I am far from an expert on this subject but i do believe you need to replace the canister once the charcoal is spilling out.
Unusual vapor canister issue and question
This started with difficulty filling the fuel tank.
I read several posts here and started by getting access to the fuel pump and cannister. When I separated the larger lower hose from the canister small pellets of carbon dropped out of the hose and canister nipple. I used a shop vac and sucked s bunch of pellets out of both ends. I'm sure it was plugged, and eventually gas was vacuuming out, there was a considerable quantity. After that I blew air through both tubes and they were not plugged.
I wanted to diagnose the issue before buying an evap canister. Now I'm not sure if I should go through the trouble of replacing it vs just put it back together and see if it doesn't reoccur.
Has anyone seen or experienced this and what was your choice?
This car was just purchased with a blown motor and now it's fixed, so I had no idea this was a problem till now. Thanks for any info to help with this issue.
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I should add this is not an unusual problem with the way our gas tank and evap cannisters are setup.
Very common advice on the forum to never top up the Kappa gas tank.
Very common advice on the forum to never top up the Kappa gas tank.
Replace it while you are there. Along with the valve. One and done. Then as HH said, never over fill. When the fuel feed handle clicks off the first time, stop pumping.
Glad you found the problem and got it fixed.
Glad you found the problem and got it fixed.
Replacing it is pretty easy once you cut a hatch to get to the fuel tank. You can buy a brand new one or go pull one from a compatible model. Thanks to Rob The Elder, I learned that you can get one from a chevy HHR and cut a plastic tab off of it and its a direct fit. Also, super easy to get to at a pull yard as it's located directly underneath the car uncovered. My local pull yard only charged me 7$ for it, though Idk if they rung it up correctly.
That is great advice and I didn't consider pulling that part from a HRR. I assume the HRR fuel tank and cannister is configured where the cannister would not have the over fill issue the Solstice has? I'd hate to pull one and have a purchased cannister with the same problem.Replacing it is pretty easy once you cut a hatch to get to the fuel tank. You can buy a brand new one or go pull one from a compatible model. Thanks to Rob The Elder, I learned that you can get one from a chevy HHR and cut a plastic tab off of it and its a direct fit. Also, super easy to get to at a pull yard as it's located directly underneath the car uncovered. My local pull yard only charged me 7$ for it, though Idk if they rung it up correctly.
I thought about this further and is it possible that the pellets migrated into the fuel tank thorough the large vent tube?
Has anyone identified if that is possible and necessitated cleaning or removing the pellets from the tank?
Has anyone identified if that is possible and necessitated cleaning or removing the pellets from the tank?
I have read here about people recommending the tank be cleaned in one case or another.
As for pulling the canister from a junkyard car, I'd recommend buying the canister new. AFAIK the HHR canister is available for purchase new and given the relative difficulty of the replacement job, you have to decide whether saving 120 bucks on a junkyard one vs a new one might not be a good idea.
As for pulling the canister from a junkyard car, I'd recommend buying the canister new. AFAIK the HHR canister is available for purchase new and given the relative difficulty of the replacement job, you have to decide whether saving 120 bucks on a junkyard one vs a new one might not be a good idea.
Given I'm still dealing with it and just now got time to get into my fuel tank, I found that I did need to remove the pump and clean it, shake out pellets, etc. I was happy to find though that my tank was still spotless, besides the charcoal pellets I've fished out. You will need to clean/clear fuel lines as well.I thought about this further and is it possible that the pellets migrated into the fuel tank thorough the large vent tube?
Has anyone identified if that is possible and necessitated cleaning or removing the pellets from the tank?
FWIW, since this issue started being reported years ago I've never read of anyone cleaning the old charcoal canister and reusing it. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I wouldn't be surprised if it would throw some EVAP codes. As others have said buy the HHR charcoal canister, and stop filling the tank when the pump handle shuts off. BTW, the bad CC issue is being posted quite often on FB.
Had the same exact issue. 100% replace the canister. I bought a dremel tool and simply cut into it through the trunk because I didn't have the equipment to drop the whole rear end for it.
If I'm not mistaken, this is the video that guided me through the process. Good luck!
If I'm not mistaken, this is the video that guided me through the process. Good luck!
Thank you, I'll be taking that on now that I have a new canister from Rock Auto on the way.Had the same exact issue. 100% replace the canister. I bought a dremel tool and simply cut into it through the trunk because I didn't have the equipment to drop the whole rear end for it.
If I'm not mistaken, this is the video that guided me through the process. Good luck!
Did replacing the cannister have any impact on how your car was running? The car I bought seems to have a few bugs I'm working out and doesn't run as smooth as my other Solstice. (yes I have 2) lol.
