Charcoal Canister - Great Option!

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As a VC-120 user for the last 11 years, I still regret that i didn't just rebuild the original canister but threw it away.

Seems you can just file down the edge at the top where it's rounded over and the top comes off. Dump the old charcoal, clean the valves, throw a new filter pad in the bottom, refill with new charcoal from the fish store, and epoxy or silicone the top back on.
Didn't know that, glad I didn't toss my original!!
 
As a VC-120 user for the last 11 years, I still regret that i didn't just rebuild the original canister but threw it away.

Seems you can just file down the edge at the top where it's rounded over and the top comes off. Dump the old charcoal, clean the valves, throw a new filter pad in the bottom, refill with new charcoal from the fish store, and epoxy or silicone the top back on.
Have you experienced any issues with the replacement, or is it just to keep the oem style part for the sake of the appearance of originality?
 
As a VC-120 user for the last 11 years, I still regret that i didn't just rebuild the original canister but threw it away.

Seems you can just file down the edge at the top where it's rounded over and the top comes off. Dump the old charcoal, clean the valves, throw a new filter pad in the bottom, refill with new charcoal from the fish store, and epoxy or silicone the top back on.
Well that’s curious
 
Have you experienced any issues with the replacement, or is it just to keep the oem style part for the sake of the appearance of originality?

No issues, just miss the OE fitment and originality.
 
refill with new charcoal from the fish store, and epoxy or silicone the top back on.
Just a suggestion,"RTV/Silicone" doesn't play well with fuel, or fuel vapors, it will turn into a gooey jelly when exposed to fuel so i wouldn't use that to secure your cap In fact, I'd use a large hose clamp to secure the cap, that way you'll be able to easily remove the canister cap when the time comes to replace the charcoal inside it, In my case I've had to replace the charcoal in my canister once already, and having an easily removable cap made the job super easy,
 
All -

After owning my 80 for over 2 years, experiencing higher than normal pressure when removing the gas cap the entire time, I tried many solutions. However, I've been reluctant to replace the charcoal canister due to the cost -- approx $300 (plus or minus), and it's a dealer-only item.

Many of us have posted/read info on this thread:
Excessive fuel tank pressure - https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/292965-excessive-fuel-tank-pressure.html

I tried a junk yard canister from a 1997 80 with absolutely no affect. I tested hoses, attempted to test pressures, made sure the VSV worked correctly, etc. As best I could tell the system was at least functioning.

After much research, I found this alternative canister for $36 !!!
If the link gets stale, it's Autozone part VC120 for early 1990s GM cars with the 3.1L V6 (pontiac, oldsmobile). The dimensions were close enough to ours, so I pulled the trigger on a hunch. And it works beautifully! I wanted to run thru several fill-ups before I posted, and I can say that after 6 fill-ups, my 80 finally operates like a normal car (as the gas pump anyway). No sound, no air escaping, etc.

It has the same style connectors and pulls in fresh air from the bottom just like the 80s. Using the highly calibrated "blow with your mouth" technique, I confirmed that this canister is almost identical to the stock 80s as described in the FSM. Minor details on mounting:

  • There is no hose connection on the bottom like the 80s, so you can remove the hose completely. This replacement canister has it's own filter and cover on the bottom. In stock 80s, the hose simply routes down to the frame area. I assume to pull in fresher, cooler air.
  • The diameter is just a bit larger than the stock 80s, but you can see in the pic below that it fits in the stock bracket, in the stock location, using the stock hoses. You'll notice that I used a ziptie in place of the bolt on the bracket - a longer bolt would be better, but I didn't have one around. And it's a tight fit, so I don't think it's going anywhere
  • The "tank" port on the canister uses a larger diameter hose barb, but a little persuasion works.
Info/links:
How to test your canister from 1997 FSM
-I suspect that the purge check valve in my canister was sticking. You should have suction into the engine on the purge hose as described in the link above. This suction should be able to keep up with vapors generated in the tank as long as the canister flows freely.


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I haven't tested this after driving up to high elevations yet, but based on my experience so far, I think it's going to do great. Hope this helps out the community as much as it's helped me.
Amazing! Thanks for the info. I'll be installing one of these ASAP.

UZJ100 2001 - Natural White, Stock (poor mans resto)
FZJ80 1997 - Nightshadow Pearl, Stock (refurbishing in process)
 
Interesting.. I just ordered mine a month or so ago. Did you place the order via the website or at the store? I ordered from the website.

