An EVAP (Evaporative Emission Control) canister is a crucial component of a modern vehicle’s emission system. It helps to prevent fuel vapors from escaping into the environment and reduces gas emissions. However, when the EVAP canister fails, it can lead to several issues in your vehicle’s engine system. In this article, we will discuss the common symptoms of a bad EVAP canister and their causes.
Poor Gas Mileage
A faulty EVAP canister can cause your vehicle to have low gas mileage. This is because fuel vapors that are supposed to be used during combustion get burned up in the environment before reaching the combustion chamber. This can increase your fuel consumption and cause your vapor canister to get saturated or clogged.
Poor Engine Performance
A damaged EVAP canister can cause poor engine performance. Your engine may have a less effective operation, producing low power for high acceleration. This can cause your vehicle to have a sluggish movement, even when you apply pressure on the gas pedal. An incomplete combustion process generated due to a bad EVAP canister can cause your vehicle to have sluggish acceleration.
Difficulty in Starting the Engine
A bad EVAP canister can cause difficulty in starting your vehicle’s engine. This is due to a vacuum leak developed from issues with your charcoal canister. When you have a vacuum leak, it allows unmetered air into your engine, which can unbalance the air-fuel ratio. This can develop issues in your engine’s system by disturbing the internal combustion process. If this fault is left unattended, it can eventually lead to your vehicle not starting.
Engine Check Light Turns ON
Your engine check light will come ON when you have a damaged EVAP canister. Your vehicle’s computer system detects a fault within your EVAP system and illuminates the engine check light to alert the driver of an issue with the engine system. The computer system picks up this fault via signals from your EVAP system. However, the engine check light can turn ON due to several other problems, so it’s advisable to properly scan your vehicle for error codes with an OTC Leak Tanner or Use another Smoke machine to get the actual fault responsible for turning the engine check light ON.
Rough Idling
A prevalent symptom of a damaged EVAP canister is when your vehicle has a rough idle. The vehicle will not be able to maintain a high speed due to an unstable rpm count, or you might feel a shaking sensation in your vehicle while driving. If your rpm is fluctuating, there is a good chance you are looking at an idling issue. Rough idling can be due to faulty spark plugs, carburetor problems, dirty fuel injectors, and a vacuum leak. A vacuum leak can occur as a result of a damaged or faulty EVAP canister or the hoses fixed to it.
Gas Odor
Gas odor is one of the EVAP leak symptoms and can result from various faults or engine problems in your vehicle’s system. However, one of the major causes is a broken EVAP canister. A damaged vapor canister can give out a strong gas smell when it is bad.
Failed Emission Test
Your vehicle will fail emission testing if you have a bad EVAP canister in your system due to the emission of gas fumes. This type of fault will also illuminate the engine check light.
Gas Tank will get difficult to fill up.
When you fill-up your fuel tank, the released gas vapors are channeled to the EVAP canister and other related engine components. If your canister is clogged, the vapor will not go into the canister. Instead, it will go back to your gas tank, making it difficult to refuel your tank.
