Rock Slide

iTrader: (1)

Stir Fry, I know we can't see it, but where is the "clip" located in the above picture that you were referring to in the other thread?

stir_fry_boy

The clip is located on the forward side of the frame crossmember. If you are looking BEHIND the rear differential and IN FRONT of the crossmember I have circled, it is tricky to see but you should be able to see it. I have drawn an arrow about where it should be located at (in front of the cross member of course). It is black and on the right side of the clip the corrugated tube (called the ORVR hose) and another hose just "snap" in, with nothing hugging them. Those are easy to undo, on the left side of the clip however is more difficult. There are 2 hoses that are clipped AND "hugged in" by a black clamp looking clip. I think it is easier to undo the clamped clip almost first thing. Use a VERY long flat screwdriver. It separates from the bottom.
Here is a picture of the about location because it is off the picture as you said (arrow on top in red):

Looking THROUGH the clip it looks like this:

Your left on the screen is the left on the truck looking toward the engine.
Without this clip undone, the bracket and canister will not come out of the truck.
Does this help?

Rock Slide

iTrader: (1)

That does help. It will make even more sense when I get under there and look at it first hand.

stir_fry_boy

A noticeable landmark is the corrugated ORVR hose running from the top of the ORVR atop the gas tank to the canister. It is the only corrugated hose or tube on the canister. Follow that toward the engine on the other side of the crossmember. That is where the clip should be.

SWPERIC

i guess i never posted how i fixed it. i replaced the vsv (part number listed above) and blew 40 psi through the input of the canister. to be honest, i could not figure out what was the input and blew air through every opening on the thing. hooked it all back up and got the same code about a week later and lost all hope. then on an unrelated matter, i had to disconnect my battery (resetting the ecu was a by product). Code went away, ive got pressure in my gas tank again and no longer smell raw/half burnt fuel. ive been going for 4 months now and no code. i think the new vsv was able to open and blow through whatever was blocking the line. also removing the canister without a BL must suck because i was still a pain with my 1 inch on there.

dont be discouraged by my statements about the difficulty. this IS a DIY job. FIGHT THE STEALERSHIP!

SRT4runner

Bump, I replaced the VSV valve today (part #90910-12264) to see if it will fix my P0446 code I've been getting every 50-100 miles. My 4runner is a 2001 and the valve was located in the rear by the spare tire. I'll be crossing my fingers. It wasn't very difficult to change out. I can post pictures if anyone is interested. I also found that my spare tire was completely flat too. Thanks for the helpful thread SWPERIC

Mauzer

Please post pics, I have the same code and the CEL is driving me MAD!!

LexusFTW

SRT4Runner, did the PO446 ever come back?

aowRS

Yes, please post pics, etc. I've been dealing with P0440, P0441, & P0446 for nearly a year. The codes crop up every few weeks and then I plug in my code reader and erase the damn things.


Andreas

SRT4runner

No it never came back. I've put around 6,000 miles on it and all is well. I will post up some pics and a mini how to shortly.

SRT4runner

Just like a lot of you I had a P0446 code that started popping up on my 2001 4Runner SR5. The code would pop up every 100 miles or so, and I would have to use my scangauge II to clear it. As far as I could tell the vehicle never drove any different with the code showing or not. This was the ONLY code I ever got, so this fix may not work for you if you have others.

What I did:

Go to to the Toyota dealership and order this, I believe it cost me around $40. It is called a VSV Valve (Vacuum Switching Valve) and the part number is on the box.


First, I disconnected the battery by removing the negative terminal. This will also reset the code.

Like SWERIC posted, the valve is located underneath in the rear of the truck near the spare tire. This is the charcoal canister, the valve is located under all this.


I didn't need to jack up the truck since it's already pretty high off the ground. Remove the spare tire, it will give you extra room to work and allows you to check it out, MINE WAS FLAT. I ended up buying a brand new replacement since it was 10 years old now. I'm glad I checked it before I got a flat tire.

