The EGR Valve is an important part of your American Motors Corporation vehicle's emission control system. Please do not bypass the valve. Consult your technical service manual for testing procedures and proper vacuum hose routing.
The EGR valve will not open unless there is some exhaust back pressure. Note the diagram below:
The exhaust manifold and gasses are at number 6 in this diagram. The control diagram (number 1) modulates the amount of vacuum on the main diaphragm (number 2). If there is no back pressure, the orifice (number 3) is open, and the EGR valve will not open.
One crude way to test the EGR valve is to open the valve by hand (use a glove, this thing gets very hot!) and open the valve at idle (something that will never happen under normal operating conditions for several reasons). The engine speed should dramatically change, and may even stall. If engine speed does not change, your valve is either stuck open, and the engine has been adjusted to compensate. The other possibility is that the passageways leading to or from the exhaust and intake manifold are clogged.
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