Check Engine Light

[LDUBS]

Actually, I am a mechanic. A leaking vacuum hose could trigger the light even without sniffing asphalt fumes. That is why in an earlier post I mentioned the slalom type detour they have thinking that the side g forces may be causing a vacuum line to crack open just enough as I go through there to trigger the light. Now which one? That is the question? This car has some lines in some very hard to get to places. I dread going that deep into it.

Can you duplicate the slalom turns in another area to see if the light comes on? If it does, then your suspicion will be proven. If not, then it is kinda like the twilight zone.

One thing for certain. When trying to find something like this, it will always be in the last place you look. Hahah.

 

[KMixson]

Yeah, what scares me is that the EVAP canister is above the fuel tank. You pretty much have to drop the tank to get to it unless you have tiny arms and are double jointed. You also have to get the car in the air on a lift to do it. That is even if that is the problem. I don't want to go through all that and it turns out to be something else.

 

[Stumpalump]

The owners of yota and Honda believe that "they last forever". This leads their belief that oil changing and routine maintnence are a waste. Notice the cheapest China tires on the used ones. "Why buy a real tire when it eats them?" It eats them because the front end part that's been bad for 75,000 miles was never fixed. Pull a radiator cap. Yep...It has original corroded fluid. The car here has a problem. If it's not a gas cap then it's asphalt fumes..??.. Dude you have an evaporative emission code. You could drive over an oil well fire and it won't set that code. Swap parts or pay the $99 diag fee to let a local ASE guy smoke test it. It's not rocket science or hard to fix but it needs a lift, a smoke machine and a guy that fixed evaporate problems all week long. I fix most of my own stuff but that code is not worth buying and swaping the wrong parts. You might wind up with just a leaky hose anyway. In the meantime you are causing the worst of the worst pollution. Raw gas vapors. Can you say Boom! A shop will pump in smoke, actuate valves and look for the leak. If no leak then a few test points with a meter. Let a shop fix it. Oh but wait....Your a Toyota guy and they run forever. I'll make a bet...The thing is so run down and needs so many other service and repairs you don't have the balls to show up or have zero intentions to maintain it properly. Not trying to bust your balls but that's what I saw all day long when I managed a Midas. Pay for a diag. A minor fault code that gets neglected will hide a major one that may pop up and ruin your motor.
https://parts.olathetoyota.com/p0440-code-toyota

 

[KMixson]

Stumpalump, I agree. I like to keep my vehicles in excellent mechanical shape. The problem with taking this car to the dealer or a local shop is the cost. Actually this is my girlfriends car. I bought a new Hyundia Sonata and gave it to her and I am driving her Toyota. I see the reason why so many people here are reluctant to take their car to be maintained is the extremely high cost. For instance, she had the right front brake caliper go bad and took it to the Toyota dealer here. She had it replaced for $3500.00 dollars. Since I have had the car the left front caliper went bad and I replaced it for $125.00. She also had an ignition key made for it one time and the cost was close to $300.00. I can get one for close to $20.00.

Local shops are not much better. I had my A/C compressor clutch go out in my 1994 pick-up back in 2004 and took it to the dealer since I didn't have a vacuum system to reclaim the refrigerant at that time. They gave me a price of $1600.00 for parts only. I told them no. I had done my homework and the parts would only cost me $400.00. I then took it to a local shop and they gave me a price of $800.00. I told them to go ahead and fix it and left it with them. They called me that afternoon and told me they could not get the parts. So, I asked them if I bought the parts could they install them? They said yes. I bought the parts and had them install them and they only charged me $200.00 for the installation. I have my own vacuum pump, recovery machine, gauges and A/C tools now so I can do A/C work now.

On another occasion I had my vehicle serviced at a Jiffy Lube one time and they put transmission fluid in the master cylinder causing every rubber part in the system to swell up and lock the brakes. They ended up paying the dealer for the repairs on that one. I had a nail get into my truck tire one time and took it to a tire shop. They wanted $45.00 to put a plug in it. That is why I am leery of auto shops.

I do pretty much any work on vehicles except rebuild automatic transmissions, front end alignment on passenger cars(although I do it for large class 8 trucks), and major body work. BTW, just a little background about me. I am the lead mechanic at Allied Aviation in Charleston S.C. I am contracted to maintain the fuel trucks that service the new commercial aircraft and maintain the fuel farm for Boeing in Charleston S.C. I also maintain fuel trucks at another small airport nearby.

 

[Stumpalump]

I hate to recommend you to a Midas type place because but they charge a flat diagnostic fee. Once they quote you the problem you can call around for a part price or at least be informed so they don't rip you off. Hang out and let them show you the problem. Those problems take 2 minutes to 2 hours with every guy in the shop looking for the leak. That is why I said to pay for the diag. Another option is go online and get a 17.99 oil change coupon. Tell them the check engine light comes on. They sometimes trouble shoot for free hoping you will approve the $75 repair. I did that every day. That $3500 break problem...Could it have been a Master cylinder? Some of those are as rar as hens teeth and for common Toyota models. They come only from a dealer and yes it's thousands. Your other option is shot gunning the parts but what one? There are more specific forums that can lead you to what has fixed others. Next you break a nipple on a gas tank or canister or crack an odd hard line....I saw a few that were the tank pressure sensor. Gotta drop the tank. The other thing that fixes some is buying a gas cap from a dealer. It doesn't fix all of them but aftermarket gas caps are a real crap shoot. Your last option if you can pass emission inspection is to leave it unless you smell raw gas. Your problem is associated with raw gas and the fumes. It won't hurt anything if it's not leaking. Other codes like lean or my favorite thermostat errors are a problem. They don't fix the code for a bad thermostat but come back in 6 month and spend thousands to replace the cat that the cold engine ruined due to a rich condition.

 

[KMixson]

I was going to take it to the Toyota dealer this morning but I think I will take it to Precision Tune after reading your post and see what they come up with. I did purchase a new Toyota brand OEM gas cap a couple of weeks ago and it still threw the code. As for sniffing fumes, the system is not sniffing fumes. It operates on pressure and vacuum. Fumes should not set off the light. My problem is it only does it at a certain location only when the construction crews are working. I have driven about a mile away from the construction site when the light comes on. That is odd. At first I was thinking the O2 sensor might me sniffing something but it would throw a different code if that was the case. I have recently been thinking maybe driving over the hot asphalt that has just been laid might be changing the pressure in the lines just enough to throw the code.

The brake problem she had was just for the right front caliper. The master cylinder is still the original cylinder.

 

[KMixson]

I had my car tested and they found no problem. They recommended replacing the vapor canister vent solenoid to "see" if that would cure it. This is what I was scared of. I can throw parts at it myself but I don't like to do that.

 

[Johnny]

yikes ! a Toyota vapor canister is roughly $285.00 on line.

that is why I am NOT a mechanic !!!



.

 

[KMixson]

yikes ! a Toyota vapor canister is roughly $285.00 on line.

that is why I am NOT a mechanic !!!



.

And the bad part is that is is mounted above the fuel tank. That is why you have to drop the tank to replace it. You know, years ago you would open a hood and look at the engine. Now you open the hood and you have to dig for hours before getting a glimpse of the engine and it is continually getting worse. I work mostly on diesel trucks which are not quite as bad but seem to be going in that direction.

 

[lovedr79]

Vapor can is a pain to replace. Did one on a subaru once. Lots of vacuum lines.

 

[KMixson]

Update. It did it again. I have not come through there in a couple of weeks and the light has not come on. As I was coming through there this morning it came on again. The construction is apparently wrapping up. Most of the equipment is gone and the road is straight again. They still have a few barrel markers off the side of the road. Maybe it is something else other than the construction? There is a BBQ place I pass there about a quarter mile from where the light comes on. Maybe they are cooking through the night to have to be able to serve the slow cooked BBQ. I don't know? I replaced the gas cap with a Toyota cap and had my car taken to be checked and Precision Tune found no problems with it.

