do it yourself...my dealer billed ford (under warranty) almost 500 bucks
to replace the egr valve. NEW from the dealer the valve is about 150 bucks.
the gasket kit (as i said) is 7 bucks....try cleaning it 1st...its worth a try.
you can tape the bottom of the actuation/motor to prevent any soot
or fluid from getting inside the actuator (i just did mine last week, 2nd
time ive cleaned mine since ive owned the truck).
ford dealer will be the most expensive on the filters...internet will be
the cheapest...what ever you do compare the filters very closely
inside and out...make sure theyre OE spec...check the mating surfaces
and plastics (base & top) and make sure they are the same height...this
goes for ALL filters...there are some alternatives made that dont fit
right and arent even close in design/spec.
as for connectign the egr valve BACK....thats your choice...it does
work in concert w/ other senors and solenoids (vgt & ebpv)...some
who run w/ it disconnected have reported no change in
performace or mpg.
heres some useful links about the egr valve and how to clean it.
FDDTS - EGR Servicing
FDDTS - 6.0L EGR Valve Cleaning
and some info about the filters...
FDDTS - A Word About Filters