[gaijin666]

1996 Camry V6 1MZFE, 168,000 miles:

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Apparently THIS is the "Vapor Canister" for my vehicle.

It's a CANISTER for Vapors..? We save these vapors for posterity..?

I don't get it.

Does it require maintenance, and how do I do that? I can find no photo indicating where I might find this thing in my engine.

I'd like to locate it, detatch it and do whatever I can to cheaply maintain it, the better to maybe pass my smog on my first try.

It has something to do with smog...?

 

[gaijin666]

This thing maybe replaces a "charcoal canister"...?

 

[mcgowaw]

that picture isn't a charcoal canister. google 96 v6 camry charcoal canister and you'll see what it look like.
this might be a vacuum switching valve that connects to said canister though.
do you have a check engine light? if so, what's the code?
what's the symptoms you're trying to fix?
tony

 

[gaijin666]

For Reference: Engine map, still can't find/Users/gaijin/Desktop/political/EngineMap.gif

 

[gaijin666]

This time I'm lucky enough to have NO codes, I'm so happy.

I'm trying to learn and de-gunkify something that MIGHT be gunked up, simply cuz my car is old.

My car runs great right now, I'm just scared before the smog, which is coming up, cuz recently I've gotten out SOOOO much cr*p.

I've just started to automatically think, "There MUST be more, SOMEwhere..."

 

[mcgowaw]

don't think there'd be any in the evap. might have some gas in it if you're one of them types that tops off the tank after the click or the po was. if not evap codes and if the evap monitor is 'ready', then you should be good to go on that one.
do get an obd2 monitor (bluetooth elm 232 / android) and verify all 6 monitors are ready and that you have no 'pending codes' before hitting up the smog man.
tony

 

[Blackness]

dunno what you are asking.. but the CHARCOAL canister stores fuel vapors so they dont leak into the atmosphere.. vacuum valves (VSVs) open at certain times an 'purge' these stored vapors back into the intake to be 're-burned' ...

without the vapor canister, fuel vapor would simply be leaked into the outside air... which was how it was in the olden-days...

 

[Stillrunning]

For the most part the canister needs no maintenance. You might get a code about a leak in the system if your year has those sensors. If you have no evap problems then just leave it alone.

 

[BMR]

^+1 To what those guys said. These things don't fail that often, so I see little sense in replacing it preemptively. As far as I know, they don't "wear out".

 

[Phils Camry]

If you don't overfill you gas tank, you should have no problems with your charcoal canister.

 

[gaijin666]

Here is my one and only remaining car symptom. It has been going on for maybe 10 days:

Lessay the vehicle is idling at rest, okay?

I put it into drive, and when I first start out going forward, say 0-10 mph and about 1,200 rpm I get engine hesitation (even without accel pedal changes, etc).

It's very uneven acceleration, allmost like going in fits and starts, and it quits at maybe 15-20 mph. During those transient, low rpm fits, the engine does not die, but often it seems close. The total duration of these episodes is no more than 3-4 seconds or so. The rest of the engine operation at different speeds is fine.

I don't get this at other speeds, only initially accelerating forward from idle rest, like from stop sign or light.

I cleaned the hell of the IAC the other day, did it a couple times.

The tension on the throttle cable seems fine, nothing under the accelerator pedal, of course.

????

Any ideas..?

 

[BMR]

Did it just start doing this 10 days ago?

Could be the TPS; Throttle Position Sensor. Among other things, it acts like an accelerator pump on an old carbureted car. When the gas pedal is pressed down on a carbureted engine, the butterfly opening suddenly caused a momentary lean condition. The accelerator pump would pump a squirt of fuel to avoid that. The TPS acts a replacement for that, but instead of doing it directly, the ECU monitors the TPS, and if it sees a sudden throttle opening, tells the injectors to give an extra bit of fuel. Here's how to check it, below. Additionally, with your ohmmeter probes across E2 and VTA, sweep the throttle slowly from full open to full closed, watching the resistance change. You want to see it change smoothly, with no jumps or notches where it goes to infinity.

Edit: You probably won't need to adjust it, unless someone messed with it who didn't know what they were doing. For starters, just check that its resistance changes smoothly.

 

[mcgowaw]

+ on bmr...
when "cleaning the intake", I do all the following and you can too if applicable to your year/model/motor/trans/trim combo:
1. remove airbox top and filter and replace if necessary or blow out with air.
2. remove rubber snorkle and check for cracks in the creases
3. remove throttle body from intake and clean thoroughly with a rag and seafoam spray
4. remove IAC from throttle body and clean thoroughly with seafoam deep creep and a toothbrush
5. remove egr valve and modulator assembly from tb and clean out with seafoam and scraping tool to get out carbon.
6. pull a vacuum on the egr regulator and ensure it closes the pintle valve.
7. put a 9v battery across the egr vsv and ensure it closes/opens and allows/blocks air as appropriate.
8. ohm out the egr temp sensor and compare to haynes/fsm specs and replace if out of specs.
9. replace everything once it's as clean as you can get it in reverse order - spraying contact cleaner inside all the connections you make, as you go.
10. clean air filter in the top of the egr modulator
11. do a cigar smoke test (google vids scotty kilmer and others) to ensure all vacuum hoses and connections are tight.
12. spray seafoam spray with the red nozzle into the intake with the snorkle partially fitted on the tb and engine running to get it deeper into the intake and through the injectors. alternately, you can pour 1/4 can seafoam into the brake booster intake but watch vids on this to see how and do it very slowly and be prepared for 10 minutes of smoke.
13. put a can of seafoam liquid in the tank when it's at 1/4 full and drive it like you stole it till it's almost empty and then refill but don't top off EVER!
14. put your obd2 reader on it and ensure there are no check engine codes set or pending, assuming it's 94 or newer v6 or 96 or newer i4. the reader will also show the percentage of throttle so you can verify if your tps is working smoothly by watching the readings as you push the pedal.

if you don't already have them, invest in an obd2 reader, haynes or fsm manual, owners manual (has information for your car like plug, oil, and antifreeze type and oil weights, etc.) and a cheap voltmeter to check resistance and dc voltage. these will go a long way to understanding and keeping your car running.
tony

 

[gaijin666]

It's ridiculous I don't have a good OBD2, so I ordered a really good one just 2 days ago.

SOLID ADVICE, AS USUAL..!

^_^

 

[mcgowaw]

i have a 5 dollar fleabay elm232 bluetooth reader and the torque pro app installed on my car android navi/dvd head unit. it does more stuff than i understand at this point but i recommend the combo to anyone looking to have a setup to reset cel's, readout cel's, see monitor states and graph out the upper and lower o2 sensor voltages, etc. note that you can also use your android cell phone too.
tony

 

[BMR]

You can use an OBD 2 monitor to check the TPS. Set it to monitor % of throttle opening, and then watch it change as you slowly floor the gas pedal and slowly let it back up. With the engine off, of course.