HELP ! 96 explorer MIL light on Jim ?

I checked the WSM to try to be sure we're on the same page.... nothing for diagrams and no mention of pulling the intake to change the valve...... I'm more familiar with the system on the pick-ups so I'll forge ahead with what I know.

Your EGR valve should have a plastic bodied sensor sitting on top, held on with three nuts. The PCM 'knows' how big the hole in the valve is, so it can compute EGR flow from how high the EGR valve pushes the pintle in the sensor. The PCM sees your pintle as being too high..... possibly carbon oin the valve but you don't mention any idle problems..... possibly sensor but this "should" have set the MIL on it's own (if it was part of a different problem).

Could be that the PCM was poking enough gas into the motor to carbon up the EGR but I recall the pre-OBD2 valves of that design loved setting phantom codes. What I would try would be to clear the KAM (the battery cable thing) and see what happens... especially if the valve looks like a booger to get at. If the code returns, try clearing it and driving with the vac line off to eliminate a problem with the regulator solenoid - I would expect an "insufficient flow" kinda code from doing this. If the excessive flow code returns, suspect the sensor, valve or connection..... if the insufficient flow code returns, suspect the vacuum regulator or circuit.

HTH Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Well I did the battery thing, and the code came back in short order..

I guess tomorrow I'll try running with vac disconnected and see what happens..

I have a " whatzit " question though..

I followed the lines from the EGR and there is a small tube that leads to a device mounted right by the coil pack.

it looks kind of like a film canister withe a screw off lid (althoght the lid in fact does NOT unscrew).. and it has an in and out vacuum line, as well as an electrical connection.

I assume it must be a valve / solenoid of some type, rather than a sensor as it didn't seem to set a code when I unplugged it... ???

Anyhoo... I think I'm closing in on the little bugger, but I fear I'm going to have to try to remove the EGR before it's all done... *maybe* I can get a 1/4 air ratchet behind the $@$# thing and pull it without removing the intake..... We'll see!

thanks for the tips!

That sounds like it would be the EGR Vacuum Regulator........ On later models, unplugging the connector would set a code (certainly a plus when having to diagnose a problem). I finally found a sketch of the valve.... phewww.

Looking at the system operation, the vacuum regulator is duty cycled..... if the regulator is sticky, it might also contribute to the problem (didn't think of that in my first reply). I'm stuck in a hotel in Edmonton - the one with only dial up access - but I'll try to watch for what you find with the vacuum hose...

Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Hi Jim,

Not sure about '96, but my '98 uses DPFE, not a position sensor. They fail quite often. When mine did, it read 'max flow'. Easy to troubleshoot - there is no chance for 'max flow' with the engine not even running... If it's a DPFE and the original poster has access to a scanner, that's the best option. In a pinch the connector can be back-probed and the output measured with a DVM.

No DPFE on a 96...