I'm just looking to do some routine maintenance on the car before I hand it over to my little bro. I'm thinking about taking off the EGR valve and soaking it in carb cleaner, but I'm wondering if it's worth the trouble. It's a '95 7a with about 180k mi on it, and it's never been cleaned before. There's no CEL on though, so I'm not sure if it's even dirty to the point where it would make a difference.
Thoughts?

i would just leave it alone. as long at its working dont mess with it.

You can clean out the tube and be ok. I learned don't blow out the modulator with carb cleaner though, I killed mine doing that.

Most of the time the EGR tube gets clogged, as well as the inlet to the intake. Both should be cleaned.

I see, good info, thanks. So what's the best thing to clean the tube with? And I won't mess with the modulator, thanks for the heads up.

I cleaned mine when the motor was out of the car. I couldn't imagine trying to take it off with the engine in the bay. Not saying it can't be done, just seems like it would be more work than its worth if everything is working fine. Mine was also a 5s, dunno what the 7a looks like...

With the 7A it's not too terribly hard to remove.

Got this from a manual a downloaded a while ago:

"1989-95 ENGINE PERFORMANCE
Toyota EGR Function Testing
All Models
EGR VALVE
1) Disconnect vacuum hose to EGR valve. Using a hand-held
vacuum pump, apply vacuum to EGR valve with engine at idle. Engine
should run rough or stall. If engine does not run rough or stall,
check EGR valve passages for blockage or faulty EGR valve. Clean
passages as necessary. If passages are clear, replace EGR valve.
2) Install vacuum gauge to ported vacuum port to EGR. Raise
engine RPM. Vacuum should be present. If vacuum is not present, clear
vacuum port of blockage."

Best to find out whether it needs a cleaning before you even pull it out. But Box is right, easy on the A

I used

But be careful. Don't get it on plastic parts or on your shoes. It ate the suede right off my DVS's lol.