Toyota Repair: EGR Valve Removal, vacuum modulator, toyota celica

Question
Hi Ted,

I have a 97 Toyota Celica (5SFE Engine). It has 165,000 miles on it and has been trouble free since I bought it new (aside from routine maint). Recently the check engine light came on and Autozone read the code as "insufficient flow to EGR" I believe it was P0401. I decided I would remove and clean the EGR and ports. My problem is I cannot seem to get to the bolt that connects to the pipe at the bottom of the EGR. Any suggestions on how to remove that and cleaning suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Regards,

Anthony

Answer
Clogged EGR ports are seldom a problem on this engine, the most common reason for the P0 401 code is that the vacuum modulator valve has an internal leak, it sits on top of the EGR valve, remove it and see if air can pass through from the bottom port, if so replace the valve.