smartypants

Hi All :

I'm trying to troubleshoot a P1456 (EVAP Leak) and can't seem to map the descriptions in the shop manual to the actual components on the car. I get under the car and there's all these plastic boxes connected by rubber tubes. I know where the canister is and the attached shut valve, but that's all I can identify for sure.

Has anyone ever taken a picture of the underside of the car and identified the individual evap pieces ? I did get an EVAP layout document but it did not come with a file extension and so I can't open it. Its called Evap Manual 442kb (file size).

Anyone have any ideas or documents they can share ?

Thanks to all who reply.


smarty.


P.S. if I get one more person who advises me to check the gas cap I'm going to scream..........!!!!!!

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Have you checked the gas cap? Lol, kidding...

Diagnosing the EVAP system for small leaks is much more difficult than most people assume. It's not simple by any means and in order to properly test the system it's absolutely essential to energize atleast one (depending on the area of the system being checked) EVAP solenoid in order to detect any leaks. I've seen (and done myself) many people replace components/lines because smoke was seen coming from that particular area. I highly recommend taking the vehicle to a technician that's familiar with performing EVAP system diagnostics or you can expect to be paying for parts that aren't needed!

3.2TLc

Anybody know of a way to completely do away with this added on garbage that serves absolutely no real purpose after the first 5 years or 100k......except being a ploy to frustrate a person into buying a new car due to the intimidation this crap causes.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

To a person who doesn't understand or see the emissions components, yes, they serve no useful purpose. In reality, it's a very effective system and works great at removing harmful contaminants from just being "lost" into the atmosphere. The EVAP system also prevents excess fuel tank pressures from occurring which could be potentially dangerous in certain situations. If your gas cap isn't sealing to the tank properly, gas fumes will just evaporate into the air and literally just waste your fuel.

It's only intimidating to you if the technican that's working on your car is merely guessing or just replacing an assortment of parts that are known to fail (the latter is VERY common!). This is of course at your expense and makes you angry as you are. If the tech is knowledgable and properly diagnoses the EVAP leak/malfunction, chances are the repair shouldn't be that expensive at all. Most issues are small leaks in lines or hoses that can easily be repaired, small electrical solenoids ($25-150), wiring issues, GAS CAP...no big deal. worst case scenarios might include an EVAP canister, fuel tank, or an ECM. IMO, it would be perfectly alright to install used parts from a salvage yard or even eBay because emissions system components/parts will not jeopardize the reliability when they fail.

smartypants

Youngone - I agree with your basic premise, evap is a necessary part of the car and that it does not interfere with the performance it it faults.

I do reluctantly have to agree with the notion of techs changing parts at random as the system is pretty simple if you have the right tools. I have talked to several third-party repair shops and they seem to have some reluctance to looking into evap issues. I suspect they do not have the tools or find the evap system too complicated.

In any case, Honda should address this issue by either providing better manuals or making the system more "fault friendly" making it easier to diagnose issues.

yungone501

iTrader: (4)

Disagree if you wish but I have been an electrical drivability/emissions technician for many years now and do these things on a day-to-day basis. When I initially began in this aspect of auto repairs, I remember being overwhelmed about the extreme difficulty of the work...especially the diagnosis part of the job! It was so difficult for me to fathom why I was required to spend sooooo long just finding the problem despite how long it took. But then I realized that all the techs were the same in this aspect...everyone hated doing any form of diagnostics that required many steps in order to determine the issue. That's when I realized its not complicated, it's just lengthy. That was it. Most techs were just too damn lazy and used the excuse as it being "complicated and too difficult" and would much rather diagnose another car with a simpler problem that made them MORE MONEY FOR LESS WORK...key phrase there.

So in conclusion, it's easy to understand why most people don't want to hassle with the 20-40 steps involved with diagnosing an EVAP fault when other issues generally take between 3-6. That's the REAL reason. I work for a company (Auto Electric Systems in Plano, Tx) that prides itself in only having a handful of cars that have left not diagnosed. We are known as the last place to take your car when nobody else can figure out the problem...and that's simply because we are patient during the diagnostic process. That's it!

smartypants

Oh sorry Yungone, perhaps I did not make myself clear. I fully agree (athough sadly) with your perspectives.

Clearly there is a complexity here that is somewhat daunting to the average tech....

smarty