Cleaning Out EGR Ports in my 2002

[drumcrazd]

My 2002 Windstar is chugging and bucking when on the highway at low rpm under minor acceleration......I have already replaced plugs,wires and coil pack and after going through this site found a guy who had the same problem solving it by cleaning the egr ports........so now I'm looking for instructions on how to do this.......can anyone point me in the right direction?..........thanks

[catvents]

Originally Posted by drumcrazd

My 2002 Windstar is chugging and bucking when on the highway at low rpm under minor acceleration......I have already replaced plugs,wires and coil pack and after going through this site found a guy who had the same problem solving it by cleaning the egr ports........so now I'm looking for instructions on how to do this.......can anyone point me in the right direction?..........thanks

Take a look on this link:
http://leckemby.net/windstar/windstar01.html
which was relate to P0171 and P0174 code and also for PO401 (EGR ports issue) You will have very good pictures and also instructions to clean the ports.
Good luck

[drumcrazd]

I actually used that set of instructions a year ago when I did that fix and don't recall seeing any buildup in those ports when I was in there.......would the egr valve be causing the chugging?

[northern piper]

this has been mentioned a million times but you did use OEM plugs right and not "identical"ones? Plugs make a huge difference and I've always used Ford OEM plugs.

[wiswind]

Here is a TEST that you can do to see if your chugging is caused by the EGR system.
I stress TEST because this is something that you to TEMPORARILY to see if the EGR system is causing the problem.
It is NOT a solution, as driving around long term this way is not legal and is harmful to your engine.
It is NOT harmful to do short term, as a test.

Process.
Remove and plug the hose that goes to the top of the EGR valve.
Start and drive the vehicle.

If the problem goes away, then the problem is caused by the EGR system.

If you still have the problem, then the problem is NOT caused by the EGR system....and you know to move on to look for another cause for your problem....saving all the time and bother of digging down to the EGR ports and not having them be the cause of the issue.

Reconnect the hose to the EGR valve.
NOTE, this test should cause the Check Engine Light (CEL) to come on, with a code stored that indicates a lack of EGR flow......This is because removing that hose prevents the EGR valve from opening..

The EGR valve on the Windstar is quite reliable and is not a normal failure item.

Clogged EGR ports ARE a common failure item on the windstar.
The clog on the driver's end of the motor FIRST, leaving the 2 cylinders at the passenger end of the motor as the only ports not clogged.
THIS causes ALL the EGR flow to go to one or both of these cylinders, which starves them of oxygen, causing the chugging/misfire/etc

The EGR flow sensor, DPFE, is also a high failure item on the windstar.
This device measures the flow of exhaust through the EGR pipe and converts it to a electrical signal.
The computer (PCM) uses this signal to open/close the EGR vaccum solenoid to control the vaccum that flows through the hose to the top of the EGR valve.
More vaccum, more flow......less vaccum.....less flow
It is normal for there to be a very small amount of vaccum in that line......which is not enough to open the EGR valve.

Less common, the EGR vaccum solenoid can fail.
There is a small felt filter under a "cap" on this unit that can become clogged with dirt/etc and cause the valve to not work correctly.

The EGR system does not activate at idle, but does work at varying levels while driving.
The electrical signal to the EGR solenoid (from the computer) would be a waveform and not a steady DC voltage.
The computer determines how much flow it wants and activates the EGR vaccum solenoid in the amount to get the DPFE (flow sensor) to give the indication of the desired flow.
The computer is "smart" enough to know if the signal from the DPFE is way out and not usable (like not present, etc) and will then set a code indicating that it is bad and will then ignore the signal from the DPFE.