ok my egr valve on the 3.1L is not right. you know those three torx head screws that hold it down? one of mine is snapped, screw stuck in the threads. the other 2 are nice and tight. however there is some carbon buildup right where the broken screw is so i think its leaking. it also backfires once and a while out of the egr valve when free revving in neutral. my question is, can i just remove those other 2 torx screws and replace the gasket there? is there even a gasket in between there? once i get those other 2 screws out i might be able to take the broken screw out with some of that glue stuff, i dunno. but i have no idea whats inside that egr valve and how it works. would i run into anything if i took those other 2 screws off? i noticed they are on really tight, do i have to torque them down to a specifc ft/lbs when i reinstall it?

also will an egr valve from any 3.1L work on my mine if i go junkyard hunting for a new one if i cant fix the screw? i notice a lot of 3.1L's but most of them are in FWD cars so the engine is mounted differently, and so is the egr valve. would it still work on my engine?

finally, does the egr valve require any maintence/cleaning? i want to do as much as possible to make sure its working right.

 

You may want to post this on the V6 board. Most likely get more responses.

Anyway, IIRC you can not get a new gasket w/o buying an entire EGR valve. And they are expensive, so don't ruin the gasket. The EGR is mounted to a stalk that is bolted to the exhaust manifold. I'd remove the stalk which will allow the broken screw to be drilled out and repaired.

I don't know if EGR valve from FWD cars are the same.

Typically no maint is required.

RBob.

 

the broken screw is one of the three torx screws. if i took the whole stalk out i dont think id still be able to fix the screw without taking the other 2 torx screws out. why cant u just replace the gasket on the old egr valve? im in the dark on what exactly the egr valve is and how its setup and works.

 

The EGR valve recirculates exhaust gas back into the intake. This has the effect of reducing NOX emissions. Best bet is to take a look at the setup on your engine.

There is a hollow stalk that is bolted to the exhaust manifold. On top of this sits the EGR valve. The corregated metal tube coming out of the front of the valve goes into the intake manifold directly behind the throttle body.

As the ECM opens the EGR valve exhaust gases will flow from the exhaust manifold, through the valve, and into the intake manifold. Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR).

Now, to fix your EGR setup the broken screw needs to be removed. Can either drill it out, EDM it or whatever. Can do this while the whole setup is still attached to the engine, or, remove a couple of bolts and do-it/have-it-done on the bench. The other two screws may not even need to be removed to do this. IE: unbolt the stalk from the exhaust manifold. It is behind the heat shield.

As for just replacing the gasket it will still leak unless the broken screw is repaired. I'd also call around to some parts stores first. In the past (and the present?) the gaskets are not available separately. And you don't want to know the cost of a new digital EGR valve.

RBob.

 

i know the cost of a new valve, hence why i want to know how to fix this. i'll give it a better look today and see what i can do. are there any diagrams on waht is inside the egr valve? also would a leaking egr valve cause bad gas mileage?