I’m having a problem lately with my Fit 1.3 iDSi 2004 CVT , I noticed when accelerating in low rpm i hear pinging or tapping noise then the engine starts to jerk a bit and feels like its losing power momentarily.

Now I decided to unplugged the EGR and noticed a big difference in performance, it runs smooth and no pinging noise however I only get a pinging noise running on the highway passing 2000-3000rpm.

My question is it ok running without/unplug EGR? Will it damage my engine and cause overheating? (as expected CEL turned on after running a couple of miles)