I'm trying to figure out where the hell this "leak" in my emissions is. My car has been throwing the P0455 code on and off for about 6 months. I've changed the gas cap, the tank air filters, the purge solenoid and done a visual inspection of the emissions lines. The CEL goes away for awhile and then comes back like to taunt me as I drive.
So... I need a fog machine. I've been told that if I run fog through the lines and create pressure then I'll be able to see the fog coming out of the leak. If this doesn't work I believe I will require a virgin sacrifice to appease my car. Any volunteers?
Does anyone have any other ideas as to what this could be?
Anyone have a fog machine?
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Anyone have a fog machine?
2004 Mazda3s Hatchback: Totalled
2002 Audi A4 Avant: Sold
2013 Subaru WRX 5-door: Stage 1
2002 Audi A4 Avant: Sold
2013 Subaru WRX 5-door: Stage 1
bellalyssa wrote:I'm trying to figure out where the hell this "leak" in my emissions is. My car has been throwing the P0455 code on and off for about 6 months. I've changed the gas cap, the tank air filters, the purge solenoid and done a visual inspection of the emissions lines. The CEL goes away for awhile and then comes back like to taunt me as I drive.
So... I need a fog machine. I've been told that if I run fog through the lines and create pressure then I'll be able to see the fog coming out of the leak. If this doesn't work I believe I will require a virgin sacrifice to appease my car. Any volunteers?
Does anyone have any other ideas as to what this could be?
I have something similar, I made it out of pieces from Home Depot for about $10.
It works with air instead of fog... but it has helped me many times. Feel free to come by and we can use it if you want
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- Posts: 1237
- Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:14
- Location: NoCo
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- Posts: 1237
- Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:14
- Location: NoCo
Maybe a dumb question, but...why do you really need to fix this right away? Is it just annoying? Despite how bad it might sound, that system (Evaporative Emissions Control) isn't critical to the operation of the vehicle. You probably know that though. Even if you need to make it pass emissions, most test stations don't care about check engine lights, so long as it passes the sniffer and visual inspection. At least, that's how it used to be, but I haven't recently tested a car with a CEL.
In doing some research, it seems like this is a common problem on these cars. See this TSB:
http://www.finishlineperformance.com/pdf/mazda3/bulletin/01-052-06-1606.pdf
From what I gather it looks like the "purge solenoid valve" is the culprit. Even though you said you already replaced that, it looks like many people have reported this same problem and it's just because that solenoid repeatedly gets stuck open. I'm not sure where that's located on these cars, but if you can reach it, try tapping it with a screwdriver or something. It might unstick, if that's the problem. Sounds like Mazda used a really unreliable part.
Given all that I HIGHLY doubt you actually have a leak. I could be wrong, though.
In doing some research, it seems like this is a common problem on these cars. See this TSB:
http://www.finishlineperformance.com/pdf/mazda3/bulletin/01-052-06-1606.pdf
From what I gather it looks like the "purge solenoid valve" is the culprit. Even though you said you already replaced that, it looks like many people have reported this same problem and it's just because that solenoid repeatedly gets stuck open. I'm not sure where that's located on these cars, but if you can reach it, try tapping it with a screwdriver or something. It might unstick, if that's the problem. Sounds like Mazda used a really unreliable part.
Given all that I HIGHLY doubt you actually have a leak. I could be wrong, though.
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My mom is going to be taking my car for a bit so I'd like to have all of the annoying things relatively fixed before she starts using it. Trust me, it's easier that way. My mom knows nothing about cars and will ( I kid you not) pull over and wait for my dad to come get her if a check engine light comes on.
I just had the purge solenoid replaced but I'm checking to see if it's stuck open tonight. If it's that then I'll know how to get rid of it. I'm just concerned that it may be something more than that and if it is, I'd like to know sooner rather than later.
I just had the purge solenoid replaced but I'm checking to see if it's stuck open tonight. If it's that then I'll know how to get rid of it. I'm just concerned that it may be something more than that and if it is, I'd like to know sooner rather than later.
2004 Mazda3s Hatchback: Totalled
2002 Audi A4 Avant: Sold
2013 Subaru WRX 5-door: Stage 1
2002 Audi A4 Avant: Sold
2013 Subaru WRX 5-door: Stage 1
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- Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:14
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Alright, turns out I don't need a fog machine just yet. I need a vacuum pump to check the system first.
My friend looked up the TSB for the code and they have a nice little step by step set up for how to fix it, but it requires a vacuum pump.
My friend looked up the TSB for the code and they have a nice little step by step set up for how to fix it, but it requires a vacuum pump.
2004 Mazda3s Hatchback: Totalled
2002 Audi A4 Avant: Sold
2013 Subaru WRX 5-door: Stage 1
2002 Audi A4 Avant: Sold
2013 Subaru WRX 5-door: Stage 1
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