGR clean a whole lot easier and no need for any special tools that are unavailable unless you make your own. Those lucky to have access to a metalworking lathe can chamfer the whole circumference but leave at least 0.5 mm of land.

Greetings all, I've been off this site for a while, but after dealing with several EGR plugging issues (I've lost count, but I think I'm on my fifth change) and noticing the profuse amounts of oil accumulation at the CCV hose connection on the intake line, I've decided to try and rectify this issue. I've TIG welded a small canister to fit the best location I can find in the engine bay and am planning to install it next week (as I've booked the week off from work and was planning to do an oil change, plus doing these mods). But before I do ANY installations, I'd like to know if anybody else has come up with one? My plan was to locate it on the passenger's side of the engine compartment, inbetween the wheelwell plastic liner and the small computer bolted to the frame rail. I noticed it could accomodate a decently large canister and mine measures approximately 5 X 5 X 2" (well, it tapers down to 1" width-wise because of the wheelwell, but nonetheless). My diesel truck-owning coworker (Ford F250) is familiar with the EGR/PCV issues inherent with diesels and we poked around in the engine bay of my car, offering suggestions. My plan was to just run a vent line to the atmosphere out of the canister, but he said when he did that with his truck, the stink was unbearable. He said I could try and venting to atmosphere first and see how it smells, but figures I'll run it back into the intake shortly afterwards. I think it'll defeat the purpose and just reintroduce oil vapours back into the intake circuit. Although as I've looked into mine, I think the issue with profuse amounts of oil is just because it literally dumps right out of the valve cover into the intake pipe (not like a true PCV system that uses a valve. I used my boroscope and looked down the inside of the valve cover and it's just a long passage way, no valving or anything preventing liquid from coming out). With my canister I made, the line I plan to run will go UP first, before making a long route to the canister, thereby reducing oil LIQUID from getting into the canister. Any thoughts? My other job is going to do something about the EGR valve. I'm not keen on removing it entirely, I like the idea of a blank-off plate (as described elsewhere in this forum). My concern is, are there any LONG-TERM issues doing this? Threads I've seen about this go back to 2012 (and earlier in most cases). What I'm worried about is any increased heat that may result in the combustion chamber from the lack of "cooled" exhaust gas coming in. I've seen the Emulator and that's cool, but I already have the MB actuator patch cable installed and it appears to work awesome. My last EGR plugging didn't trip the error code, so it looks like it works (or so I think... The car did it's usual bogging-down, no-more-than-2000RPM running bit but DIDN'T trip the check-engine light. Sure enough, the EGR was plugged... Again... ). Sorry for the long post and any repost this may be. Like I've said, it's been a while since I was last here. Thanks, Peter

Got in my car yesterday and started driving. Noticed it wouldn’t exceed 3000 RPMs. Turned it off when I got back and went out a little later to start it and it won’t start now. Drove fine and shifted fine other than not going over the 3000. When I turn the key now the fuel pump isn’t even kicking on. I read somewhere it could be the EGR. I just don’t even know where to begin without taking it to Mercedes.

Hello, My engine light came on the othe day, and the power dropped off when driving. I used scanguage to check, and found codes P0401, P0402, P0409. When looking at the web, I found this to be an EGR Valve cleaning, probably... I drive short distnaces as a habit. One to three km per trip, and mostly on a cold engine, so I'm the poster child for clogging the valve. I tried to remove/clean the valve. I can get the actuator off but can't get the valve out. So after a couple of days trying, I put it back together and drove to the dealership. This is where it gets expensive... They want min of 1.5 hours to "DIagnose", despite my giving them the codes. They are saying it needs a valve replacement at $430 for the part and 2.5 labour hours to replace it. So with tax it'll be over $1,000! Does antbody know if third party mechanics can do thi work, and what it might cost elsewhere? I can't believe its a @&%#ing $430 part... Feeling ripped off :-( Tony

