Hey all, I'm new to the forums, but for 3 days have been reading a lot, thanks for being here!

I picked up a '96 F150 5.0 XLT earlier this week. I'm new to trucks, my other car is a Corolla, so didn't necessarily know what to look for. CEL was on, previous owner said it needed an O2 sensor, no biggie. Autozone checked my codes and said nothing came up, so cleared it, but when I went to get emissions checked (so I can title/register the truck) they pulled a 0401 code, for EGR Flow Insufficient. Apparently this is a normal problem?

Well, when I looked up the part and went to find it on the engine, I discovered that the previous owner had removed it, bolted a plate over the hole, and (badly) rerouted the coolant hose (its kinked). This all may not have been a huge deal, I could remove the plate, but I can't find the wiring harness anywhere and I'm a little worried that they cut it off somewhere. I know you can delete the EGR and still pass emissions, but I'm not sure how, or what I need to do at this point.

Help?

 

Well, that's a bit of a mess.
First off the coolant hose should b connected to run coolant through the throttle body to keep it from icing up. It looks like it probably leaked so they bypassed it. If you live in warm climates you can bypass that but a little better job than that would be a good idea.
2nd that green vacuum line doesn't belong where it is (on the side of the throttle body). That's where a hose from the purge valve belongs. The purge valve is that thing on the very top left of your picture, attached onto the heater box.
3rd, the EGR valve can bolt on easy enough but there's a pickup tube that comes from the intake area that is a special one that only came on the 96; it has two pipes off it for the dpfe sensor - very hard to find and I believe it may be discontinued as far as a new part goes.
So there'll be a bit of messing around I think to get that one through emissions.
I'm tearing down a 96 at my shop right at the moment. If I get a chance I will try and get some pictures of where stuff is supposed to go.

 

That's not much description of the truck. Click this & read the caption:


(phone app link)Not likely, but a common guess by people who don't know much about auto repair. The oxygen sensor is designed to last the life of the vehicle - there is no maintenance interval for it. It should only be replaced if it fails a published test.They're dangerous idiots. Stay OUT of the zone. This is a wise investment:


(phone app link)OBD-II codes begin with a letter, indicating what system they come from. Everyone assumes "P" (Powertrain) because it's the most-common, but you should always include it just to be clear.No, problems are not normal. And neither is what the PO did to that engine.Follow the harness from the driver's side (where it crosses over from the body (wheelwell), and examine each take-out (branch). You'll probably find one tucked under the passenger side above that (goofy red) valve cover. It might take a flashlight & retrieval tool to pull it out where it belongs.Not in the US or most other countries. Yes, some inspectors MISS things like that, but that's not really the same thing as "passing". This diagram's caption explains how the system works:


(phone app link)

Yours should be either PFE or DPFE.I'd browse the local JYs for an identical truck (same calibration code in the door jamb & on the EEC), and either get its EGR valve/sensor/wiring (if necessary) or the PNs off the valve & sensor to buy them new. I'd get either MotorCraft, Echlin, Standard, or BWD - no cheapo brands. The EGR tube might ONLY be available used, so try to remove it carefully. Then fix the WHOLE truck back to running like when it was new. That will keep it running best for the longest with the least trouble.

Refer to the map on the VECI label under the hood for locations & routing.

 

Since your truck is a 96 the emission test will be electronic through obd2 port. Part of this test is a visual inspection of emission components. Start by finding an EGR valve and installing it. From this point forward don't reset the computer, every time you do the truck will have to run and drive a while to basically bring the trucks computer back to where it can be tested. If you post the test I could see what it has failed for besides just the EGR.

 

This is where all the things should go on a 96

 

 

They just took the purge line off and stuck the egr vacuum line on it.

 

That's not a green wire - it's a green vacuum tube.


(phone app link)

 

Right.

Went to a couple junk yards and found one EGR valve (and tubes), but the nuts were so rusted I couldn't get them to turn, nor could I get to the bottom of the tubes. I may just need to find some for sale or find a county that doesn't test emissions.