egr valve

I have a 1998 Pontiac grand prix gtp and the service engine light comes on and off so I took it to see what the problem is and they said it was the egr valve. When they took the egr valve out it was pretty dirty and I was wondering do I need to buy a new one or could I just clean it because the service engine light comes on and off.

To start EGR valves are not cheap so you want to make sure it is bad or really the cause of the SES/CEL light. If you have the DTC (diagnostic trouble code) post it for further guidance.

All EGR valves are dirty. The recirculate exhaust gases and get carbon build up. Please post the actual DTC code they pulled and post here, but here's a tip. If the code turns up EGR insufficient flow, and you've recently replaced the PCV valve, make sure the lower black o-ring was re-installed. I know they sound totally unrelated, but if that o-ring is missing, it causes a vacuum leak at the MAP sensor, and MAP vacuum signal is what the PCM uses to test EGR flow.

That's exactly what tripped my SES light a few years back and sure enough, Bob asked if I had recently replaced my PCV valve, I had, without the lower black o-ring. Replaced the o-ring and all was fine. I still cleaned out my EGR with some carb cleaner.