01 Camry P0441 adn P0446

Ok guys, this gets more interesting. My CEL Light came on again so please bear with me as I explain what is going on.. I have a 01 Camry 2.2L 4 cyl. I live in Texas and it has CALIFORNIA emissions! Imagine that!

When I got mine decoded the first time, it came up with several....

P0171 System Too Lean, Bank 1 P0420 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold P0440 Evap Control System P1130 Air-Fuel Sensor Circuit Range/Performance

I replaced the Air Fuel/Ratio Sensor and cleared the codes. I drove around for about a month, and this morning the CEL Light came on again. When I got it decoded this is what I got

P0441 P0446

Now, I understand that these are in relation to evap leaks. Could it be my gas cap again? My Toyota buddy looked at my car this morning, and he was able to touch my catalytic converter. The car had been running about 20 minutes at the time, and I KNOW YOU CAN'T touch a cat if it is operating properly as they get extremely hot.

Now, he is telling me that I need to go ahead and replace my cat, which I am going to do, but what is weird is that it is not showing the P0420 code that the cat is operationg below threshold. Could a bad cat cause these P0441 and P0446 codes? He did tell me that one of the codes (I can't remember which one) is related to my evap canister. Can anyone tell me where this is located? Can you clean them and replace them?

I know this buddy really well, and I know he would not steer me wrong when it comes to the cat. He isn't even going to charge me to put it on. (Its nice to have friends like that )

So, any suggestions?

Thanks a bunch for any help! I apologize if this has been answered before!

Reply to
Camrygirl
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441 and 446 are evap related only, your catalytic converter doesn't enter in to this equation. These codes may very well point to a leak in the charcoal canister, but there may also be a leak at the canister closed valve (CCV) or in the hose that connects the two. The valve is located (I think) on the air box under your hood, with a hose disappearing under the firewall on the driver side. These codes can be triggered by something like the hose just being loose also. Find someone who is familiar with the 'Late Type' evap monitors on these Toyotas. It's an obtuse system prone to problems, so have someone competent actually test things before you go throwing parts on. Those canisters are expensive!
Reply to
qslim

See that's the problem when you install Denso oxygen sensors instead of the first-in-class Bosch. ;)

Now actually qslim is right. EVAP system is complete separate from the exhaust emissions system. But there are a lot of problems with the newer generation of evap system components like you have there, such as bad check valves and spewing carbon that plug up vacuum valves. In the worst case the canister needs to be replaced.

But before that it's most likely that the EVAP VSV (near the air cleaner housing) is becoming sticky and now allowing full purge flow (or allowing unchecked flow at all times).

Simplest case: EVAP VSV

To check, I'd pull the hose on the canister side of the EVAP VSV. With the engine running, you should hear the valve cycle on and off and drawing a good breath each time. A MityVac should show several inches of vacuum instead of a couple.

If you only see a couple in/Hg or no vacuum, the valve is stuck closed. If you get 10+ inches of vacuum at all times, then the valve is stuck open.

In either case, before you replace it, try cleaning by carefully prying open the metal "fingers" that hold the plastic end cap with ports on it. Carefully clean off the parts and use a little lube on the piston. Don't crack the plastic or break the metal fingers in the process. Then completely clamp the fingers back for a tight seal. In most cases this should save the VSV.

qslim wrote:

Reply to
johngdole

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