What is a egr vavle and the dealersaid its a 1,000 dollars to fix man.

 

Since you've got a 350 I'm assuming you've got a tpi motor. I tried to find a picture but don't have one saved. The egr valve sits on your intake manifold and recirculates exhaust gasses into the air entering the combustion chamber. Its purpose is to reduce emissions. If you look under your plenum towards the rear you'll see a little metal disk shaped thing with a hard plastic line connecting it to the rear of the plenum to supply vacuum. That's the best explanation I can give right now To replace it you just have to loosen the runners, remove the plenum and a couple bolts on the base of the valve. There's a gasket underneath it that you can probably pick up at some auto parts store.

 

A few cables, a wire connector or two, and about ten bolts out of the plenum, and the EGR valve will be staring you right in the face:



You can get the proper (factory positive backpressure type) for less than $130.00.

If you really want the solid platinum valve for a thousand bucks, go for it.

 

I've put one on both of the tpi cars I have had. My ony advice would be to buy a new temp. sensor that goes in the base of the egr valve. The front bolt on the base of the valve is a pain to get to with out breaking the old sensor (and the sensor is a pain to get out with the valve on the manifold)

 

Hey Vader...if that a old style HEI on that TPI setup???

 

i'm not vader but gm didn't go to the small cap/divorced coil type ignition until '87, so '85-'86 tpi cars still have them, (although i believe L98 vettes kept the older coil-in-cap HEI even after '86).

 

Well, yes - sort of. It's the old integral coil type just like Red said. The kick in the pants is that the cap is shorter and wider, so that it will fit under the trim cover/TPI plenum extension. It's a royal PITA to find the right cap and rotor kit at times, since everyone wants to hand you the "standard old" HEI cap/rotor, which, of course, doesn't fit.

As for the EGR temperature diagnostic switch mentioned by GMGÖD, his advice is probably worth heeding. You don't want to have to get under the plenum every other day:

 

I've mentioned this before, but isn't it nice that Vader would actually tear apart his engine, just for the sake of taking a pic and helping someone out

 

Yes definatly replace the temp sensor. I didn't on my '85 IROC and I get the privlage of taking the plenum off...AGAIN.

 

i would give you my old egr ... too bad i used it for target practice with an AK-47