Chrysler Repair: Sputters & backfires on acceleration, many different things, vacuum hose

Question
I have a 2004 Town & Country with the 3.3 v6. Recently we had an engine light on & when I had it checked it referenced the EGR valve. I took it out, cleaned with carb cleaner & reinstalled. Disconnected battery to reset code. 2 days later the engine light came back on. The van is running fine until today. Now it sputters & backfires when accelerating & the valves are clacking loud (only on acceleration). It idles just fine & does not die at any time. I replaced the EGR valve with a new one from Napa. Disconnected battery again to reset the code & took it for a test drive. It's much better now (no more clanking valves) but still sputters & backfires on acceleration. I realize this could be many different things but what would be my next logical steps?

Answer
What are the fresh codes, if any? Disconnect the battery for a few minutes, then run it for a while including the backfiring on acceleration, and see if there are new codes.
Did you check all the connections in the egr plumbing? It could be a leaky fitting rather than the valve itself that is at fault if you still get the egr code, or could be a vacuum hose or electrical connector to the system that is the problem rather than the valve itself.
Roland