I have a 2001 Eplorer. Got it back from mechanic. Had a tran. fluid change. Pan drop as recomended and on the the ticket note it says DPFE sensor check engine light on. Ok light is on and I know that. But what is the DPFE. and what does it do . I know it's vaccuum. Can I clean it out with solvent and compressed air. Or do have to replace...???

 

I believe DPFE stands for , Delta Pressure Feedback EGR. It is a sensor that signals the PCM on the amount of EGR taking place at a particular time. They were somewhat troublesome and because of the way some of them are wired into the system, they can if they become shorted, affect the functioning of other components. No big deal to replace. Easy to get to.

 

Thanks there hanky. Some insight is always good insight. I know where it is and I think I'm clueing in on the slow acceleration problem. One thing at a time and I'm sure I'll get it.

 

Almost, hanky. It is the "Differential Pressure Feedback EGR". Earlier Windstars had DPFE sensors made of metal and they corroded. Newer ones have plastic DPFE sensors that don't corrode. I assume that other FOMOCO models have a similar history. There is a small vacuum tube attached ot it and in Windstars it often caused a vacuum leak.

 

One small correction: since this is dealing with sampling the exhaust gas flow over a fixed orifice, you're dealing with exhaust pressure. When the hoses rot, they blow out and you hear exhaust puffing out, not a hiss of vacuum going in.
I know I'm sounding really techinical, but it help to know little things every once in a while.
And Hanky of course os completely right. Most Ford EGR systems could be troublesome. Mostly its a Delta PFE sensor. Sometime you have to go a bit deeper.
But at least they're better then the old Sonic EGR systems.

 

Where have you guys been hiding ? Thanks for the correction. I'm glad someone is keeping an eye on me !

 

Ok. opened up the hood and located the DPFE. And it looked like a cherry bomb went off inside of it between the two hose inlets. Literally it exploded from the inside out melting the plastic. And freeing up the hoses. So it was just sucking air. Replaced it. Luckily local auto store had it in stock. Now the vehicle purrs and runs great. But what would cause that? Maybe the EGR bad? and allowing the vapors to collect? Well, Replacing the EGR tomorrow just to be safe.

 

2 things to consider, if possible , try to get hose that will be better able to withstand some higher temperatures than ordinary hose and see if you can make sure the orifice in the EGR tube is open. That is the part of the metal tube that has the 2 metal tubes for the hoses to connect to. Glad we all were able to be of some assistance,,,,,,,even if you did all the work!!! Have a good one!

 

Of course, Hanky is completely right. The DPFE hoses are a special high temp hose that should be replaced when damaged with something similar (otherwise, you'll have the same problem all over again).
One reason these melt is water getting trapped in the sensor (form normal heating/cooling), which turns to steam when hot, and blows the sensor apart. This (usually) cannot be helped.
Rest assured, you've fixed it.