Evap Cannister Valve Solenoid

Jimmy2005 · October 23, 2009

Hello, I have a 2005 GMC Jimmy with about 90,000 kms on it. The "check engine" light came on and and when I took it in they stated they solenoid valve was stuck open and needed to be replaced. Furthermore, they stated that upon further inspection the EVAP cannister also needed to be replaced.

My question is, how likely is it that the EVAP needs to be replaced? I live in Vancouver Canada in the city and it is not dusty here, mostly rainy, similar to Seattle. They are asking for $750 for these repairs with the EVAP cannister costing almost $300.

Does this sound right? Please advise as I can hear a but of a "hum" coming from the vehicle especially at higher speeds. Which, in my mind, "sounds" like a valve stuck open. But the cannister? Don't those things last forever in a non-dusty area?

Any help you can offer would be great. Otherwise, the vehicle is in great condition, maintained regularly. Thank you.

minibike132 · October 25, 2009

Hello, I have a 2005 GMC Jimmy with about 90,000 kms on it. The "check engine" light came on and and when I took it in they stated they solenoid valve was stuck open and needed to be replaced. Furthermore, they stated that upon further inspection the EVAP cannister also needed to be replaced.

My question is, how likely is it that the EVAP needs to be replaced? I live in Vancouver Canada in the city and it is not dusty here, mostly rainy, similar to Seattle. They are asking for $750 for these repairs with the EVAP cannister costing almost $300.

Does this sound right? Please advise as I can hear a but of a "hum" coming from the vehicle especially at higher speeds. Which, in my mind, "sounds" like a valve stuck open. But the cannister? Don't those things last forever in a non-dusty area?

Any help you can offer would be great. Otherwise, the vehicle is in great condition, maintained regularly. Thank you.

Before answering I need to know, valve or solenoid? There is an evap vent valve and an evap purge solenoid, no valve solenoid. Knowing which one is the issue here could be important.

That said generally dust and dirt is an issue for the vent valve though not even close to the only reason that it fails. The canister should not be affected by dust, you are off on that assumption. The canister has 2 common faults, cracks causing leakage and over saturation from a couple of sources. 1 driver error, over filling the fuel, when the pump clicks off if you continue to fill it you are forcing some fuel into the canister. 2 lack of vent valve operation, no fresh air into the back side of the system when it is asked for = the evap system sucking fuel instead of air. And 3 stuck open or commanded on at all times purge valve, if the purge is on at all times and the vent is normally closed the canister is sucking up fuel.

I tend to think you are not being hosed here. It's viewed as a complicated system by customers and new techs but once you get your hands on a bunch of them (and believe me there is no lack of issues with these systems to practice on) it's pretty straight forward. It's not much different then figuring out how to get water in your house from point a to point b with some knowledge of basic plumbing principles.

The system is pretty easy to diagnose, though it can take some time to complete diagnosis, it isn't terribly technical and prone to misdiagnosis and parts shotgunning.

Btw, first post, folks here kind of like that to be in introductions not as a "is my dealer screwing me" question. My name is Mike, nice to meet you and good luck.

Jimmy2005 · November 12, 2009

Hey thanks a lot, very informative. I am fairly new to the sites like this so thanks for the advice, I will definitely try to contribute more as a user first. Thanks again!

Jimmy2005 · November 12, 2009

Before answering I need to know, valve or solenoid? There is an evap vent valve and an evap purge solenoid, no valve solenoid. Knowing which one is the issue here could be important.

That said generally dust and dirt is an issue for the vent valve though not even close to the only reason that it fails. The canister should not be affected by dust, you are off on that assumption. The canister has 2 common faults, cracks causing leakage and over saturation from a couple of sources. 1 driver error, over filling the fuel, when the pump clicks off if you continue to fill it you are forcing some fuel into the canister. 2 lack of vent valve operation, no fresh air into the back side of the system when it is asked for = the evap system sucking fuel instead of air. And 3 stuck open or commanded on at all times purge valve, if the purge is on at all times and the vent is normally closed the canister is sucking up fuel.

I tend to think you are not being hosed here. It's viewed as a complicated system by customers and new techs but once you get your hands on a bunch of them (and believe me there is no lack of issues with these systems to practice on) it's pretty straight forward. It's not much different then figuring out how to get water in your house from point a to point b with some knowledge of basic plumbing principles.

The system is pretty easy to diagnose, though it can take some time to complete diagnosis, it isn't terribly technical and prone to misdiagnosis and parts shotgunning.

Btw, first post, folks here kind of like that to be in introductions not as a "is my dealer screwing me" question. My name is Mike, nice to meet you and good luck.

Just out of curiosity, would the evap purge solenoid valve become damaged from overfilling the gas tank? My girlfriend has a bad habit of doing this as she is used to older model cars where that may have been necessary. Thank you.