P0446 Cel

[SpawnedX]

Well, I know there are a lot of posts on this forum and others regarding this issue, unfortunately all of the people who promised to come back and let us know of repair steps success or failure, never followed thru.

I JUST bought this car today, had about a 95 mile drive home after purchasing it, has 877XXX miles on the car. It drove and drives beautifully, no noises, no smells, looks great. Car did not have the light when I left the lot, drove home at an average of 65 mph.

2 miles after I bought it, I went to Mobil and filed the tank, didn't overfill, once it clicked, I stopped. I put the cap back on real tightly and went on my way. 85ish miles later the light comes on, but no performance loss at all. However, I am not taking any chances, go to AutoZone and P0446, sure as rain, no other codes. At first I was like no big deal, probably a vacuum leak or something.

So I get the car home, turn it off, make sure the cap is on properly, start it back up, light is still there. Ok, will bring it to the mechanic and he can diagnostic it and probably be a quick and easy repair. So I went online to find more information on what could possibly throw this code and I see this nightmare of posts of people who have it, have all types of repairs done, for all types of money for it to come back on, very few seem to have got it fixed permanently.

Now I know this is not hurting the car, but I live in this hellhole called Rhode Island and if I have a CEL on, it fails, regardless of the emissions putout. I can't register it without the inspection, so I am SOL here. I read the 30 day warranty on the car, and it won't cover this, no refunds.

I don't want to go through this ring-a-marole of repairs needlessly, nor do I think I should have to for what is obviously Toyota's defect. I am looking for suggestions here.

[Maim Menu]

What year is your car? This will determine where the faulty part is located.

P0446 is NOT a gas cap code.
It is NOT an EGR valve code unless it's accompanied by genereally P0441.

It is your canister VSV, I've fixed that problem on 2 different '98 Camrys and it worked both times.

Here's a DIY on how to do it : DIY : P0446 Charcoal canister VSV replacement

But before you even buy the part, locate the VSV and trace all the vacuum line that go from, and to it. This is important. Replace anything that looks cracked or in bad shape. If you didn't find anything, change the VSV.

[ShawnM]

I agree with Maim. This code is almost always caused by the canister VSV. This is not a diffucult problem for an experienced tech to track down if he actually takes the time to look into it. Oh and im guessing you mean 87K miles. You would have to be on crack to buy a car with 877K miles on it.

[bronzemaxell]

my 99 solara v6 has the P0441 and p0446, changed new oem gas cap didn't solve the problem, after i reset the code with a odb2 scanner, and drive around 50 to 100 miles, the code will appear again. i bit the bullet and bought the $200 charcoal canister, replaced it myself, and no more code. the charcoal canister include everythings.

[SpawnedX]

Yeah it wasd 87K miles, sorry put too many X's. It is a 1999 LE I4.

Where are you guys finding the canister for 200.00? Cheapest I can get it from a dealer here is 306.00. Also I am getting only this code, no other codes being thrown off. I didn't figure it was the gas cap, but it's free to check if it's tightened.

[bronzemaxell]

Originally Posted by SpawnedX

Yeah it wasd 87K miles, sorry put too many X's. It is a 1999 LE I4.

Where are you guys finding the canister for 200.00? Cheapest I can get it from a dealer here is 306.00. Also I am getting only this code, no other codes being thrown off. I didn't figure it was the gas cap, but it's free to check if it's tightened.

if you were to walk to local toyota parts dept, i think $306 is about right
i got mine from www.toyotaoemparts.com,
i called them at 1-800-692-6396, gave them my vin#, and ask for vapor canister. they gave me free shipping, and $0 for out of state tax.
i just check, 2.2L charcoal canister for 98-98 is list $286, discounted is $214.50

[Kep]

Realize, like MaimMenu mentioned, it could be as simple as bad vacuum hoses. Then it might be the VSV valve or maybe the cannister. But it isn't only the cannister. Inspect the system before throwing parts at it.

Kep

[SpawnedX]

I'm giving it a once over later today when I get down to the shop, since the canister comes with the offending VSV, I may just do the canister as preventative maintenance.

Thanks for the site, helps to knock almost 100.00 off the part.

[solidg]

I had the code P0446. I replaced the VSV for the charcoal canister.
I erased the code. Replacing the VSV resolved my problem.
The VSV is located by the gas tank.

I did not replace the canister.

The VSV at the Totota dealer costs $50.


a link about the P0446 issue I had

update P0446 engine code error



2000 Toyota Camry LE V6 130,000 miles