Here's a close up of where the valve is located. It is directly behind this mess. The valve is that rusty piece with the red colored fitting on it. You will know exactly which one it is when you're under there. There is barely any room to work where the valve is located. I have large sized hands and was able to still do this.


Here's what the valve looks like, the new one is on the bottom.


I was able to remove just the VSV valve without having to remove the whole charcoal assembly. If I remember correctly there are 2 vacuum hoses that clamp to the valve, and a small screw that mounts the valve to the charcoal assembly. All you do is first remove the wiring harness attached to it. Then remove the 2 hoseclamps and pull the 2 rubber hoses off the old valve. Finally remove the small phillips head screw to unmount the valve. This tiny screw was a PITA to get off due to it being rusted, I stripped the hell out of it and ended up getting a new screw to mount the new valve back on.

Once the old valve is off, I took my air compressor and blew around 40psi of air through the hoses like SWERIC did to clear the crap out of them. IDK if it does anything but I did it.

Put the rubber hoses and clamps back on the new sensor the same way they came off, mount it with the screw, attached the wiring harness and you're done. Reconnect the battery and start it back up. Hopefully this helps.

I haven't had this code since I've done this and put approximately 6,000 miles on it since. This took me about an hour to do taking my time. Needlenose pliers will be your best friend.

aowRS

Excellent write-up - thank you! I'll order this piece soon.


Andreas

aowRS

I swung by the local Toyota dealer this morning and purchased the VSV part (90910-12264). I think the cost was around $45.

Went home, backed the truck onto ramps and set about getting the old valve out. What a TFPITA! I ended up removing the four 12mm bolts that attach the charcoal canister mount to the truck. This gave a bit more room, but did I mention this was a TFPITA?

Just like a previous poster mentioned, the small Phillips screw that holds the VSV to a bracket was rusted tight. I drilled the old one out, and then found a 4mm x 1.0 Allen screw plus washers to replace it with.

I kept the battery disconnected while doing this. Let's see what happens. I've been getting the 3 or 4 codes nearly every week now. Pretty damn annoying.

And lastly, this was a TFPITA......




Andreas

SRT4runner

Just for an update, it's been about a year and 10k miles since I have done this and haven't have any codes pop up. Your results may vary.

aowRS

Your words are spot on....

441 miles & three days later and the same codes have appeared again: P0440, P0441 and P0446.

Any thoughts on where to turn next? I know the charcoal canister is north of $300...






Andreas

xcmountain80

Yep Charcoal canister is next in line for replacement. I ordered the year make and model from a toyota parts site and was shipped a unit that according to the site is designed for my engine but didn't match the 90910-12264 that already lived there. So the correct one will be picked up tomorrow, hope all goes well...... then if that doesn't work the charcoal canister. I could almost live with the CEL but it does disable my soccer mom traction control which can be useful in some scenarios.

A

SRT4runner

When you replaced the sensor did you blow out any of the lines with compressed air? I used my 33 gallon air compressor set at 40PSI with a blower attachment and blew out several of the lines on the charcoal canister that were disconnected while I changed the part out. I'm not sure if it did anything, but it could be worth a try. In my situation I did only get 1 code, not several like yourself.

Rock Slide

iTrader: (1)

I had to replace my canister a year or so ago for similar codes...found one off a wrecked '02 w/ only 40K on the OD at a salvage yard using car-part.com. Had it shipped to my door for a grand total of $60.00 (part + shipping). Not a single code thrown since.

aowRS

Why didn't I think of that?

Edit: I just did a search on there and did not find any categories that related to charcoal canister, etc. Any thoughts?


Andreas

Rock Slide

iTrader: (1)

Failed to mention that didn't I! You've got to do a search for "fuel tank" as that is the only category remotely related to the canister. Once you pull plenty of listings for the fuel tank, start calling yard after yard and describe exactly what you need. Be sure to describe the exact location of the canister on the vehicle in case it is still mounted. I lucked up and found one on my 2nd phone call. Best of luck!