Evap control errors

[quote=“irlandes, post:59, topic:96982, full:true”]
As we learned in August, Ahem, you may have a problem getting someone to replace a canister if you change your mind. The current business model for mechanics makes it nearly impossible to repair an intermittent problem.[/quote]
Not sure what you mean about changing my mind… Given where I live and how much winter there’s left, I’ll find out soon enough. :wink: As far as my emissions go, I am not due for over a year.

Let’s hope the gas cap fixed your EVAP leak. I’m not sure what your temperatures have been, but I’ll throw this out there. If I read my (Ford) service manual correctly, it will only run a diagnostic test on the system once operating temperature of the engine has been reached, only between 1/4 to 3/4 full gas tank, and only between 40 and 80 degrees ambient. So, the problem could still be there but just not warm enough to have had the test run, depending on how your cars system works.

It’s official: the gas cap did not fix anything. :frowning:

If your Corolla is similar to mine, the factory service manual lists all the possibilities for what can cause an evap leak, and how to test for each one. Step by step. Since you have a year to fix it, you have some time to find the FSM for you car. Most older car’s FSMs are available as pdf files on CD ROMS you view on your computer. You can buy these at a nominal price if you search the internet enough. Even my 46 year old truck, I can purchase the complete FSM specific to that make/model/year on CD Rom for less than $30. The other method is to subscribe to a one-car only temporary subscription to AllData. That’s sort of an abridged FSM, but likely has all the information you need to figure this out.

Been a while… Anyhow, to conclude the saga, the problem seems to have been sorted. After extensive diagnostics, my “second opinion” mechanic found that a hose leading to the canister had two tiny holes right near the canister. The canister itself had no issues. They replaced the hose and I haven’t seen any evap errors ever since, and I’m pretty sure we’ve had days (weather-wise) when the problem flares up.
In addition, they replaced the starter, so the grand total for evap diagnosis, replacing the evap line + starter was $450. Charley’s Garage is the name of the shop, if anyone from the Boulder area wants to know. I’m pretty impressed.

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I’m glad to hear the car is fixed

It sounds like the “second opinion” mechanic did a thorough diagnosis

Did he use an evap/smoke machine during his diagnosis, or just a good visual inspection?

How long ago was the repair?

Have your evap readiness monitors ran to completion, after he performed the repair and cleared the fault codes? I’m assuming he verified the repair, and retested the evap system afterwards?

The repair was a month ago. They did the smoke test and saw two small leaks on the side of that hose. Then they removed the hose and it seemed to look intact, until they looked very closely & bent it a bit – found two pin-sized holes, pretty small, but enough to fail holding pressure.
I don’t know if they did what you mentioned at the end, but I could call and ask. The guy said straight up that if this doesn’t fix the problem, he’ll return the money and look further. So far the check engine light is off and I don’t smell exhaust when I start anymore. Fingers crossed.

I wonder if Toyota or somebody offers a kit of all those small diameter vacuum & emissions hoses. Might makes sense to just replace all of them the next time a lot of servicing is being done and things are taken apart. It’s sort of curious that a hose like that would develop holes in it on a 2005. My Corolla is 15 years older than OP’s, but never had a plastic vacuum-type hose leak yet. $450 to replace the starter and diagnose/fix the hose problems seems a very square deal. Good on Charley’s Garage in Boulder. Glad you got everything straightened out OP.

Thanks!
I actually have a bit of a comment on what you said. My car lived in very different climates before Boulder – almost a decade in Chicago and a few years in Phoenix. Given the overall great condition of my car, the guy said this wasn’t normal wear&tear and was likely damage from something sharp hitting it while driving at speed.

More than likely, the problem is licked

Even if the guy didn’t let the evap readiness monitor run to completion before returning the car to you, it quite likely ran to completion by now.

The fact it’s been a month and no check engine light is good news :thumbsup:

@db4690
I really hope you’re right, because I suck at dealing with multiple problems simultaneously. Why, you ask? Because now I need to replace the whole central air unit at the condo I bought two months ago! But that’s a different story, of course… :expressionless: