My 1999 Corolla with about 40,000 miles on it over the past month has
been registering P0441 that represents "EVAP Emission control system
purge flow fault." Less than two months ago I had to replace the
starter on this car because of solenoid failure and read that EVAP
solenoid failures are listed reported as the worst problem with this
car. I further read that most of the time the charcoal canister
located near the gas tank has to be replaced if the car is taken to a
dealer for repair. Anyone have experience with this? The car rarely
gets out on the highway so someone suggested a long highway trip might
solve the problem if it was just a matter of clogging. All ideas
welcomed.

On Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:39:53 -0700, BillyG wrote:

> My 1999 Corolla with about 40,000 miles on it over the past month has
> been registering P0441 that represents "EVAP Emission control system
> purge flow fault." Less than two months ago I had to replace the
> starter on this car because of solenoid failure and read that EVAP
> solenoid failures are listed reported as the worst problem with this
> car. I further read that most of the time the charcoal canister
> located near the gas tank has to be replaced if the car is taken to a
> dealer for repair. Anyone have experience with this? The car rarely
> gets out on the highway so someone suggested a long highway trip might
> solve the problem if it was just a matter of clogging. All ideas
> welcomed.

Try tightening the gas cap a minimum of 6 click. It should solve the
problem in one or two starts. If not, the next cheapest thing is to find a
new cap; if you have vehicle inspections where they check the gas caps for
leaks, take it to one of those first.

If this doesn't resolve the issue it's time to delve deeper...

Where is the purge valve relative to other parts of the engine and is
it something someone without a lift can replace? Thanks!

> Basically, the charcoal canister absorbs and stores the evaporative
> emissions from the fuel tank, and when the car is started, the canister is
> purged and the engine burns the fumes that come out of the canister when it
> is purged. *If the charcoal canister is not purged properly like when a
> solenoid actuated valve is not functioning, the charcoal canister may become
> saturated and lose its ability to absorb the vapors from the fuel tank.
>
> I think you can start by having the purge valve replaced and see if that
> solves the problem.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)

"BillyG" <curiousbill2006@aol.com> wrote in message
news:70d4330e-ec9c-4d1b-9f08-abea17556b30@25g2000hsx.googlegroups.com...
Where is the purge valve relative to other parts of the engine and is
it something someone without a lift can replace? Thanks!

> Basically, the charcoal canister absorbs and stores the evaporative
> emissions from the fuel tank, and when the car is started, the canister is
> purged and the engine burns the fumes that come out of the canister when
> it
> is purged. If the charcoal canister is not purged properly like when a
> solenoid actuated valve is not functioning, the charcoal canister may
> become
> saturated and lose its ability to absorb the vapors from the fuel tank.
>
> I think you can start by having the purge valve replaced and see if that
> solves the problem.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)

I'm not sure exactly where the purge valve is on your car, but it should be
somewhere between the charcoal canister, which should be on the right hand
side of the engine compartment as viewed from the front of the car, and the
throttle body. The canister will have a couple of thin hoses on top and one
on the bottom. Follow the hose that goes from the charcoal canister to the
throttle body; the purge valve shoud be along that hose somewhere if it is
not built into the canister.

You can get a diagram at autozone.com. Look up the repair guide for your
car, then look for emissions, then look for evaporative emissions for the
7A-FE engine.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Clear the codes, and turn the gas cap until it clicks several times, and
check codes again when the light comes back on.

The Gas Cap is a device that has to seal or the evap systgem will not
function properly. You could have other issues to deal with, but the gas cap
is something you open and close every 300 miles or so. Since it is a
Operator Interface, it is imperetive to remove operator error as the cause
of the problem. When you put the cap on, turn it past the ratchet so that it
clicks 4 or 5 times. If your habit is to turn it until it stops, you may not
be setting it fully, and the result can be an Evap System Error.

This particular code is for the Purge Valve, and the cap may have nothing to
do with this at all. But, on the other hand, the system maintains a very
delicate balance and if the cap is not sealed well, the balance can be
thrown off and the purge valve can be affected. Before you open your
checkbook, make sure the gas cap is sealed well and check the codes again if
the light comes back on.

The beauty of this problem is that it won't affect your car while you drive
around troubleshooting the gas cap.





"BillyG" <curiousbill2006@aol.com> wrote in message
news:9687ad88-3740-4335-a405-c8c943c12eb5@s50g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> My 1999 Corolla with about 40,000 miles on it over the past month has
> been registering P0441 that represents "EVAP Emission control system
> purge flow fault." Less than two months ago I had to replace the
> starter on this car because of solenoid failure and read that EVAP
> solenoid failures are listed reported as the worst problem with this
> car. I further read that most of the time the charcoal canister
> located near the gas tank has to be replaced if the car is taken to a
> dealer for repair. Anyone have experience with this? The car rarely
> gets out on the highway so someone suggested a long highway trip might
> solve the problem if it was just a matter of clogging. All ideas
> welcomed.