That's what the dealer calls it. The Germans call it a mixing housing.Back in early June I started to get a check engine light. The scan gauge(gotta love it) was showing PO401-exhaust gas recirculation flow insufficient and PO402-excessive. I spoke to one of the techs and he said that I needed a new EGR valve.This isn't the first one that they replaced.My Gina has over 86,000kms and is out of warranty. Prior to running out of warranty I had complained about some black tarry leakage from what I thought was the turbo. Well that was probably caused from the blocked egr valve so my dealer was kind enough to help me with the costs. I just got my camera back so I thought you might be interesred in some pictures.The EGR valve was replaced on the 9th of July and my baby is back to normal

Hello Everyone, So I brought my car in to get front bearings replaced and when I got the vehicle back the check engine light was on with a EGR fault. The error codes presently are P0401 and P0405. I was researching buying a EGR simulator on Ebay, but first wanted to talk to some people about the decision. Well it turns out that my day of research ended up selling out every single last one of them on Ebay and none are to be found. I cleaned out the EGR but the check engine light persists, and limp mode is intermittent depending on whether I stop for any length of time after initially driving. If I can start the car and drive, and not have to stop until reaching a higher gear, I seem to not go into limp mode, but occasionally go into limp mode while driving. If I stop for an extended period of time after starting to drive (stop sign / red light), it is almost guaranteed to go in limp mode. The check engine light has been on ever since getting my car back from the mechanic. The check engine light wasn't present before bringing it in to have the front bearings fixed. I am suspicious, however I am told there is nothing related. Literally one block away from the shop and it turned on. Are there any electrical components that are involved with the front bearings that could be causing a short and the EGR is the weakest point? The mechanic that I have been going to for Smart specific issues has quoted $705+tax to replace the EGR. I presently don't have that kind of money and to add to it, my plates need to be renewed in a month which require an e-test which means I need to get rid of the CEL by then. I had paid him a two months ago to clean the EGR (~$150) and it was fine until the front bearings were replaced, but as you can see in the photo, that appears to be a lot of build up for only 2 months of driving (~4000km). I wonder if it is maybe my choice to use 0w40 oil for the first time instead of 5w30. I've had no EGR issues for the past 4 years of having the car until I changed the oil. In my investigating I noticed some corrosion on pins 1 and 5 of the connector. I used some electrical cleaner to clean it up, but wonder if the corrosion could have went further into the holes, and regardless how well I clean the external portions, if they are by chance causing issues internally. Any suggestions on where to find a EGR simulator, or what could possibly be a cause would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Will

Hello all! My Smart sat idle in my garage for about a year and a half, until i could find a proper electrician to fix my broken SAM unit. After, finally, i 've brought it back home i noticed that the gearbox often fails to automatically up-shift and have to "help" it manually. When it fails to shift, i notice that the engine is revving but seems it needs a few more RPMs to shift. Also when trying to rev it out of gear, it only reaches ~3200 RPM, and the accelerator pedal is "dead" in the upper half. It is true that i don't quite remember how much RPMs i was getting about a year ago before the electrical problems. So, my questions are as follows: 1. How much RPMs do your CDIs get when revved while stationary (and in neutral, of course) ? 2. Is it more likely to be a gearbox issue or engine one? I must mention that the engine seems to run as smooth as ever with no black smoke or rough starts. Also the gearbox works perfectly in manual mode. LE: Sorry if/for posting in the wrong subcategory. Only now i've observed it's an area for mdifications

I bought a emulator from ebay (poland) that i dont need. It tricks computor when you bypass your egr valve. Paid $120 for it. Sell for best offer. Langley bc 6046163702 Also have connector from dealer for egr

There is much discussion on this subject in the forum. Feel free to copy this image for your own use. Bil

Sorry about the double post, didn't realized that members can't reply to threads started in self-promotion. I thought I was done with EGR emulators, but have gotten 3 requests in one week. Currently my job has been eating up most of my free time, and I'm also considering selling my smart as my wife and I just purchased an Audi TTq that's demanding the rest of my attention. I will be making one last batch of EGR emulators if there is enough interests, say around ~10people. $35 for the basic epoxy coated (wire into harness yourself) $90 for the 3D printed EGR emulator plug I can also provide the set electrical components to make one for yourself! The 3D plug file is posted on thingiverse.com for free, and the electrical schematic is also provided on CsC for free! Pm me. Including CAN shipping. I will still warranty (6months) all the other ones that i've sold provided you send me your old one. Sign up if you're interested in getting one. I also know a few members have extra ones laying around that they may want to sell off too. 1) Metro-mike - Plug n Play 2) Smart142

