you know what, right after i made my last post in this thread. i took a closer look at my EGR, and sure enough, the hose on the bottom was completely clogged. i got a new hose, and it seems better, and no check engine light, yet. however, when the truck warms up, there is some decent pinging. but im pretty sure that is related to my fried plugs and radiator issues making my truck run hot. so i might be on the right track.