After reading Bbob's posts about cleaning the EGR system I decided to try it... at first I thought it didn't need it as the enigne isn't high millage, and everything else is clean.... since I took it out this Spring, it had an off-idel hesitation, and less gas millage (then last year)

So I had an un-bent wire hanger, and I was surprised to see a whole bunch of build up in the tubes... I rodded it out, and sprayed throttle body cleaner in and around the tubes... after a little cranking over, she fired right up... when dirivng there was no more hesitation, my millage was just like last year, and more pwoer to boot....

... but in the last couple days, I am getting the hesitation again, along with lower fuel millage... so I am wondering if there is a better way to clean the EGR system... maybe big cotton swabs or something? I don't want to push the gunk all the way to the bottom and cuase a clog though... and is there anything else that i can clean out besides the tubes? Or should I just get the wire and keep going at it?

I don't get any error codes... but maybe I can service the EGR system somehow? for a few days it was running nice too...

This is old school, and I don't know if it would be safe for seals, etc. but can you soak the whole thing is gasoline for a day or two? Then spray it out again.

You did the correct thing. You really don't need to get the tubes squeeky clean. Just spray the carb cleaner thru the tubes (not around them) and make sure they are cleaned out all the way thru to the passage below. You really can't hurt anything below so work the wire thru the tubes in all directions to make sure the deposits are cleaned out at the bottom of the tubes as well as the top. The tubes are about 1.5 to 2 inches long and end in a cast passage below that connects to the EGR valve. Maybe some large chunks got pushed into the passage below and then blew back up into the tubes and stopped them up when the EGR activated. Rod them out again and see.

Sometimes if the deposits are really bad you have to take the throttle body off and use a drill bit to clean out the passages. Then you could suck the debris out with a shop vac. Possibly you could do this in your situation if you taped a small diameter tube to the shop vac nozzle so it could go down the EGR tubes....but that really shouldn't be necessary.

I would just rod them out and flood several ounces of carb cleaner down the tubes and let it sit for awhile to soften any deposits that fell thru into the passage so they can "pass" and not plug up the system again.

nothing seemed to be stuck... but I was getting chunks coming out... I meant I was spraying the cleaner in the tubes... some of the chuncks fell into the manifold... I suppose it just got blown into the cylinders and burned off?

I was in a rush, as I was dressed up nice, I thought of it, I too the un-bent hanger form my '79 (which I used when I locked my keys in the car once) and did a quick job rodding it out... tomorrow I will have alot of time and try it again, maybe be able to see down the tubes better and see how bad it is.... it isn't bad...bad... but I was surprised...

Kinda OT... but last winter, my service engine light on the Olds went on... it was an EGR eorror... we took the EGR valve off, and the vlaves underneath it were kinda stuck, so we sprayed PB Blaster on it all and moved it back and fourth, put it on and the SES light hasn't came back on.... maybe in that case it was having a problem actuating the valve?

Is there anything else I should use besides the throttle body cleaner and hanger rod? I suppose if I just spend more time with it, it'll come out better...