Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting 96 Contour EGR valve

i got a 96 contour V-6, 2.5 L engine.. i took the car to an auto parts place and they put a code scanner because the check engine light came on....
and stayed on... it came up with the code for the egr valve.. i got the ford CD but it only shows more info on the 2.0 L four cyl. engine...
on the 4 cyl. engine it gives you all the info on how to take it off and even tells you to use a 22 MM crow foot socket.. i got the socket set..the largest it goes up to is 22mm, but the V-6 engine the tube nut from the exhaust man. to the EGR valve is much bigger than 22 MM.... i cant get my hand in there at all to measure it or use an adjustable open end wrench to get to the nut....
also there is a pipe that comes out the EGR valve on the V-6 thats about 4 inches long-looks like a short piece of black iron pipe that goes into the
EGR valve and then the EGR tube is attached to this pipe with the nut on the EGR tube... did anyone ever take off the EGR valve on the contour
V-6 engine and if so how do you do it. i dont want to break the tube..seems kinda delicate.. the cd says to be carefull with the tube as it is not sold as a seperate part...comes with the exhaust manifold... when i got the results of the EGR valve coming up bad i then checked the cd and found out that you check it out by going to the EGR vacuum selenoid and make sure you got vacuum from there and voltage to the EGR vacuum selenoid from something else.. the last to check was the
EGR valve, put a vacuum pump(one of those $25 hand pumps-which i bought) and remove the voltage from the IAC valve and start it up and let it idle and then put 10 lbs. of vacuum on the EGR valve and the RPM's should drop 100 RPM's.. well the car would not stay running with the IAC valve disconnected from the voltage... so i guess the EGR valve is bad(pretty sure, or just dirty with sludge) and not closing all the way..the car runs good no problems now but would like to get this thing fixed.. any help will be appreciated
thanks in advance...

I believe the EGR tube is part of the exhaust manifold, so taking it off isn't an option. Chances are your EGR passages in the upper intake manifold are clogged with carbon. Check and fix any vacume hoses that may be cracked/leaking. Pull the intake and throttle body and clean out the gunk that builds up in the EGR passages that run over to the ports in the lower part of the throttle body intake area. (Use carb or throttle body cleaner and a soft rag.) Not sure about removing power from the IAC??? Seems like a strange way to test the EGR. I think most cars will dye with the IAC unplugged. (Idle Air Control) Keep the IAC hooked up and see the effect on the idle when you pump/release the EGR. This cleaning is a common procedure for the V6.

I am posting solely to answer your questions on removal of EGR valve and the EGR valve-to-exhaust maniold-tube.

Please note my experience is with '97 model . I do not know if '96 is the same.

no comment.

I believe size is 1 1/8" or 28mm.

You must use an open end wrench, not an adjustable (too thick).

The "pipe" is actually attached to the nut and is part of the tube assembly. Threads are at one end of "pipe" inside EGR intake opening, nut is at firewall end.

Yes, about 5 times (its a long story -- don't ask ). Undo 2 bolts holding EGR valve to engine, remove vacuum feed (carefully, plastic tube can be brittle and prone to breaking) undo big nut and slide "pipe" along tube. Tube is not delicate. Remove EGR valve.

Tube is available from Ford w/o manifold.

You're welcome.

hey DBird..

What CD is that ???

What kind of info u got on that ????

thanks for all the help on the egr valve, i had to take off the IAC valve and used a 1 inch flare nut air cond. wrench i bought years ago for a/c work.. it worked find. and also had to loosen one rubber hose going back to the air duct, it was in
the way of moving the wrench.. i then tried to clear the codes.. it did not work.. i then did another test and found that the egr vacuum regulator selenoid did not check out, i thought i checked it last week when i tried to narrow it down on why i was getting code 401 insuficent egr.. now i know why the vacuum did not come from the int. manifold and pass through the egr vacuum selenoid(like the trouble shooting for it on the ford shop manual stated... i then will take the egr vac. selenoid and finish checking it out.. gotta take it off and apply 12 volts to it and blow through one tube and feel the air come out the other........ it will then be replace if it does not work....