Yes, it started more frequently before I cleaned the pellets out. That was on the used canister I got as well. New is definitely the safer way to go, happy to hear you were able to pick one up! You'll still need to clean the fuel tank and lines before it has any affect on how it runs. I am taking mine for a test drive today after getting what was in there out and to see if it reveals any more hidden pellets, hopefully most/all the stalling/weirdness is gone.Thank you, I'll be taking that on now that I have a new canister from Rock Auto on the way.
Did replacing the cannister have any impact on how your car was running? The car I bought seems to have a few bugs I'm working out and doesn't run as smooth as my other Solstice. (yes I have 2) lol.
How did you test drive go? I'll be cutting the opening tonight after work. My parts should arrive in 2 days, so I'll get as much done as I can till then.Yes, it started more frequently before I cleaned the pellets out. That was on the used canister I got as well. New is definitely the safer way to go, happy to hear you were able to pick one up! You'll still need to clean the fuel tank and lines before it has any affect on how it runs. I am taking mine for a test drive today after getting what was in there out and to see if it reveals any more hidden pellets, hopefully most/all the stalling/weirdness is gone.
Unfortunately I've not had the chance to take it yet. I should be able to get to it this weekend though.How did you test drive go? I'll be cutting the opening tonight after work. My parts should arrive in 2 days, so I'll get as much done as I can till then.
hopefully I will get the same thing knocked out this weekend to.Unfortunately I've not had the chance to take it yet. I should be able to get to it this weekend though.
Mine actually got all the way up to the engine and fouled the cam solenoids. Luckily my oil filter caught most of them. They haven't reered their ugly little faces since that time, so not sure what happened.
Alrighty, so I got to take it for a test drive. In fact, I drove it to work today!hopefully I will get the same thing knocked out this weekend to.
BUT I had to replace my fuel pump because while installing the ring to put the old one back off, my tool slipped and I broke a nozzle off. I got a used pump from Redline Autoparts, 68k~ miles on it compared to mine at 130k. It's possible my pump was dying from the clogging+age, so it's hard to tell if my cleaning did the trick or the new pump. But to test and make sure it ran right, here's what I did:
1. Cleared engine codes after writing them down.
2. Lots of cranking to get it to start after the pump install and build pressure, it eventually did crank though. After that, no more issues cranking.
3. I let it idle for about 5 minutes, watched temperatures, listened for weird sounds. I did have a nasty rattle, turns out my friend who helped me with the timing chain stuff didn't tighten the tensioner pulley enough, tightened it down and it stopped.
4. I turned it off, let it sit for about a minute, then cranked and let it run again. I did this about 4 times for 4-5 minutes. I wanted to make sure if there was a code to be thrown I gave it enough tries to throw it out. Car ran fine.
5. Took it around the neighborhood, tried to replicate my fuel issue, which was slightly heavier accelleration from idle or low speeds. No stalling occurred. Drove for about 30 minutes, just speeds up to like, 45.
6. Went inside, let the car sit for a bit, about 30 minutes, then started it again. No issues, took it on a local highway for some higher speeds and accelleration, no issues.
7. Parked the car again, this time for about 4 hours. Later that night, took it out for another drive for about 30 minutes, couldn't replicate any issue I was having with stalling/stuttering/jerking.
8. Drove it to work this morning in traffic, no issues. Wasn't nervous about it for the first time in ages, felt pretty good!
Every other time I could replicate my issue very quickly as far as fuel delivery went. I wasn't able to no matter how hard I tried, pretty happy about it. I hope your drive goes well! Just make sure to be super thorough for not just your but everyone else's safety on the road to make sure the stalling/stuttering is gone.
Okay so ONE MORE TEST. Make sure your car dies not stall in a u turn. Mine died in a u turn at an intersection today, coulda been bad. I went to a parking lot, did another, dies instantly. All 3 I did, it shut off. This is on a full tank too.
I may have some more, loose pellets that were dislodged. I'll be going through my fuel lines, tank, rail, and injectors again.
I may have some more, loose pellets that were dislodged. I'll be going through my fuel lines, tank, rail, and injectors again.
Maybe an obvious suggestion but you can disconnect on both ends and try blowing them out with compressed air…Okay so ONE MORE TEST. Make sure your car dies not stall in a u turn. Mine died in a u turn at an intersection today, coulda been bad. I went to a parking lot, did another, dies instantly. All 3 I did, it shut off. This is on a full tank too.
I may have some more, loose pellets that were dislodged. I'll be going through my fuel lines, tank, rail, and injectors again.
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