egr valve cleaning

Could someone send me the link to the frequent questions section that deals with cleaning the egr, i cant seem to find it but i know ive seen it here. Thanks a lot. I think mine needs to be cleaned as the combustion temp seems to be way to hot, when i drive through a puddle i get a cloud of steam from the muffler. if anyone can think of anything else that woudl cause this and the occasional backfire when the transmission shifts when accelerationg, thanks a lot,
Dave