I have a 97 F150 Extended Cab shortbed pickup with the 4.6L. So far since 106,000 miles I have been getting a trouble code saying that my EGR valve has unsufficient flow. I had just put headers on at 102,000. I tightened up the flange-to-header bolts and cleared the code. Just recently it popped up again saying the same exact thing. So I bought a new EGR Valve and set out the other day to replace it to give me less worries. I twisted the bolt! So now I must either have this upper intake manifold Tap and Dyed or I need to get a new upper intake. What a pain. This is the only problem with my truck I have had. Even without this EGR working I am getting about 15.5 mpg. The guy at the auto shop said it would cost me about 100 bucks to get the bolt taken care of. Which would be cheaper?

 

You could probably do it yourself. Drill out the old bolt with a smaller bit than the bolt. Be careful to keep the bit in the bolt as it will be harder to drill than the aluminum manifold. Then use a bit large enough to drill out the whole bolt. Buy a tap and run it through. On the other hand, a hundy isn't bad and then you probably avoid the possibility of making the situation worse yourself.

 

True, I guess I could try the drill. The other bolt was also sticking. What is funny is the fact that my other exhaust bolts were not "frozen" tight but somehow the EGR valve bolts are??
Thanks for your reply. I will look into doing it myself.