Charcoal Canister - Great Option!

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California Smog

One last question before putting it in:

Has anyone undergone a California smog test after switching to the Pontiac canister?

I have read the 300+ posts and no-one attests to this.

Thanks.
 
I just bought the autozone part vc120. They had one in stock here in ms. It was $46.99 + tax. Fwiw.

I was getting a really really strong in cab gas smell and very high vent pressure in my 96 lx450. I really noticed it here in the high heat and humidity when I would idle or sit in the truck and talk on the phone for work.

The fume smell would run you out of the cab. Windows up or down. It was bad. Also, the pressure when unscrewing the gas cap was so high that when I got to the last thread on the cap it would jump into my hand........

I didn't drill the bottom hose to match like oem as some have.

I will see if this helps.

Thanks for all the posts on this. Great resource.
 
I just ordered one from Pep Boys. They've got a 20% off a single item promo going on through 9/21/13 (JACK20 is the promo code). Regular price in my area (Colorado) is $35.99, less $7.20 (20%), the final price is $28.79 w/ free in store pick up. Looks like it will be ready for pickup the next day.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the Pep Boys part number is CP1018 and shows up on their site as as a BWD CP1018. Here's a link:

http://www.pepboys.com/search/products/?term=cp1018
 
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I just did the rebuild on the OEM charcoal canister with good results. Cost was ~$12 for new charcoal and some time to cut it open replace the charcoal, clear the sticking vavles, and reseal the can. Not much saving it you value your time:rolleyes: I was more curious on why it failed.
 
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So where did you make the cut, how did you cut it and how did you reseal it? I need to replace mine, but don't like the aftermarket solution.
 
Make sure to blow out your check valves really well with compressed air. After spraying mine with carb cleaner they were sticky after I reassembled and waited a day. I couldn't blow through the input valve with my mouth anymore. I ran a couple small tanks of compressed air through it at 43 psi (like the FSM says) and it fixed the problem. I guess there was still some residue or something in there. Not sure if this will actually be a problem on the vehicle, but the FSM says you should be able to blow through the check valves with ~1-2 psi which is about all you can generate with your lungs. I've been running my refurbished one for awhile now with no issues. Just filled up my gas today and I had absolutely no venting.

As for cause of failure, I think the check valves just get dirty and stick. This causes the high pressure. Also, the carbon loses it's ability to release the adsorbed fuel vapor and adsorb more. At that point, it's just venting fuel vapor to the atmosphere instead of storing it in the canister. This causes the bad fuel vapor smell.
 
DARKNESS said:
Make sure to blow out your check valves really well with compressed air. After spraying mine with carb cleaner they were sticky after I reassembled and waited a day. I couldn't blow through the input valve with my mouth anymore. I ran a couple small tanks of compressed air through it at 43 psi (like the FSM says) and it fixed the problem. I guess there was still some residue or something in there. Not sure if this will actually be a problem on the vehicle, but the FSM says you should be able to blow through the check valves with ~1-2 psi which is about all you can generate with your lungs. I've been running my refurbished one for awhile now with no issues. Just filled up my gas today and I had absolutely no venting.

As for cause of failure, I think the check valves just get dirty and stick. This causes the high pressure. Also, the carbon loses it's ability to release the adsorbed fuel vapor and adsorb more. At that point, it's just venting fuel vapor to the atmosphere instead of storing it in the canister. This causes the bad fuel vapor smell.
Click to expand...

I agree the sticky valves are the main issue, not so much the charcoal but its open so why not.:meh:. There are 2 active valves and 1 open, the large tube that goes down into the canister is one of the active valves. Brake klean worked well for clean the sticky valves for me.
 
Yeah, the only thing that can cause the excessive pressure is the check valve.
 
How much charcoal Phil?
 
under_psi said:
I didn't drill the bottom hose to match like oem as some have.

I will see if this helps.
Click to expand...

I did not do the bottom hose because I broke the valve,:o it was brittle, however it maid a huge difference in performance and smell!
 
Cool, thanks.
 
I have to do something. Mine is even smelling in the cooler weather. It used to just be on hot days off road, then hot days on pavement in the valley, then hot days on the pavement up here , now it is doing it all the time. I don't get paid to work on my own junk!!
 
:popcorn:gunna do this with the spare 60 series can I have...THANX
 
I just replaced mine with a vc4016 units from Autozone, it is smaller in diameter than the original but does have a swivel vent out the bottom that you can add a hose and run to the fender well. Very similar to the OEM setup. It was less than 30.00, so quite the bargain!!
 
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