Help with my 1999 Toyota Camry please?

[dhman2012]

I have a 1999 Toyota Camry LE and I have had this Engine light for few days. So I took it to a local Meineke and they got code P0441 and P0446. Then they ran Smoke Test and said they need to replace my "EVAP canister" which will be about $500+tax. Now when I asked them what they meant by EVAP canister, they didn't tell me anything.

Does anyone know what EVAP canister mean? What exactly do I need to replace? Do I need to replace Charcoal Canister? Solenoid? VSV valve?

[danielsatur]

How much did they charge you for the smoke test?
Have you ever overflow the fuel tank?
If not, it could be as simple as a bad hose or a bad gas cap seal.

A charcoal Evap canister and system absorbs excess fuel + vapors, so theres less emission into the atmosphere.

$500 is way too much for this fix!

[dhman2012]

Meineke charged me $50 for the Smog Test. They said instead of finding out what hose and whatever replacing the whole canister will be easier and in the long run save me more money since often what happens is today this hose is bad, next week other one is bad. So they suggested replacing the whole EVAP canister.

And my brother drives the car sometimes and he often overflows the fuel tank. So I'm assuming that's what triggered the problem.

I can find a Charcoal canister over the internet for $235, but I don't know if Charcoal canister and EVAP canister the same thing. I'm assuming an hour labor will cost around $100. That's still $150 in my pocket.

[Brian R.]

Yes, EVAP canister is charcoal canister.

Just for laughs, check the hoses first. Replace any which are cracked or loose on the connections and see if the light goes away after a couple of drives. Don't replace the canister if you don't absolutely have to. Usually, replacing the canister requires replacing most of the hoses anyway. They break rather than come off easily.

[danielsatur]

Found a good video for DIY, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzfR84T6pBY

[artbuc]

Originally Posted by danielsatur

Found a good video for DIY, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzfR84T6pBY

Great link but it is hard (for me, at least) to understand the computer generated speech.

[Brian R.]

This is a better description of the EVAP system for humans....

http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/h62.pdf