P0440 and P0442 codes and my concern...please help

[2002ToyotaCamry]

I have a 2002 Toyota Camry with 76000 miles and was running fine so far. 4 weeks back the check engine light turned on. I called the dealer and they said they charge $100 to just diagnose the problem. I took it to a local mechanic who diagnosed as a gas cap issue and he said the cap looks fine overall but it could be damaged and not locking properly.

He locked the cap and asked me to drive around for sometime and see. After may be 4 days or so the light came back on. This time also I took it to the mechanic and he checked the code and said the same gas cap issue but don't want to mess with any other issues so suggested me to check with the dealer.

I dropped the car with the dealer today and they came up with P0440 and P0442 and a bill of $900 to replace the canister and fuel pipe line and charged me $100 to diagnose the problem. The car runs fine and I don't notice anything odd with the driving or with any other meters.

I'm having a feel that it would be a typical dealer rip-off. Every time I drop the car at the dealer they find some way to make up for their bonuses I think. I'm just so sick and tired of the dealership and wanted to know if it is something that I should be really concerned off.

Do you think may be replacing the gas cap with a new one would help in anyway for these codes?

Please let me know your suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

[toyomoho]

The fuel tank emission system has a small air leak. The Toyota dealer should have used their scan tool to troubleshoot and narrow down the problem areas. The issue may be a leak (crack) in the canister and a leak in one of the smaller plastic hoses, both can trip these codes. A leaking gas cap can also trip these codes but the dealer should have tested the cap.

If you want, Toyota may sell just the gas cap gasket or you can replace the complete cap. If the car has the same issue after replacement you can replace the canister yourself but the part is expensive. Shop around for aftermarket parts at places such as www.rockauto.com or try a salvage yard to save money. Since you know the problem areas you could also have a non-Toyota shop do the work and save a few dollars. Again the parts are available for other sources then Toyota.

AutoZone will read trouble codes for free or your can buy a low cost code reader that plugs into the cars ODBII port.

This is an emissions issues, the car will still run OK. If your car requires smog inspection it may or may pass the test. Basically the fuel system is leaking gas fumes into the air instead of storing them in the canister and having the engine burn them. As such the car is no longer meeting environmental standards.

For more details download the Gen_4 Diagnostics Section from the link below.

http://www.camrymanuals.com/

[2002ToyotaCamry]

Thank you so much for your detailed response. That is the best thing about this forum. Very responsive and caring.

Sure, I'll try non-dealer shops. The dealer did mention about replacing the gas cap. That tips me that the problem might be just the gas cap but they just want to rip me off as I never resisted too much whenever they came up with these large bills. That was just my feeling.

Since you said the car will run just okay...is it okay to drive with it for may be couple of hundred miles before I find the mechanic and the time to have this fixed? My concern was that delaying fixing should aggravate the problem and make the car stop in the middle.

Taking an approach of just changing the gas cap with a mechanic first and see if that solves the problem and then based on if the light comes back up going for the other fixes, do you think that makes sense?

Please let me know.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

[2002ToyotaCamry]

Actually mine is Gen 5.

Thanks again.

[somick]

A real mechanic was supposed to test your fuel cap right away. They have tools for that. Replace the fuel cap for now (it will cost you no more then $10 - $15) and I am pretty sure your code will go away in a couple of weeks.
This car is too new to develop problems mentioned in toyomoho's post, but of course everything may happen.

Good luck,

Sam

[2002ToyotaCamry]

Originally Posted by semyonlibman

A real mechanic was supposed to test your fuel cap right away. They have tools for that. Replace the fuel cap for now (it will cost you no more then $10 - $15) and I am pretty sure your code will go away in a couple of weeks.
This car is too new to develop problems mentioned in toyomoho's post, but of curse everything may happen.

Good luck,

Sam

Thank you Sam. Much appreciated. I'll certainly do that. I've even got a quote for the gas cap and it was $16 + change. So I'll do that first and see if the light resets.

[toyomoho]

See if the Toyota dealer sells just the gas cap gasket, this may save you a few dollars.

It is OK to drive the car, you will not damage anything. The issue is emissions related as such if your state/county requires a smog inspection it may (or may not) come up at the time of inspection. Depends on how detailed of inspection they do.

[Miranthis]

A salvage canister will cost you about $75 and if you want a new VSV as there was a TSB on those (yours is new enough you may already have had the new VSV from the factory) it is around 50 -$70 buck depending on dealer. The R&R is a bit of a challenge on the canister but I did mine after backing the car on to ramps. THe trick for me was to drop the muffler support hanger and then I could wiggle the canister out.

I had P0441 and P0446 which is the VSV/canister code set and that is different from your code set. But if the dealer says that a new can will fix it you can do that yourself. THe other pipe you mentions I don't know about. Sorry. Good Luck.

Jeff

[MaximaPower]

i got an '06 with the same codes...thinking it's the gas cap but the engine still came back on after being reset.

is this covered under warranty? i have 28k miles on my '06 camry

[Mike Gerber]

Originally Posted by MaximaPower

i got an '06 with the same codes...thinking it's the gas cap but the engine still came back on after being reset.

is this covered under warranty? i have 28k miles on my '06 camry

It should be covered under the 3 years 36,000 miles warranty. Get it to the dealer soon and have them check it out. If they say it is the gas cap, at least it will be documented while the car is still in warranty, if and when it comes back.

Mike