My beloved '93 Aerostar has shown the ‘check engine’ light for short periods of time after fast accelerations for some time. My mechanic once told me that it was most likely due to the EGR valve. Recently in this cold weather, I notice that the engine will try to die when asked to increase power. This is just a short ‘catch’ then the engine picks up. This only happens before the engine is fully warmed up. Can this be an EGR problem?
Best to get the code read. When the EGR operates when it is not suppose to (like at idle) the idle gets very rough. If the EGR operates when it is suppose to but its passages are clogged you dont notice any engine driveability issues.
A “flat spot” in acceleration that is not accompanied by inital rough idle points me to other issues (like fuel pressure) or issues related to cold engine operation.
There are a few different codes that point to problems with the EGR, and each has a different solution. For example, code 31 is for ‘EGR position sensor out of range (low)’ and code 84 for ‘EGR Vacuum Regulator circuit failure’. Get the exact code and post it for better help.
And yes, a bad EGR can cause performance problems like this. It takes a procedure to get all the codes stored in the ECM for this van. Try this site:http://www.troublecodes.net/Ford/