EVAP Solenoid

[VCatto]

My 48,000 mile Vibe had to have the EVAP Solenoid replaced today. Has anyone else has this problem? No knowledge of cars, so I don't know if this is a real problem with the car, or if I am getting the female treatment at the dealership. Thanks for any help you can give.

[Mavrik]

I would not say your getting the "female" treatment and you could very well have had a solenoid issue. I have seen that same problem on other vehicles though not on my Vibe yet. Its not an uncommon or common fix. Guess I'm trying to say is I do not believe you got ripped off. Parts fail eventually no matter who makes it.As for what it does...Your fuel tank is always has pressure in it when the car is running. Part of this is for emissions control to make sure that your not venting raw gas fumes into the atmosphere. To purify those fumes they are filtered through charcoal canisters and then vented through the evap solenoid. Sometimes those solenoids stick open and let out all the pressure. Dirt and other grime can effect them that way. You'll get a cel light if the tank is not holding pressure. The most common reason is the gas cap is left loose/off. But every now and then it is the solenoid.Hopefully I explained it. Thats how it was explained to me and for all I know, I could have been lied to lol... lets hope I wasn't.

[Raven]

My GMC truck has had this problem for several years now. I replaced the solenoid (had to remove the gas tank) had all the wiring checked and I still have a CEL I read the codes every week or so in case something else comes up and then I clear it.

[ColonelPanic]

My buddy had said solenoid on his Vibe crap out... Actually it was giving him check engine lights for the better part of the duration of ownership... I don't remember how many times they replaced it.

[ZubenElGenubi]

There are three Toyota trouble codes related to the EVAP system that can simulate a failed EVAP solonoid. (I know this because we just had these codes show up on a 2000 Echo). The codes are:P0440: EVAP Control SystemP0441: EVAP Control System Improper Purge FlowP0446: EVAP Control System Vent ControlThere two other known causes of these codes:1) Loose or bad gas cap2) Unplugged vacuum hose leading to air filter assembly.In our case, the vacuum hose was accidentally disconnected when the air filter was checked during a routine service. The CEL would come on after about 40-50 miles of driving. I reset the codes with the ScanGauge II (almost paid for itself with this, btw) and found the CEL would come back after the same amount of driving. We discovered the unplugged hose and the CELs never came back.The Vibe's trouble codes are the same as Toyota's, so I would ask the dealership to show you the actual trouble codes that were reported. If they were this set, you may want to find out if they checked the vacuum hoses first before proceeding with a replacement of the solonoid.