alright, i have no idea what the part is, but if i quickly rev the engine up and let go of the throttle fast, theres this thing on the passenger side of the engine that pops, i saw a little puff of smoke come out of it. i took a picture, what is this part and why is it popping when i let go of the throttle fast? it seems to pop less if i move the spark plug wire more and more out of the way, and pops more if i have the spark plug wire next to it.

any ideas? thinking maybe some sort of emission thing? would this be the EGR? makes sense,, unburned mix is rich and backfiring, but at the valve instead of the tailpipe?

some better pictures

its the thing with those 3 bolts on top, in the formation of a triangle

wow my haynes manual came through, its a "Digital EGR Valve" according to it, now how do i fix it?

Correct, that is your egr valve. And looking at the pictures, your base gasket has blown. When mine did that it disable the car completly. Of course, mine cracked all the way down the middle at the same time too.

That part needs to be replaced, and is NOT CHEAP!!! I payed 200+ for mine. You can attempt to get a salvage yard unit and install it.

is it critical to replace it? if my unit is still good all id need is a cheap gasket to fix it? its only popping when revs drop real fast in neutral, havent heard it happen during drive because the engine never drops revs as fast as neutral.