EGR disable

Seen a few things in the forum on this but not much for specifically what to do when disabling EGR function by removing vacuum control.

My EGR rattles when I rev. so I believe it's not working. Was going to take it off to clean it out and see but looks like a hassle   .

Seen people say to just disconnect the vacuum line from it but I notice there are multiple ones. I took the one off that goes into the top part of the disc. Is blocking that line the way to do it? There is another line that comes out towards you when you are looking from the passenger side. Should I block this as well or leave it in?

See pics. Just have some electrical tape blocking temporarily.
Pulled line out the top

Second line, should I pull?

It's a shame it's so squashed in, but the vacuum pipes are used via two valves. One valve sucks it open, the other valve sucks it closed.

There may be a turbo wastegate valve there too - identify those pipes and valves so it's unaffected.

So yes, you just need to block the pipe that sucks it open, or disconnect the electrical connector from the valves that control it. The ECU may complain but I suspect the older ones like in that won't care.

What year is your van? On my 1991 3L, with the engine off, I disconnected the electrical connector to the vacuum switching valve (VSV) that sends vacuum to the diaphragm which opens the EGR valve. I noticed an immediate performance increase after doing this (my EGR valve was malfunctioning). I think the EGR valve might not be completely closed, or is opening slightly under exhaust pressure at high rpms, so I have fabricated some blanking plates to install on the rusty-looking pipe the goes from the EGR to the intake manifold to block it off completely. I'll try and post some photos of that in April when I do the job.

This photo was taken below the rusty pipe that goes from the EGR to the intake manifold, same one as seen in your photo, showing the disconnected connector for the VSV:

INteresting. Is this a possible cause of my low fuel economy and low power (3L diesel engine). And won't disabling it cause more pollution?

My fuel economy jumped 3mpg (US) when I disconnected it, plus I gained a bunch of low end power that was sorely missing. My van runs way, way better now. I was producing a lot of black soot prior to disconnecting, so in my world a slight increase in nitrous oxide emissions is better than all the diesel particulates I was subjecting everyone to. Plus my CO2 footprint is smaller due to increased fuel efficiency.