Chevrolet Repair: egr valve/solenoid, coat hanger, throttle plate

Question
Own a 95 lumina sedan 3.1L V-6 Sevice engine light on. mechanic scanned and said it was egr solenoid. I was told by dealer solenoid not sold separate from valve so I bought the valve and installed it. Service engine light on again after intallation. Does the coumputer need to be re-set or do I have a new problem? Car runs great before and after egr valve installation. Thanks

Answer
Hello Miguel, There are a couple of codes for the EGR valve and without the number I don't know where to go. If the check engine light was off for a while after you installed the EGR then the problem is still there. You should disconnect the battery and try to clear the code. The most common thing with the EGR system is that carbon builds up inside the intake manifold near the throttle plate where vacuum goes to the EGR valve. If you take the EGR valve off and start the engine you should have exhaust coming out one port and vacuum on the other. The vacuum should be a LOT !! If not then you need to look inside to make sure that the port isn't clogged. Remove the rubber tube at the throttle body and open the throttle plate all the way. Look inside and to your right and you will see where the port enters the upper intake, use a coat hanger with a bend in it to dig out the port. This should repair the problem if it is plugged..

Let me know what you find out

Mark