i agree that the OP's issue is more or less unrelated to EGR.

dan, thanks for your informed posts. would you care to comment on whether the operator of an OM617, concerned about being a good citizen, might ever install a DPF?

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'77 240D, 504H, OM617.952, etc.

Thanks to all who contributed here. I feel confident that I can eliminate one more possible issue causing my performance issues.

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2009 E320 Bluetec 117,000
1995 E300D 306,000 Sold
1996 Ford Taurus LX 130,000 Sold
1985 300TD Still 225,000 Sold
2016 Ford Fusion 24,900

And that would be?

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 159k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 179k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 145k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 77k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Not getting the combination of air from the filter box AND egr valve. My take is that air from air filter box is adequate.

__________________
2009 E320 Bluetec 117,000
1995 E300D 306,000 Sold
1996 Ford Taurus LX 130,000 Sold
1985 300TD Still 225,000 Sold
2016 Ford Fusion 24,900