Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Possible to install own egr valve??

after going to many diffrent places and none of them knowing what was wrong with my car, mida has finally said its my egr valve, which a couple of people had said, i went down to the ford dealer and they said it would be upwards of 300 if not more to replace it...my question is can i do it myself, is there a manual i can get, and do u reccomend even trying it, its a 97 contour sport, i'm not sure how hard it is, so if anyone has any advice, it would be greatly appreciated...thanks

Just courious on what your symptons are for non functioning EGR valve?

it is functional, there is a leak...symptons are:


when driving a loud hissing noise coming from the engine

after the car sitting at work all day, when i start it up and acclerate, it wont acclerate at normal speed, it goes real slow, and its almost like its gonna shut off, i will be in first gear and it wont even go past 3000 rpm, one time i was driving, about to turn right, slowing down to around 8-10 miles an hour, when it just stalled, power went out, its slow, my car is so slow now, i'm just rambling, because its hard to write in words what its doing, but you get the picture right???????? lol

Sounds like a plugged Cat. converter. Your exhaust can not get out via the muffler route, so some of it is being forced out through the EGR. The poor performance and hissing sound are both symptoms of this failure. (Check out the FAQ section on common problems.) There is a recall on some years of contours, but the emmisions system is warrantied for 80K miles, so the dealer may do it under warranty. Warning: If the main cat is plugged it's probably because the pre-cats are crumbling and the debris is blowing down the exhaust and clogging up your main cat. Pre-cats are $$ expensive $$ so if the dealer wont cover the repair, most people end up gutting these. The main cat by itself is sufficient to clean up emissions.

Hissing noise sounds suspiciously like a hose is off the DPFE transducer which is under the EGR valve. EGR valve should only be 1hr labor plus parts to replace.
Trouble in this area of car should, however, lead to a CEL on situation. Free trouble code read at an Autozone would then be the first step towards proper diagnosis.

  Is this a Zetec or a Duratec?

  Having replaced the EGR valve on my Zetec, I can tell you that it is indeed quite possible as a do-it-yourself task, but it's a major pain in the a$$.  There really isn't enough room to get your hands or your tools where you need to get them to do the job comfortably or easily.  Expect to spend an hour or two, and to be very sore and in a foul mood when you're done.

  One tool that you need to do the job is a 22mm crowfoot wrench.  Nobody sells a 22mm crowfoot wrench, but Sears sells a 7/8" crowfoot wrench which is close enough.

  I've never done anything on a Duratec, but from pictures I've seen, it looks like the EGR valve on it should be much easier to replace than on a Zetec.
 
 
  Regarding what everyone else here has told you about your cats:  If you have a Zetec, then you only have one cat, and most of what's been posted here about precats and main cats doesn't apply to you.

  Here's a picture of the EGR valve in a Duratec:


  And here's a picture of the EGR valve in a Zetec:

 
 
 

Originally posted by briandmx:

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when driving a loud hissing noise coming from the engine

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Classic symptoms for a vacuum leak. Check all of your rubber hoses for loose connections or tears.

Try to determine what area the hissing is coming from and post it here. Be as specific as possible.

As horseydug said, if it was your EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve or DPFE (differential pressure feedback EGR), then you should almost definitely have the CEL light on.

ohh i definatley have had my check engine light on for a while, ever scince i can remeber this problem happening, its been on...i was wondering if anyone knew how much a new egr valve costs?? and btw i took it to autozone a while ago, and the codes came up for insufficient flow through the egr valve, clogged catalitic converter....as of now, i'm really wanting to do it myself it possible, but honestly i would need a manual, because i know nothing about replacing anyhting like that...

An EGR valve costs around $50 from an online discounter. A new gasket is another few dollars.

Does your car have a 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder engine?

On the 6-cylinder, the EGR is relatively easy to replace. The hardest part is getting the pipe off of the EGR valve.

If you need instructions for the 6-cylinder let me know. Or you can get a Haynes or Chiltons manual.

Here's a couple of EGR valve tests:

1) If you think the valve is stuck open, loosen it from the intake manifold, slide a solid piece of cardboard between the valve and the manifold (trim to seal the EGR valve opening), and re-install the egr valve. This will block off any exhaust gas and will keep the EGR from upsetting your engine's intake. Go take it for a drive and see if the drivability issues have changed.

2) Restore the EGR system (or do before you attempt test #1). There is a small vacuum hose that connects to the EGR valve. Disconnect it. Connect a short length of your own hose. Start engine and run at an idle. Apply a vacuum to the hose either with a vacuum pump or by pretending it's a milk shake. A properly operating EGR system will cause the engine to drop RPMs significantly, maybe even stall. If it reacts properly to this test and isn't leaking (as tested by test # 1), the EGR valve is probable fine.

Inspect for vacuum leaks. Follow the sound of that "hissing" you described. It doesn't belong there. As a mater of fact, fix that first before messing witht he EGR system.


Report back after you have accomplished these tests.

BTW, EGR valves seldom fail....

Steve