16 December 2011, 1:34 pm
The testing facility gave it a fault code: PO455 EVAP CTRL SYSTEM GROSS LEAK DETECTED. He said the code meant there was a leak in the filler pipe area or possibly the tank. I then took it to a smog repair shop that suspects the problem to have been a locking gas cap that I've been having problems removing and re-installing at fill ups. He said it was very possible the cap wasn't sealed correctly which triggered the "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" light to go on. So when the smog test was made the engine's computer communicated that there was a "GROSS LEAK" in the evaporation control system. He then connected an electronic gadget to my electrical system and turned the "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" light off. Then he told me to drive it for up to 80 miles to see if the light comes back on again. Since then I put almost 200 miles on it and the light hasn't come back on. I just removed the gas cap and applied air pressure to the filler pipe and tank and there doesn't appear to be any air leaking out in spite of the fact that there is a rubber hose coming from the front of the tank and goes to the top of the filler pipe but isn't connected to anything (another hose coming from the rear of the tank goes to the same area but is connected to the top of the filler pipe). By the way, I pointed this out to the SMOG REPAIR guy and he couldn't find a place where it was supposed to connect to. Is this common for this vehicle? I should mention also that the SMOG TEST guy said he could run a "complete system diagnosis" and determine the exact problem for $149.00 to which I declined in favor of further investigation. I'm not so sure that the SMOG test guy, who, in the last part of his check, had removed the gas cap and apparently hooked up some kind of vacuum or pressure device to the top of the filler pipe, might have suspected the same and may have had his attention focused more than just a little bit on the $149.00 and another $40.00 retest. With the info I provided does it seem logical to you that the gas cap not sealing properly is the sole cause of this problem? Also any recommendation on how to proceed from here would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron Simi Valley, CA... Read More »
Share on del.icio.us
Share on digg
Share on Technorati
Share on reddit
Share on Yahoo!
Share on Facebook