EGR Light & Trouble Passing Smog '87 2.0

I'll start off by saying it pains me to dump $$ in a truck that's worth under $1,500 BUT it was my grandfathers, has under 100k miles and its more useful then I can imagine.

Every 2 years I have problems with smog. This truck has seen 2 cats, a new carb, new plugs, new 02, new wires etc and ALWAYS fails.

2 years ago I found a shop that for the "price" of a smog got it to pass. Well 2 years later and it's definitely not run by the same guy and he was a little reluctant when I called.

EGR light is currently on. I pulled the EGR, it hold a vacuum. Cleaned it. It was VERY black inside. Installed with new gasket. EGR light still on after battery disconnect for 30+ min.

I'm going to get it smogged later today or tomorrow and despite being an optimist, think its going to fail. It doesnt smoke at all, runs like a beast. Hauled a 500lb motorocyle up 101 (California) averaging 75mph.

Any ideas on what it could be? The cat in installed was an inexpensive one before the new Cali rules, maybe thats bad.

Read adding a bottle or 2 of 99% rubbing alcohol helps with NOX. Truck ran rich last time.

As for disabling EGR, how do I do that?

You can turn that EGR light off from under the dash. Little tiny switch under there, just flip it to other side. It will come on every 50k miles no matter what, this is why I disconnected my switch.

The egr black stuff will go throughout that tube through the intake manifold. I first notice this crap stuff when I took the head off my truck and it was like a job for Drano. I took a coat hanger a reamed out that stuff like resins in a pipe. I must of got about a handful of that black stuff. If you want yours cleaned with a coat hanger and with the head still on I think you need to pull the exhaust manifold and stick a shop vac vacuum in the #4 exhaust port, if I'm not mistaken and start up the vacuum and then run the coat hanger thru to scrape out that tube in the intake casting. I use to pull the egr sub valve out of the carb bottom too and clean the carbon off that cylinder also so it sealed correctly. This cylinder has a rubber boot around it and pulls and pushes with the gas peddle action. It is what opens and closes to allow the engine to re-eat it's own crap again. This egr sub valve use to get so dirty and sticky it made my gas peddle stick as it was being pushed down.

Welcome to the site. Sounds like you are in the same boat as everyone else. $$ into a truck that has no value. But if you are like allot of us, then over time it's not about the money. It's because you love the truck. I just dumped $60,000+ into mine.