Lesson learned - the expensive way! I bought a cheap DPFE sensor (amazon1/31/2023) for a p401 code problem i'd been having (long story, I'll try to add at some point). Fast forward to July '23: driving down the road, coming to a red light - the truck shut down! Crank no start (of course it was 4pm on a Hot, Vegas afternoon 108 degrees) I happened to have my code reader in the truck (had cleared the codes a couple of days before). I plugged it in and the only thing it would read was 8888. I had the truck ('02 Screw 4.6 214K miles) towed to a friend of mine's shop. Over 2 weeks went by, fuel pump installed - computer installed, still crank no start. He said the computer was not talking to the dash. Had to have a spare key made to be able to reprogram ECM. His big time Snap On scan tool couldn't diagnose the problem. The next week he had a car electronics guru look at it. He tracked it down to a short circuit in the Generic DPFE I had installed 7 months earlier! ! ! Replaced the DPFE, the truck is right as rain! It cost me $1200 because of a Chinese knock off part. NEVER again!

 

I can say the same for knock off Purge Valves too.

You get what you pay for.

 

If you aren't going to buy genuine Motorcraft, buy a name brand from Rock Auto that has a heart signifying a popular part. For a DPFE, that would be a Standard or an Ultra-Power.

 

The EGR feedback requires a narrow level of accuracy to meet emissions standards. Somewhere in the 2% range that is a very tight tolerance.
The DPFE and the EGR Valve require close mfger tolerances that often are not good enough from after market vendor sources
The DPFE measures the EGR flow and reports it back to the computer.
The EGR Valve is spring loaded to a tension level.
The Solenoid that operates it also needs to have some precision because it has to operate the EGR a on a percentage basis to meet that tight spec.
The EGR system is tested two different times after each starting to be sure it meets spec, to be sure a hose or device is not moisture blocked in freezing temps or corroded etc.
The exhaust gas contains a lot of moisture and contaminates to make this a requirement.
Good luck.

 

I purchased a "Motorcraft" DPFE for a 99 F-150 from AMAZON, and when i received it, the markings appeared to have been made by an old school rubber stamp. There was also no FORD trademark on it. I suspected it was a counterfeit, and notified AMAZON. I got a real Motorcraft DPFE and got rid of the code. OEM is the way to go.

 

Rock Auto sells the real thing (Motorcraft DPFE15 F77E-9J460-AB) for $66.79, if you find it anywhere else cheaper, I'd suspect it to be counterfeit.

 

Hey Yankee, was your code a 401 also?

 

Yes it was. Ford OEM DPFE fixed it.

 

Make sure the rubber tubes as well as the metal tubes are clear and not damaged.