EGR Valve on a 2.2Tdci Euro4 engine (Ford/Jaguar/Peugeot)

[RayPike]

I have a 2009 S-Max Titanium with the DW12 175PS engine. I had issues with engine roughness and a friend with a VW transporter told me of the benefits in cleaning out the EGR valve so I looked into it. I managed to get the pipe disconnected and could see a whole lot of muck and soot clogging up the intake area, but there was no way I could see to get the whole valve off to clean it as it seems to be attached with security allen bolts or somesuch and even with the right head, there's virtually no room in there to move and get at the thing. Is anyone aware of a guide out there that may help me with this? I know the S-Max has no Haynes manual.

I have bought an EGR blanking plate. Do I need to worry about cleaning out all the muck or should I just blank it off and forget about it? My friend advised me against chiselling away at the built up dirt there in case it fell somewhere critical! I'm about to replace the EGR.Intercooler boost pipe that attaches to the bottom of the EGR valve, so wouldn't any muck I dislodged just drop into the hole if I remove that pipe?