"Jeff Strickland" <crwlr@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:g7of8m$jq2$1@registered.motzarella.org...
> Clear the codes, and turn the gas cap until it clicks several times, and
> check codes again when the light comes back on.
>
> The Gas Cap is a device that has to seal or the evap systgem will not
> function properly. You could have other issues to deal with, but the gas
> cap is something you open and close every 300 miles or so. Since it is a
> Operator Interface, it is imperetive to remove operator error as the cause
> of the problem. When you put the cap on, turn it past the ratchet so that
> it clicks 4 or 5 times. If your habit is to turn it until it stops, you
> may not be setting it fully, and the result can be an Evap System Error.
>
> This particular code is for the Purge Valve, and the cap may have nothing
> to do with this at all. But, on the other hand, the system maintains a
> very delicate balance and if the cap is not sealed well, the balance can
> be thrown off and the purge valve can be affected. Before you open your
> checkbook, make sure the gas cap is sealed well and check the codes again
> if the light comes back on.
>
> The beauty of this problem is that it won't affect your car while you
> drive around troubleshooting the gas cap.
>

Tightening the gas cap properly or improperly will not set or clear P0441.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I'm getting the same code on my 1998 with 120k. Able to reset code pulling
EFI fuse for at least 10 sec. (from Haynes repair manual). Went to Autozone
to get the code read out (free) and the first thing they suggested was
replacing the gas cap. Replaced with after market cap but got error again,
went back and former Toyota employee working there said I needed OEM cap so
took cap off my Sienna van and had the same error.

The error doesn't come on right away it may take a couple of days. Saw a
connection to the air filter in the manual and it all seemed to start after
having the oil changed so thought maybe the filter cover wasn't seated
properly. After fooling with that still had the same problem. Also replaced
one little hose coming from the metal tubing from the canister ( which is
inconveniently located behind the muffler) to the air filter assembly but
that wasn't the problem.

Was investigating replacing the purge valve ($80+ new from Toyota canister
$200+) then took it on road trip as error wasn't effecting operation. The
error code cleared itself when on the trip, now suspecting air leak
somewhere as high speed driving seems to clear error so will probably try
and replace some more hoses.

"BillyG" <curiousbill2006@aol.com> wrote in message
news:9687ad88-3740-4335-a405-c8c943c12eb5@s50g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> My 1999 Corolla with about 40,000 miles on it over the past month has
> been registering P0441 that represents "EVAP Emission control system
> purge flow fault." Less than two months ago I had to replace the
> starter on this car because of solenoid failure and read that EVAP
> solenoid failures are listed reported as the worst problem with this
> car. I further read that most of the time the charcoal canister
> located near the gas tank has to be replaced if the car is taken to a
> dealer for repair. Anyone have experience with this? The car rarely
> gets out on the highway so someone suggested a long highway trip might
> solve the problem if it was just a matter of clogging. All ideas
> welcomed.

"Patrick C" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:NjWnk.18818$89.10191@nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com...
> I'm getting the same code on my 1998 with 120k. Able to reset code
> pulling EFI fuse for at least 10 sec. (from Haynes repair manual). Went
> to Autozone to get the code read out (free) and the first thing they
> suggested was replacing the gas cap. Replaced with after market cap but
> got error again, went back and former Toyota employee working there said I
> needed OEM cap so took cap off my Sienna van and had the same error.
>
> The error doesn't come on right away it may take a couple of days. Saw a
> connection to the air filter in the manual and it all seemed to start
> after having the oil changed so thought maybe the filter cover wasn't
> seated properly. After fooling with that still had the same problem. Also
> replaced one little hose coming from the metal tubing from the canister
> ( which is inconveniently located behind the muffler) to the air filter
> assembly but that wasn't the problem.
>
> Was investigating replacing the purge valve ($80+ new from Toyota canister
> $200+) then took it on road trip as error wasn't effecting operation.
> The error code cleared itself when on the trip, now suspecting air leak
> somewhere as high speed driving seems to clear error so will probably try
> and replace some more hoses.

The shotgun approach where you replace parts without checking them can get
very expensive, especially when parts are replaced that would not throw the
code even if the part were bad. A more cost-effective approach would be to
check the component identified by the diagnostic trouble code (DTC), which
in the case of P0441 is the purge valve for the evaporative emissions
canister, sometimes referred to as the charcoal canister.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Yes, I spent all of about $11 so far compared to the $80+ cost of the valve
but I enjoy trying to repair things myself and call outs from autozone for
the error code did mention gas cap, hose leaks, as well as the valve and
canister.

On Aug 12, 9:16*am, "Patrick C" <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
> Yes, I spent all of about $11 so far compared to the $80+ cost of the valve
> but I enjoy trying to repair things myself and call outs from autozone for
> the error code did mention gas cap, hose leaks, as well as the valve and
> canister.

My check engine light has not come back since clearing the P0441 code
5 days ago. I'd read overfilling tank can lead to this code that is
something I frequently do so will run my car towards empty before
refueling as long as the light stays off. I realize most of the time
problems are more complicated but hopefully mine will prove to be more
basic.