No Charcoal in Canister - Problems? SES Codes?

[Jetmugg]

I had a code P0446 for the EVAP system (forgot the exact wording now). This is on a '97 Pathy with the charcoal canister behind the rear wheelwell. Anyway, I followed the tutorial in the "Garage" section to clean out the lines, purge valve, volume control valve, EVAP solenoid, etc. When I pulled the canister off, I decided to pour out whatever loose charcoal had been broken up. By the time I poured out all the loose stuff, there was NOTHING left in the canister (no charcoal).

 

The purge line from the front to back of the Pathy was basically packed with carbon. It took a long time to get it all cleaned out, working from both ends before I finally got it cleared.

 

My question is as follows: Will I hurt the Pathy or cause any other codes by running it with a canister that doesn't contain any charcoal? I can't think of any sensors that would know whether or not charcoal was present, but I'm certainly no expert on the topic either.

 

SteveM

[XPLORx4]

I had a code P0446 for the EVAP system (forgot the exact wording now). This is on a '97 Pathy with the charcoal canister behind the rear wheelwell. Anyway, I followed the tutorial in the "Garage" section to clean out the lines, purge valve, volume control valve, EVAP solenoid, etc. When I pulled the canister off, I decided to pour out whatever loose charcoal had been broken up. By the time I poured out all the loose stuff, there was NOTHING left in the canister (no charcoal).

 

The purge line from the front to back of the Pathy was basically packed with carbon. It took a long time to get it all cleaned out, working from both ends before I finally got it cleared.

 

My question is as follows: Will I hurt the Pathy or cause any other codes by running it with a canister that doesn't contain any charcoal? I can't think of any sensors that would know whether or not charcoal was present, but I'm certainly no expert on the topic either.

 

SteveM

 

The EVAP system wont operate properly with a charcoal-less canister, because the charcoal traps the fuel vapor. I can't say for sure whether the sensors can detect whether the canister is empty of full of charcoal, though. If you get another error code, the canister should be replaced with a new one.

[KLL]

The EVAP system wont operate properly with a charcoal-less canister, because the charcoal traps the fuel vapor. I can't say for sure whether the sensors can detect whether the canister is empty of full of charcoal, though. If you get another error code, the canister should be replaced with a new one.

 

i have same error code in scan tool.It cause check engine light turns on. i ve been driving car with this error for 40000 miles, nothing is wrong with car. everything is operational and consumption is even lower than manuals say.

[Jetmugg]

I've only been driving mine for a couple hundred miles with an "empty" canister so far. No codes have popped up. It passed emissions testing in Missouri with flying colors. They hook up an OBDII scantool to all '96 and newer gasoline powered vehicles in MO. If you have any codes, you will fail the emissions test.

 

It was amazing how much crumbled up charcoal I got out of the entire system. The line from the canister to the vacuum valve under the hood was totally clogged. By the time I got it cleared, it looked like an atomic bomb had hit a coal mine in my garage.

 

If I replace my canister, I think I'll put some kind of a filter in the main line, near the rear wheelwell. Nissan should have put some kind of a screen on those canisters to keep the charcoal inside.

 

SteveM.

[Alkorahil]

Nissan redesigned or got a different manufactuer for all three canisters used for the R50 with a manufacturing date of 7/96 - 01/00 because the charcoal was causing too many problems.