Replace Canister and its valve, how difficult?

[sebaz]

My wife has a 2001 Camry V6. The engine light is on, and several months ago the dealership told us that the problem was the canister and the canister valve, and parts and labor would be around $700. I looked both parts online and they are much cheaper than that. Is replacing those parts in this model something that a rookie can do with the help of the service manual, or do we have to end up paying a fortune to the dealership? I have a Buick for which I replaced several parts, nothing too difficult, but I was able to solve many problems with the proper service manual. But before I buy the manual for the Camry I would like to know from more experienced people here if this is something that I may be able to do with patience and time, or if it's way too complicated for me.

Thanks

[davemac2]

I can't see why that would be that difficult. It is the EVAP cannister and check valve I assume? Never removed one, but there may be a few things you need to pull out to get to it.

dave mc

[abrittis]

I'm not sure about the 2001. I have removed a 1998 canister. It is located under the car in front of the gas tank. Because the canister is exposed to the elements, removal difficulty can be dependent on where you live. If you live in a snowy area where road salting is common - the bolts can become quite rusty and difficult to remove.

If you do remove the canister, There are ways to test the components (valves etc.) - and just replace the faulty component. To fix my problem - I just needed to spend about $40 for a component instead of replacing the whole canister.

A word of caution, my local dealer's parts department did not have any listings in their part lookup software for canister components - they just listed the canister as a completely replaceable part. However, once I identified the the faulty valve, I was able to read the part number directly off the part - the same dealer actually stocked it. Kind of strange that the dealer was stocking a part that their own parts diagrams did not show.

Also, the best source I found for testing the canister components was the Haynes manual. They had a whole section on removal of the canister and testing various valves and components.

Anthony