Hi folks,On my way home yesterday, I noticed Digory's acceleration was sorta sluggish. No codes shown at first. It seemed to accelerate normally up to about 2500 rpm, but then it would flatten out. It did make it to its cruising speed of 110 kph, just sorta slow getting there.This morning, the CEL light was on from first start. SG2 said P0405, and it would not reset. It performed the same way on the way to work as it did last evening. The fault seems to be a hard fault.Is this code the same as the one that requires the cleaning or replacement of the EGR, or is it something else?Thanks in advance,

This past weekend I've decided to remove my EGR valve completely since I'm running a EGR emulator that I got from Pinhead. As suggested by Bilgladstone, I went to my local CanTire and got a 1-3/4 ID resonator, 18" length, Canadian Tire part #548651. I also found an online source on how to build a tool that can make a bead on the pipe so that the hose won't pop off. Total cost for the mod:EGR Emulator $100Resonator pipe $10Pipe Clamp $5Extra hose clamp $2Scrap metal to cover exhaust pipe $0Total: $117Beading Tool:Old Vice clamp $0Washer $0.80Word of advice - there's very little hose (the elbow that's connected to the bottom of the EGR valve) to fit the resonator pipe, be careful, measure 3x before cutting!Good luck,Izzy

Pretty sure my EGR has failed, so its time to remove it. I have the emulator but thats it. Does anyone still have the pipe and blocking plate left over? I know some batches have been made in the past... Im in need of 1 of each.Im in Toronto

So if one can clear the "emotionally disturbed" code by unplugging the electrical connector and replacing it with the shunt that's already been discussed, what's the point of blanking off the EGR flange? The damn thing's plugged anyway.Comments?

Just recently bought a 2005 Smart Car.Car went into Limp mode after first fuel fill up.Read all the forum notes on here and tried everything.EGR is clean, Turbo turns freely, tried reset, tried battery off for a night, reset all error codes. Checked solenoid on EGR not sure if it works, or not, seems to we took it apart and check inside all seems to work fine. Reassembled it and put it back Only error code 403 comes on. Still limp mode.Bought all the part to make an emulator, but have not tackled that yet. Not sure if we are looking at the right area anymore. Dealer wants more to look at the car then it is worth. So question is any ideas? Anyone have an emulator in the Kelowna are we could try on this car to see if in fact that is the problem?Any advice much appreciated.HD

Just a note to thank the forum and share my experienceI got a check engine light, code P0405, and limp mode shortly after an oil change (the second time this has happened right after an oil change, might put some weight behind the "only fill to 3/4 mark comment)I pulled the EGR (thanks for the pictures and instructions) and it was very dirty with the piston clogged. Not a difficult job, especially after getting the Torx combination wrenches from Princess Auto, (now discontinued but they will check other stores and have them shipped to you)Cleaned it out with Gunk and Disc Brake cleaner and put everything back together. Started the engine and got check engine light, code P0405 AND P0403, but didn't get limp mode. Reset the codes but they came back instantly. Gave up and spent the rest of the afternoon visiting. (and fuming)Tried it again that evening, NO check engine light, no limp mode, but still had P0405 and P0403. Shifting seemed off with higher than usual revs (4,500) required for 3rd and 4th.Now I have no codes, and shifting seems normal. Is there a learning mode in the engine's computer when components are modified or replaced?Anyway, that part of the car is working fine, now I need to work on the parking brake! (can't you tell that the warranty has expired?)

link. Post credit: icognitoman In appreciation to all of you who posted some really good information to get me started on fixing the EGR problem, I prepared complete step-by-step instructions with decent size pics on how to remove and clean the EGR valve. It can be found at the following link: SMART CDI EGR Valve removal & cleaning MB wanted almost $900+taxes to install a new EGR valve and a glow plug, I got it done for less than $100 and that included buying tools and parts. Thank you all for your great posts, spread the word.