jdanticoli

I have a new 06' xA w/ 1500 miles. The check engine codes that were run show a fuel vapor charcoal canister malfunction. Any ideas regarding the cause? I read somewhere in SL that it is caused by water infiltration.
Am I going to have this trouble every time I use an automatic car wash? Where is the canister located anyway?

Please advise.

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NOLA_Xa

I think I have the same problem. I have an 04 with 21k on it. the canister is on ur gas tank, it is for emissions. From what I hear and read, Toyota will fix it, but it goes out again.
Apparently it's a pretty common thing on the xA's. I don't think it being cracked will hurt the car, but i could be wrong, and u should still bring it to a dealership.

ricktoyota73

Right rear of the car near the fuel tank. It's black and about shoebox size with some valves and hoses going to it. one hose goes to the fuel tank.
I doubt water is getting in from the outside, unless it's cracked or there is a leaky hose or something. It could be from moisture in the fuel system though.
We have seen the vaccuum switching valve on various models cause a check engine light...yours appears to be part of the canister. I guess the valve will stick sometimes causing the light.

jdanticoli

Thanks Nola, I have an appointment to have dealer replace the unit tomorrow. I want the check engine light reset for any future malfunctions. I heard that it alerts you if the cam is messed-up. I hate these "dummy-lights"; I would much rather have gauges,i.e. oil pressure, engine temp, voltage, etc.

jdanticoli

Thx. RickT. for the enlightening reply. I will ask the service tech. what he finds and report back.

TheCor

i had the same problem and it was replaced under warranty. i know there was another post on here for a while about the spark plugs being gapped wrong on the cars and that could have been a problem why this part of the emissions was going bad all the time, but thats another discussion, just a thought. i had mine replaced at close to 5k i think? and i just upgraded to denso irridium plugs

point is, the dealership should fix it, and you're not the only one with the problem, lots of people have reported it, so i wouldnt worry too much

willmw

Is this the problem that can occur when you "pack" your gas tank? Seems like I was told that you stop pumping when the pump clicks off....or something will go wrong with the charcoal fuel canister. Maybe I'm thinking about something else.....

jdanticoli

thanks everyone, had the canister replaced no charge[under warranty] on Thursday 5/4/06. repair tech wasn't sure but thinks the "pump"{?} or did he mean valve{?} inside the unit went bad.
Also, a Service Bulletin from Toyota Central has been issued to Scion repair shops for this item.
p.s. these guys were not a day over 20years old and never been to "Toyota University". I thought these service techs are supposed to be specialized, highly trained dudes...what's up?

dexter_5000

some of them get sent by the dealer to a faster way of training which is all the stuff you can learn in 2 years in like a couple of weeks. its more stuff all at once. when they send them that way. not the best way to learn everything

scionzfiction

There is noboby on this site that knows more about this than myself. I have had the canister replaced (3) times sinces purchasing this vehicle in early January '06. Yes high pressure car washes will effect the canister ( as will heavy rainfall w/ flooding). High Pressure water frome the car wash got into the canister, then staying there and freezing (during the winter) causing it to crack and thus triggering the CEL. Sunrise Toyota (Long Island) has since learned to install a shield over the canister to prevent from happening again, unfortunately this learing curve had to happen on my time. Overall (4) round trips to the dealer for the same problem. The first time this happened, I had less than 500 miles on the car, I was really ____ed off to say the least. The light was coming on almost on weekly basis after the initial faulter. My suggestions to these so-called Toyota techs, is to contact Sunrise Toyota, NY and learn how to properly shield these canisters, otherwise Scion should have a recall and just do this for all Xa's past and present.

dexter_5000

Did you call Scion and report the findings?

jdanticoli

CHECK THIS OUT...After getting the faulty canister replaced, my gas mileage increased dramatically! How could this be since the device is supposedly just a gas vapor filter?

anorthosite

I was not so lucky:

My light came on less than a month ago. I checked the gas cap and re-set the fuse and it went out, but then came on again after a week.

I took my 06 xA in (by appointment) today. The good news was that it took less than 2 hours. The bad news was that because my car has 42K it was NOT covered under warranty!!
If the stupid thing had failed just 5 months ago, I would be $580 less poor. So, my loss may well be a result of the southeastern drought

They replaced the canister ($314) canister filter no 2 and and the fuel tank filler pipe cover. They said it would NOT happen again. I sincerely hope not, as I really like this car and don't want to wind up Googling "lemon law".

mark_bernasek

This problem has just happened to me. I purchased my '06 xA in July '06 and my CEL light came on about a month ago and after ordering (then reordering) the parts, it has finally been repaired (Feb. 200. I was told that it was under warranty (which it was) and that once the four parts were replaced, that I should notice an increase in my gas mileage. Too early to tell on the gas mileage. This was the second severe Nebraska winter that the auto has weathered (is garaged outdoors) so am curious if freeze/thaw might be a factor. Prior to this problem, I was questioning the 38-40 mpg that the model boasted but my driving is mostly in the city. Has Toyota/Scion diagnosed the most likely root of this problem (poor design, weather, particular driving habits, etc.). Am interested in any feedback so I might know what might lie down the road (so to speak). Thanks.

badbasic

The Feds have handled that. there is new testing procedures now for fuel mileage that started this past year. Look @ an 06 model of any car
and then compare it to an 08 model (same engine of course) and you will see that the mileage estimates have gone down to more "life like" estimates.

bB2NER

I could be wrong but, I think the charcoal canister is covered under the 100K mile emissions warranty along with the cat. Either way if there is known issues with these things the dealer should have taken care of it for you free of charge.

LeroyJMC

Digging up an old thread.....

I got the CEL a couple weeks ago and received the parts for the TSB over the weekend. The canister and charcoal filter are simple enough to swap out,
but does anyone know the proper way to replace the fuel tank filler pipe cover holder and the fuel tank filler pipe cover? I've been unable to find any guides for the replacement on these two little pieces.

Thanks.

jct

i've had the dealer warranty work the gas filler tube few years back

yeah no help from me there heh

i'm sure its not that hard to do

LeroyJMC

I'm lucky enough to be SOL on warranty. I'm under 3 yrs, but have 64k already.

Yeah, I'm betting that it's not more than a 15-20 minute thing to replace the filler tube pieces, but figured I'd be smart not to muck with it until I hear from someone where I will not cost myself more money.
$300 is enough already...especially when I've got a new Rubicon Unlimited that I could be spending money on goodies for.

jct

i got a service manual on cd, if you wanna pm me your email addy i can send the part your gonna be working on to ya