EGR system and Cold weather
 

Can a non-functioning EGR system effect cold weather driveability?

Yes it can and will..

It might make warm ups longer, but I still wouldn't want it active...

-Jason

My EGR system is completely gone, I've removed the EGR, the tube to the intake and the vacuum transducer. Warm up's actually are pretty quick, even at -30, ALOT faster than my SD, I was experiencing a bit of a rough idle at about 50-60 degrees and if I let it idle after driving it would die, but not flood, and it only did it once today. Ambient temps being relatively mild, around -16 or so (Celsius) was fine before and after that one instance. :confused:

I found it easier to take tin snips and cut out a EGR gasket shaped piece of tin (duct work metal) and punch two bolt holes where they need to go, and insert this as part of the sandwich between the EGR valve and its gasket that I used as my template shape for cutting. Just bolt the EGR assembly back on with the shim in place. Trimmed nicely you can hardly tell it is there, takes no space. And nothing flows through the EGR now, ever. You can leave all the vac plumbing on, etc.. but I decided to pull all that off, and all the pods and vac lines on the passenger side of the car under the airbox. Freed up about 5 pounds of crap from the engine bay. If you pull vac lines, be sure to use a BB or something to plug the source side wherever you need to.

My EGR was stuck-open with exhaust soot, so yes, it was affecting cold starts. I didn't realize this until I had plugged it off. Nicer smoother starts. It's supposed to be closed when cold, and opens when warm theory being to re-burn some exhaust. Mine was open all the time, which is a very common failure mode.

Side benefit, way cleaner intake tract.