I have no idea if it's been lit since the good folks at Ford put the friggin' lights at knee height on the left side but my exhaust light is lit. I imagine this is contributing to the overheating perhaps? I'm clueless where to start with this and am in some podunk town at a RV park currently so not much I can do about it tonight but a general idea of where to start would be helpful

EGR light?


Those are setup to turn on after XX,XXX miles. It's to get you into the dealer for service.

Mine went on in my Dodge at the 75,000 mile mark. Funny thing was, I no longer had an EGR since I swapped intakes and carbs a year earlier.

Well Wookie said he thinks I need an EGR valve and I doubt it's due to mileage since the van only has 44,000 miles. Would needing that replaced also cause me to overheat? Is this an easy fix that I can do here in an RV park?

If it's a yellow ck eng light then that has nothing to do with making it run hot.It's probably a sensor or just needs to be reset.

Depends on how crusty the bolt are.

I'd just plug the vacuum line and leave it alone.

And no, I am not aware of any way a defective EGR valve would cause overheating, it's just emissions junk. (Exhaust Gas Recirculation, it takes a portion of the exhaust gases and re introduces them into the intake. Makes your truck run lousy and get crappy mileage)

It is very very simple to use the factory engine computer to run onboard diagnostics and to pull the trouble codes. This will tell you why the computer turned the check engine light on.

Instructions on how to run a self-test and pull codes are found HERE The terminals you want to use are found on the passenger side of the engine compartment around the battery.

Explanations of the codes are found HERE

you should be able to reset the light easy enough. I can do mine with a paper clip.
you can also pick up a code reader at any local parts place, but I am guessing someone in your travels will have one.
and I would go with what wookie said, disconnect the vacuum line from the EGR valve and plug it.
and it won't have anything to do with temp, your overheating needs to be looked into and solved before it gets much warmer out or you could get stuck or do damage

yeah.. what reed said! lol

DO NOT DISCONNECT THE EGR VALVE LINE AND PLUG IT. The fuel injection system is designed to have a functioning EGR valve and it will not hurt performance if left in place.

Pull the codes and see what they are before you buy any parts or make any diagnosis. Overheating could be many things, including a failed sending unit. First thing I would do is pull the thermostat and make sure it opens right. Get a cooking thermometer and put the thermostat in a kettle of water and see at what temp it opens.

This van is NOT fuel injected it still has a carb.
At least it still has a carb style fuel pump on the drivers side of the engine.
My EGR diagnoses was because it is leaking exhaust and the donuts in the exhaust was tight.
A bad EGR vale will do this

The van never made it to my place to pull the dog house cover.

........Wookee