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What does the CPS do?

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2003 11:36 pm
by georryan
Hey I've heard lots of talk about the Canister Purge Silanoid, but what does it do? How does it affect your car when it isn't working properly?

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 12:18 am
by ciper
If it fails close it does nothing.

Fuel vapors collect in the canister, the solenoid opens to suck air through the canister taking the fumes with it. No fail safe function is associated with it in the ECU. I say replace it with a resistor!

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 4:31 am
by vrg3
If you do that, won't the vapors collect in the canister until they spill out the overflow line, resulting in your fuel level going down all the time even if the car isn't running?

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 5:21 am
by ciper
VRG3: I dont understand. The fuel vaporization rate will not change, the difference is that they will never be removed from the canister.

The valve that fails closed is from the CANISTER to ENGINE, not fuel tank to canister.

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 5:29 am
by vrg3
Right.... I guess I don't fully understand the evaporative emissions control system.

What I was thinking was that if you never allowed the vapors to leave the canister and enter the engine, you'd end up saturating the canister. There's a little hose leaving the canister exiting to atmosphere, and I figured that once the canister was saturated the excess vapors would leave through that little hose. So, my reasoning went, if you didn't allow your engine to consume the fuel vapors you would end up losing them to the atmosphere, which would simultaneously hurt your fuel efficiency numbers and pollute the environment.

Doesn't the canister get saturated? I mean, it can't be this vapor sink forever... And if the vapors don't ever end up in your engine then they're more or less wasted, no?

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 5:33 am
by ciper
Everything you said sounds right. My response is, how much fuel do you think evaporates? I dont think its much especially since most of the time your fuel tank is under vacuum! It only pressurizes when you let it sit for a while.

Besides, look at how many cars let the vapors just fly away. I think its a pollution thing rather than a fuel economy thing. Why do you think some gas nozzles have that damn spring loaded condom over them :evil:

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 8:31 am
by georryan
Look what I started :)

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 5:57 pm
by Legacy777
I hate those damn pump handles! :evil: