My Check Engine light came on this morning and I took it to AutoZone to have it scanned. The code came back as P1406 and reads "EGR Position Sensor Performance". Does that mean my EGR valve is going bad? I cannot tell a bit of difference in performance. I have a busy schedule the next few weeks and wondered what the effects are of running my truck without fixing it immediately. Thanks for the help.

 

the ford book says p1406 dpfe sensor downstream hose off or plugged.this is the same sensor that ford has been having problems with.

 

How many miles on your truck? I bet it's the 4.6 liter, eh?
Remove the throttle body, change the egr valve, scrape the
egr ports clean on your throttle body, they will be full of carbon
deposits. I don't think it'll hurt your truck for just a couple of weeks,
someone with more know how tell us for sure. Be sure to disconnect
the neg. battery cable before starting, and let the truck run for
15 minutes so the computer can relearn.

 

Had the same issue on my 2000 5.4L with 69,000. Both hoses, upstream and down stream were very brittle and the plastic spud coming from the DPFE had broken off. Replacing the hoses and sensor was quick but the sensor cost $80.

 

yes, it's a 4.6L w/56K miles. Here's the funny thing about it though. Last December (2004) my COP on cylinder #7 went out. At the same time my DPFE sensor needed replacement. About two weeks ago my COP on cylinder #7 went out again so I replaced it. Now my computer is reading the code P1406 again detecting a problem with the DPFE sensor. It just seems so coincidental to me that I'm having two problems at the same time that occured together once before. Any ideas?

 

The way these trucks are wired and the complexity I would not be surprised if a flat tire caused the COP to go bad!

 

LOL.....all i have to say about that...

 

Well I had a flat not to long ago and Now I have an EGR code in my 97 F-150, Autozone said EGR Performance Low or something along those lines.
Which one is the EGR?

 

first off - nationm - sounds like the same problem. The DPFE will have minimum 1 year warranty. Return it for an exchange and remove the throttle body and clean the ports again. Also would not be a bad idea to do an upper intake de-carbon service.

zman764 - if you have code P0401 - EGR flow insufficient
The odds of the EGR valve itself being bad are about 1 in 20. If your engine is a 5.4, replace the DPFE sensor. If your engine is a 4.6, replace the DPFE sensor and remove the throttle body and clean the EGR ports.

 

it is the 4.6
how long can I take to do this, I work full time and go to college full time I am very busy, how long can I put this off? I drive a good 250 miles a week. Do regular light towing.
What is the DPFE, where are the EGR ports? How do I clean them?

 

any luck with fixing your problem? I have the same problem with my 01, 4.6. Ive tried everything autozone told me but light keeps coming on. Im getting code p0402, EGR flow excessive. I've replaced the egr and cleaned the tube going into the side of it with carb cleaner.

 

No luck for me. Frankly, I've been to lazy to do anything about it. I just drive around with my light on. So far I haven't noticed any drop in performance, gas mileage, etc. Perhaps if I towed my boat more often I might notice some drop in power but so far so good.

 

yeah, i havent had any perf. problems but im thinkin about selling it and i dont really want to explain the whole check engine light to a potential buyer.

 

Welcome to the forum dozer

The most common cause of EGR codes is a bad DPFE sensor.
With the engine idling apply vacuum to the EGR valve. The engine should stall or come close to stalling if the EGR valve and ports are good. If that happens then it's pretty safe to assume the DPFE is the problem. If the idle doesn't change then you have a bad EGR valve or plugged ports in the intake.

 

thanks racerguy,
ill try replacing the dpfe since ive got a new egr installed and see what happens. If this doesn't cut it its goin in the shop..its under warranty still