Problems with cannister I think? (1 Viewer)

[ecarn]

Hey guys and gals. I have a 1980 FJ40. Working on the fuel lines ( because they are corroded etc) I noticed that there was a leak of fuel pouring from underneath my cruiser. I looked and it was coming from under what I think is the charcoal canister. There was a plastic elbow going into the bottom of this canister which then had plastic fuel line going from it, Im assuming down to my gas tank obviously. I checked the elbow and it broke right off. How can I fix this? And as I understand the canister it deals with fumes not actual fuel? Or is that why fuel is going in and then redistributing fumes that the canister changes back to the carb etc? Thanks!

 

[John Smith]

Hey guys and gals. I have a 1980 FJ40. Working on the fuel lines ( because they are corroded etc) I noticed that there was a leak of fuel pouring from underneath my cruiser. I looked and it was coming from under what I think is the charcoal canister. There was a plastic elbow going into the bottom of this canister which then had plastic fuel line going from it, Im assuming down to my gas tank obviously. I checked the elbow and it broke right off. How can I fix this? And as I understand the canister it deals with fumes not actual fuel? Or is that why fuel is going in and then redistributing fumes that the canister changes back to the carb etc? Thanks!

The tube on the bottom of my 79 canister terminates at the body. If the bottom of your canister is rotten or broken you will probably need to replace the entire unit, I don't see how it would be repairable. You are correct that the canister is supposed to store fuel vapor. If your vapor expansion unit is missing and you have a full tank of fuel with the truck sitting under the sun I can easily see how you would have liquid fuel pouring from the charcoal canister, BTDT. Check to make sure your black vapor unit is still and all your emissions lines are hooked up correctly.

 

[ecarn]

Im just making sure its the charcoal canister. There is a bracket that the elbow went through and the bracket screws into the bottom of the canister, this is where the fuel leak is because that elbow broke, I tried to makeshift a seal with some sealant and a new tube but it didnt work. I cant find a charcoal canister anywhere online, might anyone know where to find one? It seems to me all I need is the part that went in inside the canister through the bracket which to me looked like an elbow.

 

[John Smith]

Im just making sure its the charcoal canister. There is a bracket that the elbow went through and the bracket screws into the bottom of the canister, this is where the fuel leak is because that elbow broke, I tried to makeshift a seal with some sealant and a new tube but it didnt work. I cant find a charcoal canister anywhere online, might anyone know where to find one? It seems to me all I need is the part that went in inside the canister through the bracket which to me looked like an elbow.

For a replacement canister I would hit the classifieds here or your local junkyard. Most of the canisters Toyota used during the era are nearly identical.

 

[digger]

I've got one w/ a powder coated bracket, you can have it for the price of a 12 pack of Sam Adams a/ shipping

 

[numby]

The line coming from the bottom of the canister is a vent of sorts. When you start your engine the Outer Vent Control Valve (gizmo on top of the canister) closes the valve from the tank to the canister and allows the corralled fumes to be sucked in to the manifold. The line at the bottom allows fresh air in to replace the vapors heading to the engine.

You shouldn't have actual fuel in the canister. In extreme situations you might get actual fuel flowing in to the canister maybe during long steep descents or something. Are you missing the fuel separator behind your passenger seat? Did you overfill your gas tank?

 

[ecarn]

All I know is whatever this is, its a cylinder looking part(but thats what I see from underneath. On top there are 2 or 3 hoses going to various components. There is a plastic fuel hose running into it through a bracket that is screwed into the bottom of this thing. There was a minor leak of REAL fuel and when I went to tighten it, it cracked and now there is a major fuel leak. The part looked almost like a elbow that went into this cylinder. There is a much bigger cylinder to its left if you are looking at the hood, and has a pipe that just hangs down from it with a hole in it, Im guessing a vent? But this one in the pictures is pretty close to my fuel filter.

 

[ecarn]

These are the pictures(sorry for quality) of the top and bottom, the bottom where that bracket is screwed on is where the fuel is gushing out immediately when I start the truck. There was a elbow or something there that broke so I tried to seal it and it didnt work. Hope these help. Thanks again!

 

[numby]

Yes, it's definitely your charcoal canister. The little bracket on the bottom is only a piece of stamped sheet metal that holds the rubber vent tube in place by a little lip. The rubber tube connects in older models to a short piece of metal tubing about a foot long that ends in a cross body support. Cut a piece of sheet metal to match the bracket as a temporary fix. The rubber tubes are often clogged after thirty years with charcoal, grit, mud, gunk, funk, and other engine detritus. Breaking your bracket probably only allowed raw fuel in the canister to start leaking out. Again, you shouldn't have raw fuel in the canister.

Let me correct myself regarding what i wrote before....

The line coming from the bottom of the canister is a vent of sorts. When you start your engine the Outer Vent Control Valve (gizmo on top of the canister) closes the valve from the tank to the canister and allows the corralled fumes to be sucked in to the manifold. The line at the bottom allows fresh air in to replace the vapors heading to the engine.

The Outer Vent Control Valve (that's the thingy on top of your canister in the upper right of your first photo with the little curved hose attached to it) allows fuel vapors from the carburetor float chamber to accumulate in the canister when the engine is off. The other two lines on top of the canister are marked TO TANK and PURGE. The "To Tank" line DOES NOT HOOK UP TO THE GAS TANK. Make certain yours doesn't. It should connect to what "looks" like a fuel line which runs under the body and comes up through the floor to the Fuel Separator that sits inside your cab behind your passenger side seat above the fuel filler neck. I don't think all Canadian models had the separator and only had a small check valve instead. Don't quote me. Go to this page, scroll down to the appropriate year and look at #40 via #45.

Specter Off-Road Land Cruiser Parts - Page 168 Gas Tanks

The purge line should connect to an approx. 1/4" dia. hard line that is attached to the firewall in your engine compartment and runs all the way across the top (just under the hood/lip) to the other side and should connect up to another little VCV on a bracket on the driver's side fender. Let's ignore that gizmo for the time being. You need to find out how fuel is getting into the charcoal canister. I suspect it's been getting in for a while and your inadvertent damage to the vent tube on the canister just let it find new way out.

Try disconnecting (and plugging) the approx. 3/8" dia. line from the carburetor to the Outer VCV on top of the canister and plug the line. That would stop some sort of overflow from the float chamber into the charcoal canister. The Outer VCV may be malfunctioning which might allow fuel from the carb to be pumped into the canister when the engine is running. This may be filling your canister even as the purge line is sucking the raw fuel back out. Follow?

Then make certain that neither the "Purge" port nor the "To Tank" port are connected directly to the gas tank. You could plug the purge line and tube on top of the canister. This is the line that the other VCV uses to suck the vapors out of the canister. The truck will run fine without them (although not be smog compliant) as long as the line to the carb is plugged to avoid a vacuum leak in case you're missing other stuff down stream.

If your "To Tank" line is connected correctly you can just unplug it and it will act as a simple vent for fuel vapors from the gas tank (temporary). Don't plug it as your gas tank may over-expand. Your gas cap only lets vapor in and can not vent to atmosphere. If this line is somehow connected to the gas tank or fuel pump or whatever, maybe you'll see raw fuel coming out. Not a good thing. Make certain your fuel lines to the gas tank are hooked up correctly. I don't know if your year has a return line or not. HTH. (whew!)

 

[numby]

Don't worry about the broken piece on the bottom of the canister. If it is fixed you'll still be draining fuel from the canister until THAT problem is solved.