2010-2015 Toyota Prius | EGR Cooler | EGR Valve | Intake Manifold - How To Properly Clean

My plan with these parts is to have 2 of each part so I can quickly swap the dirty parts for the cleaned out parts. I can get the car back running quickly and take my time cleaning the dirty parts and have them ready for the next swap and cleaning cycle. I want to do this every 75k miles to prevent any head gasket issues.
In this video I clean out the carbon buildup from the EGR cooler and the oil build up in the intake manifold on the 3rd Gen 2010-2015 Toyota Prius. I tried several products to see how they did but here are the ones I would use that worked the best.
EGR Cooler - Using oven cleaner worked great. After each soaking for roughly 2 hours I would use hot water to flush out the EGR cooler. After that I used my air compressor to blow out the inside and repeat the process until you see clear water when rinsing.
EGR Valve - From what I could see the EGR valve looked to be in good condition. I didn't see any build up inside it but I wasn't able to open it up. The screws were impossible to remove.
Intake Manifold - A good degreaser and allowing it to soak with hot water broke down the grime. I used a small wire brush to clean out the small passages along with spraying some parts cleaner and brake cleaner into the holes. After soaking in Simple Green I used a hose to flush it out and then blew it out with my air compressor. It looked like new when I was done.
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Intake Manifold and EGR Removal - • 2010-2015 Prius EGR Va...

[@daviddettmers6616]

Thank you, in the process of replacing head gasket now!!!

[@jimsgaragetoys4963]

This will help prevent that from happening again!

[@penguintheboi0211]

Thank you so brother. I am in the process right now.

[@jimsgaragetoys4963]

Good job! Love to hear it!

[@joskd8491]

Good job, Jim! I cleaned all this with ovencleaner, also works superb

[@jimsgaragetoys4963]

Yep, I wanted to try some different things since I had heard a lot of different things that people had tried. The oven cleaner for me was handed down the best on the EGR Cooler. The intake manifold cleaned ups beautifully with simple green, hot water, and rinsing off. Using a small wire brush for the small passageways was simple with a quick blast of brake cleaner followed by the degreaser soak.

[@user-ps7dd8hy9h]

Great Video. Have you installed the EGR Cooler on your Prius that was cleaned with oven cleaner? If so, have you experienced any problems with the EGR Cooler; for example, external casing leaks. I purchased Easy-Off Cleaner Degreaser "Heavy Duty" and I'm just wondering if it is to caustic. The back of the Easy-Off Cleaner Degreaser says its designed for use on "Stainless Steel".

[@jimsgaragetoys4963]

Thanks, and yes I have installed it. I recently posted a video of me swapping the cleaned parts again and also replacing the water pump and thermostat as they were starting to have issues. I've not had any issues with the EGR cooler and I believe it is made from stainless steel.

[@Hallahanify]

Did you end up getting the screws off the valve?

[@jimsgaragetoys4963]

Nope, never did. They were Philips head screws and they stripped out. I wanted to see what the inside looked like but I was able to see it in another video, at least what the electronics and spring assembly were. I just cleaned out the other areas since I could get to them with the brake cleaner.

[@KoalaOalaJones]

Any thoughts on an aftermarket intake for your gr?

[@jimsgaragetoys4963]

Funny seeing this question on a video for my Prius. 🤣 I have thought about one but that will be down the road as it's not high on my list. And it's expensive for what it is.

[@danqp]

I had pickup a used set at local mechanic including intake manifold, pipe, egr,egr cooler for 120$. For the cleaner I use the 1 gallon carburetor cleaner to soaked everything and blast it with pressure washer no scrub.

[@danqp]

I pickup a used set from egr cooler to intake manifold for 120$ egr was bad! So 50/50. I swap the egr motor out that was easy! 😂

[@danqp]

The screw of my egr motor is striped the head also! I cut a slot and put the 2 nuts back on the studs. Hold on the vise hammered when back out it comes right out.😊