Looks like rockauto has them for a few dollars more:
1997 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX GT Vapor Canister

Application seems to be:
1997 Pontiac Grand Prix with 3.8 V6

Keep us posted on your results!
For those looking, I used the link above from Rockauto. Like some of the other aftermarket canisters, this one is slightly larger in diameter than the OEM unit and has a vented bottom instead of the hose barb on the bottom. Also, the hose fittings on the top are plastic versus metal and the fitting going to the fuel tank is slightly larger than the purge fitting. I used a longer metric bolt, washer, and nut to tighten the canister into the upper bracket and left the lower bracket off.
I used new vacuum hose going to/from the canister...not sure if it is supposed to be fuel hose instead.

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i think you are technically supposed to use something called fuel vapor hose. But I don't think I've seen that one at my local auto parts stores (or on amazon). Ill go with fuel hose when I replace mine this week.
 
My local Land Cruiser specialist shop (Torfab) in WA suggested this below, claiming it is the universal replacement part
Dorman Charcoal Canister Part # 911-478. Has anyone had any experience with this charcoal canister? yea or nay?
 
My local Land Cruiser specialist shop (Torfab) in WA suggested this below, claiming it is the universal replacement part
Dorman Charcoal Canister Part # 911-478. Has anyone had any experience with this charcoal canister? yea or nay?
I mean, generally speaking, it doesn't get much more reputable than @torfab . So I'd say go with it.
 
Yes it works. Many of us use it. Shopping can find them for various prices. I paid 37 I think for mine on Amazon. That was a few years ago though
 
I mean, generally speaking, it doesn't get much more reputable than @torfab . So I'd say go with it.
Yeah I thought so too, I just wanted to confirm because tbh I’ve never really seen anything about this charcoal canister on the forums. The only ones I’ve noticed mentioned a few times are the AC Delco 215-153 and VC-120. I’ll be going with the Dorman charcoal canister and plan on installing it soon.
 
I had one used CC laying around, so out of boredom I followed LCP instructions to rebuild it. Took roughly 2hrs and the grinding of the "lip" was the most time consuming. I drilled the ball bearing and reassembled it back using the Grey RTV. 1500 miles since the CC rebuild and no hissing what's so ever when refueling.

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I had one used CC laying around, so out of boredom I followed LCP instructions to rebuild it. Took roughly 2hrs and the grinding of the "lip" was the most time consuming. I drilled the ball bearing and reassembled it back using the Grey RTV. 1500 miles since the CC rebuild and no hissing what's so ever when refueling.

View attachment 3999789
Same, mostly. I honestly don't think it took me that long. The grinding part went pretty quick for me: I used my 12" disc grinder and it was really quick and easy to control. Drilled out that check valve, sealed with RTV. I've gone probably 5000 miles so far and...
  • No more hiss
  • No fuel smell
I get what they were trying to accomplish with that check valve, but it holds too much pressure. One gas station attendant commented, "I think you've got a snake trapped in your gas tank." I decided to solve the problem before it ruptured my tank.
 
In case anyone was interested in the installation of the ACDelco 215-153, I'll post some pictures to document my set up.


Here's the FSM page on the OEM Canister, showing the lines for Tank, Purge, and air.


Here's the AC Delco setup. It comes capped from the factory, but I removed the cap from the air line and left it open to replicate the bottom hose of the original set up.



As others have said, I deleted the bottom bracket and used an extended bolt for the top. The bolt I used was an M6-1X50. It's just long enough to work. I also just left the air line open, as I don't see too much purpose in routing it down to the frame, but if someone convinces me otherwise, I'll add a hose there.


I also replaced the hoses, and hose clamps. I found the small section of old hose on the purge end was extremely loose, and may have been leaking.
I live in California, so I kept all my original equipment for smog purposes.
I went with the ACDelco 215-153 replacement canister. I was about to install it and noticed the bottom felt loose. Is it normal for the bottom to pop right off or is this faulty unit?

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Everyone I've replaced (I have two 80's) has been that way. They are a disposable item, I guess.
 
oh man, you fellas are still dinking around with the Vatozone special canisters? I switched over a GM vapor canister like what @TYM4FUN did and never looked back. $25 for an used one from U pull N pay, and mounted it under the cab then forget about it. No more smells. Bonus is that you get some space freed up in that original CC spot. :)

20250824_092242.webp
 
oh man, you fellas are still dinking around with the Vatozone special canisters? I switched over a GM vapor canister like what @TYM4FUN did and never looked back. $25 for an used one from U pull N pay, and mounted it under the cab then forget about it. No more smells. Bonus is that you get some space freed up in that original CC spot. :)

View attachment 4058102
🤔👍👍
Any write up? Canister info?
 
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