Help! Charcoal canister bypass

arich

So I made a couple posts about my Wagon having a gas leak after a while on the interstate. Turns out the gas was coming from the air vent pipe on the bottom of my charc canister. Rather than paying the 186 f-ing bucks to replace the can, I want to bypass it. Is that as simple as pulling the hoses off it and blocking them off? Will that fill my engine bay with tons of nasty gas fumes? Will that affect the performance of my car? If everything would work with it off does anyone know the best way to do it? Any help appreciated.

udubrx7

Personally I would try and figure out if you have some kind of problem first. The way the evap system works is that as pressure builds up past a pre-determined point inside the tank, it pushes it's way past a two way valve, and builds up in the charcoal canister. Then the ECU opens the purge control valve, allowing vacuum from the intake manifold to suck the vapor out of the top of the canister. When the vapor is being sucked out of the top of the canister, fresh air is being drawn in through the vent tube in the bottom.

I don't know if a worn out charcoal canister could cause actual fuel to leak out of the vent tube.... is it just a few little drips, or a lot of gas? If it is a lot of gas, it seems that somehow there is liquid making it's way through the vent line. This could maybe happen if you severely overfill your tank? I would check out the evap solenoid on the firewall next to the map sensor. I believe with the car warmed up, and with the ignition in the "ON" position (with the car NOT running) you should be able to feel the solenoid click on and off when you remove/replug it's electrical connector. Make sure you feel it clicking, it's a pretty obvious click.

arich

Thanks, I'll check that out. It runs enough gas out of it to make the car run shitty, but it only leaks after ~15 mins at highway speeds. It pisses about a gallon of fuel out then stops and goes along happily as long as it's just around town. Could the purge control valve be the problem too? I'll give that solenoid a look...

udubrx7

Wow that sounds really weird......

I would definitely check the solenoid, and the two way valve in the top of the tank.

leWolf

Now I want to know how to delete it, that things is ugly.

udubrx7

You want to learn how to delete the environment? What?

arich

wonk

evol911

Cap off the vacuum lines then run a hose from the vent tube out of the firewall down below your subframe when the charcoal canister normaly vents.

leWolf

udubrx7 wrote:

You want to learn how to delete the environment? What?

Yes, well were there well just let the oil leak in the gulf go, make the water all rainbow like!

arich

thanks for the help everyone

suspendedHatch

$186?!! Man, a new one for my EG was around $20. Where are you shopping?

You could order one online or failing that, get one from the junkyard. I think all of them are interchangeable within the same OBD generation.

The problem with bypassing that besides needlessly killing the environment and losing 3-4 mpg (I know I know, no one cares, right?) is that you're going to have a leaky gas smell some describe as a rotten egg smell, and you could damage your fuel system. Honestly I'm not too sure about that. But the purpose of the charcoal canister is to accept residual fuel pressure sitting in your lines when you turn off your car.

Madwick

on my del sol i just ripped it all out. i left the two metal pipes that ran along the firewall open. it didnt smell or cange my gas mileage. i didnt notice any difference but one, it looked cleaner with the damn black box and hoses gone!!! :twisted: nnlln :twisted: al gore and his manbearpig! (thats a middle fingure)

udubrx7

You may not have noticed a difference, but it will reduce your MPG, and engine power slightly. The engine is designed to run with this stuff hooked up, and it's GAS vapor.... might have something to do with AFR huh? I would definitely not remove this system. If you remove it just because you think it looks better afterwards, then you just weren't creative enough to deal with how it looked in the first place. You can move it if you want, just make sure the top of the can is above the highest part in the tank.

If you want to kill the environment, waste gas, and make less hp just to get rid of a black can in the engine bay you might as well take the car off the road and continue working on your trailer queen car show project. Plus that just makes you stoopid.

Charb

udubrx7 wrote:

If you want to kill the environment, waste gas, and make less hp just to get rid of a black can in the engine bay you might as well take the car off the road and continue working on your trailer queen car show project. Plus that just makes you stoopid.

-golf clap-


I'm too much of a tree hugger to have touched this thread... thanks for that.

$186 lol

leWolf

Im kinda in a pickle though cause the new motor setup didnt have one when i got it, it was deleted. so now i gotta figure out how to run it on this new setup, I was just going to ditch it but if someone can tell me where to hook it to on a y8 I might just run it.

arich

Jesus people. I didn't realize this was such a big friggin' deal. Damn thing's been off the road for nigh on three months while I finish college and my mechanic pokes around and swears he can't find the issue. I'll fix the mofo if I can, but yes, a charcoal can for a third-gen is $186 and it is a pain in the ass. I'd rather not kill the environment or waste my gas if I can avoid it, but I need to be able to make highway trips without my car throwing gas at the damn exhaust. Charb and udub, I share your environmentalist attitude, I was just looking for an easy fix. I appreciate all the help udub provided by trying to explain how to fix it rather than ditch it.

Charb

Go to a junkyard man. You're a FOOL if you buy a brand new one for $186!

arich

yeah Charb you're right about that... Hence the bypass idea. Junkyards aren't a hotbed for gen 3s right now though, or at least the ones near me arent. anyway, its prob. the vac lines or pcv valve or something. im just super frustrated.