P0442 code on 2001 Camry LE 4-cyl with automatic and 121k miles, made in KY. Replaced gas cap with Toyota cap, cleared the code. The CEL came back, but now the code is P0440 (three times!), but no P0442!
Note that a year ago it had P0440, 0441, and 0446. I replaced all hoses, the VSV (Vacuum switching valve) at the filter housing, and gas cap (with a Stant cap), but codes came back after clearing so then in December 2019 I replaced the charcoal canister (with OEM, which included new solenoid valves) and that finally turned the Evap test to green/passed, and was fine (no CEL) for 8 months till the P0442 I started this post with popped up.
At this point I am thinking I should replace the fuel tank overflow check valve (which is plastic) but I want to be sure before I go to all the trouble of dropping the gas tank to replace it, so I guess I should do a smoke test but I don’t have a smoke machine and don’t know where I can rent one locally.
Any other ideas or easy checks? This Camry is smooth and with low miles should last a long time but this issue is making me hate it. I bought it in Dec 2018 with 113k and know it sat a lot for a couple years, which partly led me to replace the canister (re. Scotty’s video on spiders getting in there).
the code is for an EVAP leak. Go over the entire EVAP system, check with your hands and eyes. The smoke test would be the best way. Otherwise you'll just be throwing parts at it. party stores should have smoke machines
So I bought a smoke machine on eBay on Black Friday that I finally got to try out. And you know what? It revealed zero leaks! Frustrated at injecting the smoke up by the Evap test port I then injected it directly into the fuel filler tube and not one wisp of smoke came out under the car or in the engine compartment anywhere! I even pulled the plastic crap off the fuel filler tube behind the rear tire to see if maybe it was leaking where the little tubes join the filler tube up near the top but no dice there.
Remembering a tip by Scotty in a recent video with a 4-cyl dodge minivan, I went ahead and removed the Evap test port itself and the little bit of hose of either side of it and replaced it with one uninterrupted length of new hose. So maybe that’s it but with the Evap drive cycle being so long/involved it may take awhile to find out.
A check with my “fancy scan tool” (Autel MK808) revealed no other issues or clues.
Like I said in the original post, this is a TOUGH issue to resolve!
(Bump, looking for follow up ideas)
"... I guess I should do a smoke test"...Yep
Here's how to make a very good and cheap smoke machine... paint can, cheapest glow plug at parts store, mineral oil and some wicking. I think you'll get the idea ; ) I use this as I'm cheap and and like the engineering challenges to duplicate needed tools/equipment. I use an air float inflator for the air source. Not much to make it of very professional performance (an adjustable regulator for the 12 volt supply to control temp and airflow but definitely not required to make a good smoke machine). Always better to find the issue... knowledge gained is invaluable imo.
@hillbilly thanks for the tip but I have an ammo box-based smoke machine. As I detailed above, it revealed zero leaks anywhere in the Evap system. I even fed the smoke directly into the gas tank via taping over the fuel filler opening and taping around it. No dice. All solenoid valves check out and no indicated smoke leaks and yet this stupid Camry keeps haunting me with P0440 codes that take days / weeks to show up due to the long drive cycle associated with the Evap emissions self-test.
So basically this website has been zero help to me except to parrot standard solutions that I have already tried. If it was that easy I wouldn't have needed HELP with this issue and would not now be looking to sell this cursed POS Camry. Oil leaking, EVAP code-throwing, torque-converter-shudding, Buick-driving POS Camry, that is.
That’s a pesky issue for sure. Not sure if you looked here already but here it goes:
https://repairpal.com/obd-ii-code-p0442