on the van the engine light came on and had it tested at autozone.was told it is the egr valve.is it expensive to replace(labor) and should i get the part at the dealership ar the parts store.it is a 1998 van with a 3.3 engine thanks

 

It contains two components. Replacing the easy component (valve) may solve the problem. The other component (solenoid) involves unscrewing some small bolts. If they come out easy, the replacement should be easy. Probably best to get it from the Dealer, but compare prices in any event. I haven't done one recently so don't know the cost.

 

the light comes on mostly when we drive the van over 1 hr.in town it does not come on.wonder why?thanks

 

It's the valve that has the small bolts ...the solenoid ,which is what is usually bad ,has a couple small hoses and and electrical connector. Unfortunately you have to buy the solenoid and the valve together (at least you still did a year ago when I did my last one.). All in all, probably a 45 minute job for someone who has never done it. 2 10mm bolts hold the valve , and you need a couple of short extensions to get to them, Remove the air intake resonator and reach back.... good luck

 

did you get the part from the dealer or aparts store

 

The purpose of the EGR Valve is to recirculate some exhaust gasses into the combustion chamber (EGR = Exhaust Gas Recirculation) to help with the cooling of the fuel mixture to reduce oxides of nitrogen. If the valve is sticky and stays open at idle (happened to me - it's suppose to close at idle so no exhaust gasses enter the combustion chamber), the engine will develop a very rough idle and stall out. I rerouted the hoses and bypassed this valve for awhile but eventually decided to replace the valve. The light coming on and going off is just indicating things aren't working the best and is no big deal until the rough idle / stalling problem occurs.

For NAPA Price, see:
http://www.napaonline.com/masterpage...&VehCode=Y

For operation / cleaning of an EGR Valve see:
http://www.parkers.co.uk/advice/foru...TOPIC_ID=14421

http://www.partsource.ca/doityourself/TIPS_fuel-efficiency-emission.asp

 

"Floorslayer1" was correct about the valve versus the solenoid. I rechecked. The last time I did one of these was in 2002. The solenoid is the easier to replace and replacing it made the problem (light coming on plus stalling) go away until recently. My Son has the Van (1995 / 3.3)now and the light came on recently, and then went off. I use to notice it coming on during wet snowy conditions back in the Winter of 2002.
Thanks Floorslayer1.
Hope all this helps.

 

is this something i could do own my own?how long could it take and what do i need?does anyone have a pic of this and can some me where it goes thanks

 

Located in the intake manifold area, I would think, since it is associated with that. The following web site will help with what it looks like in its surroundings.

http://autorepair.about.com/library/...bl824a-lib.htm

The solenoid is easy. The valve, which I never did replace, has bolts, which I was afraid might break off during the removal. I was chicken.