 

[lovedr79]

Interesting. Will be interesting when they complete the work. Maybe your car is telling you to stop for BBQ

 

[originalspacerob]

Most codes on the cars are tripped by specific scenarios. For instance. I got a code for my catalytic converter on my forester. It always happened on the highway and no where else. The car was purchased used from a dealer and had a 60 day warranty. I was not going to pay for a new Cat. So they check it and cant find anything twice. Reflashed the computer with new Subaru firmware. Took it for rides around the dealer. No luck. It will also go out after a few starts of the car. By this time i got the factory manual. Sure enough for every code there is a driving scenario used to replicate the code error if you have one. In my case. If you get this code to verify it you need to drive over 50 mph for at least 10 minutes before it will trip. I explained this to the dealer and they fought back a little. So I told them I would bring them a copy of the factory manual so they know how to check for it. They didn't like to hear that. Sure enough they take it on the highway and find the problem. Bad catalytic converter. Which cost them $1000.
What i am getting at is the factory manuals have details like this. You could be just going in the right speed range, load on motor is just right and the sensors in the correct sensing mode and you trip the code because of those factors at that location. It may have nothing to do with construction, meth labs, pot smokers or pig smokers. Just the conditions and parameters on the cars systems at that time. Makes it hard to diagnose for anyone if thats the case. Only way would be to use a data logging scanner to see whats going on with the sensors and motor loads just before it trips. These types of repairs get very expensive at dealers because of labor.
My suggestion: get a copy of the actual factory shop manual and see if there is a procedure to replicate this code and what parameters affect it.


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[lovedr79]

Most codes on the cars are tripped by specific scenarios. For instance. I got a code for my catalytic converter on my forester. It always happened on the highway and no where else. The car was purchased used from a dealer and had a 60 day warranty. I was not going to pay for a new Cat. So they check it and cant find anything twice. Reflashed the computer with new Subaru firmware. Took it for rides around the dealer. No luck. It will also go out after a few starts of the car. By this time i got the factory manual. Sure enough for every code there is a driving scenario used to replicate the code error if you have one. In my case. If you get this code to verify it you need to drive over 50 mph for at least 10 minutes before it will trip. I explained this to the dealer and they fought back a little. So I told them I would bring them a copy of the factory manual so they know how to check for it. They didn't like to hear that. Sure enough they take it on the highway and find the problem. Bad catalytic converter. Which cost them $1000.
What i am getting at is the factory manuals have details like this. You could be just going in the right speed range, load on motor is just right and the sensors in the correct sensing mode and you trip the code because of those factors at that location. It may have nothing to do with construction, meth labs, pot smokers or pig smokers. Just the conditions and parameters on the cars systems at that time. Makes it hard to diagnose for anyone if thats the case. Only way would be to use a data logging scanner to see whats going on with the sensors and motor loads just before it trips. These types of repairs get very expensive at dealers because of labor.
My suggestion: get a copy of the actual factory shop manual and see if there is a procedure to replicate this code and what parameters affect it.


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the dreaded subaru P0420 code. that code disappeared after i replaced head gaskets.

 

[originalspacerob]

Definitely not a head gasket in my case. My car is a 2011 with the FB25 motor. Doesn't have the head gasket problems of the older ones.


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[KMixson]

I did a test this morning on my way to work. I stopped about two miles before where the light comes on and made sure that there were no active or inactive codes thrown with my OBD II meter. All was clear. I drove through there as I normally would and like clockwork the check engine light came on. This is befuddling me. If I didn't see it I wouldn't believe it. After it came on I stopped and cleared the code and then drove the rest of the way to work without a problem. It will not come back on until I come through there next Monday morning. That is the way it works.

 

[onthewater102]

 

[New River Rat]

I've read this thread and would almost bet that there is some form of electrical interference from, well, who knows what. It could be the road sign they use for info to drivers.







....or Ancient Aliens.....

.....or Rod Serling is buried nearby....(yeah, I'm THAT old.....)

 

[lovedr79]

still doing it?

 

[KMixson]

Yes, it does. I have a video of it now and can't seem to get it uploaded to this site. It is MP4 format and I can't get it to load on here. I tried to convert it to MOV format but I can't get the whole video changed to that format without buying the full version of the converter.