how to clean my EGR Valve?

Question

I know this question has been asked a million times on here, and I have read the answers.
But Im confused-
I have a 2000 Eclipse GT. I just removed the EGR Valve and the vacuum hose from the top of it and brought it in the house. It's sitting right next to me but I'm not sure what to do.
I've read several answers that said to "spray it with carb cleaner", but if i do that, what about the insides that wont get cleaned from simply spraying it?
a toothbrush cant get to them.
What about the little tiny metal pipe that the vaccum line plugs into? Shouldn't that be cleaned out too?
Should I soak it ENTIRELY in gasoline? in something else?
Another answer said to "make sure I dont get carb cleaner on the diaphragm"
What's the deal with this?
Does that mean I SHOULDNT soak it?
Also, a guy at AutoZone said to blow through the pipe at the top and if it opens then it's clean enough?
[i cant get ANY air through at the moment..]

any of these questions that you can answer will save my life!

Answer 1

The valve itself does not get stopped up. It is normally the port that leads into the intake.

Answer 2

My advice is to replace it. Because you cannot get to all of the parts, a cleaning may not last very long. Do you really want to go through this again??

Answer 3

Unless you enjoy working on engines, replace it.

If you were able to clean it without damaging it, it will likely fail again within a month anyway.

Answer 4

EGR valves are cheap so replace it, but have you even tested it yet? how do you know it's bad? EGR valves are pretty tough to break, and rarely go bad. my suggestion is to test it with a vacuum pump. if it's your check engine light thats on, check your Throttle position sensor.

Answer 5

They are not that expensive, simply replace it.

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Answer 6

Yeah....as cheap as they are...you might as well just replace it.

Answer 7

http://www.partsource.ca/doityourself/TIPS_fuel-efficiency-emission.asp