The EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve on your Crown Victoria helps reduce tailpipe emissions and improves engine efficiency. The EGR valve is located at the rear of the engine bay. Cleaning the EGR valve is a multi-step process, but it's not difficult. The hardest part is removing the valve. Since the Crown Victoria has not changed much over the years, this tutorial is applicable to all models 1992 and newer with the 4.6L modular V8.
Make sure your engine is cool. If it has been running recently, let it cool for 30 minutes. Put shop gloves on for the procedure. Open the hood and unhook the negative (black) battery cable.
Locate the EGR valve in the center of the engine bay, close to the firewall. It's mounted right next to the throttle body. Unhook the wiring harness from the EGR valve. Remove the two hoses with your hand.
Spray the EGR-valve bolts with a solvent. Use Liquid Wrench or a similar product to help you remove the bolts. Let the solvent sit for about 10 minutes.
Remove the two EGR-valve mounting bolts. You'll need a socket extension to reach them.
Pull the EGR valve away and remove the gasket. Discard the gasket.
Bring the EGR valve to a flat workstation. Spray it thoroughly with carbon cleaner. Let it soak for a few minutes.
Clean the outside of the EGR valve with a shop rag. The carbon buildup will be heavy if you have not recently cleaned the valve.
Clean the inside part of the EGR valve. Push your shop rag inside and remove as much of the carbon buildup as you can.
Clean the two recirculation tubes. A typical cotton swab works perfectly for this. Insert it into the tubes and twist it around a few times. Repeat the process with several swabs until they are no longer soiled when you remove them.
Clean the mounting surface on the throttle body. Spray the carbon cleaner and let it sit for a few minutes. Use a shop rag to clean the ports.
Using a new gasket, attach the EGR valve back on its mount.
Tighten the bolts to between 25 and 35 foot-pounds of torque. Reattach the two hoses and reconnect the wiring harness.
Reconnect the negative battery cable. Start the engine and let it cycle a few times. If your check-engine light was caused by a dirty EGR valve, it should go off after 10 to 15 minutes.
