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P0442 cel

8K views 17 replies 8 participants last post by  Old Guy 
#1 ·
Last night I got a P0442 evaporative emission system leak detected (small leak)
I just cleared it. We'll see if it comes back...

In the past year or two I've randomly gotten the info message stating that my gas tank cap was open when it's not. Not this time though...


What are the chances that the P0442 is related to the Gas tank cap?

I was taking a look at it. Is it possible to just change the rubber seal ring?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Tonight CEL didn't come back but Cap Open message showed up again...

If no one as any thoughts I'll end up replacing the cap I think.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Yes, I'll probably get this cap from Tasca ($10 shipping for a $22 part, I tell you..!). It is not too expensive to try solving the issue... Still too bad we can't just replace the seal. What a waste.
 
#6 ·
That is kinda wasteful, it seems. I have a 2005 myself, and I'll be keeping an eye out for this.
 
#9 ·
I re-tighten the cap and today, no signs of trouble . . . I think I'll just leave with it for a while more. When it is not persistent it really makes you hesitate to buy a replacement. I've got plenty of other things to buy (ie: axles, shocks, rotors...)
 
#10 ·
Did you ever replace the Fuel Pressure Sensor? I'm pretty sure I've gotten this error before; replaced the gas cap(frivoulously) (spelling..?) and have been told it's an evap line. I'm VERY certain it's the FPS, since I'm getting a slightly less severe set of symptoms that everybody else mentioned w/ that, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Do you get a small surge if you try to drive w/o warming up?
 
#11 ·
Also; when I got the error msg, it would just go out on it's own, stay off for a month or so and then act up and come back on later. One of the last times I was @ the stealership they offered to bill me $180 to load new software so they could tell me what the stored code was; but there was no CEL and I would rather just do it myself as far as replacing $20 of line and maybe $150 fps, and SOLVE the problem there.
 
#12 ·
I already replaced the FPS (not for that reason) and I had this happening as much before as after...
I can't be sure and I'll have to pay a lot more attention to that but it seems to me it is happening more when my fuel level in the tank is very low. Again I need to monitor that more so to be sure . . . Since I reset the CEL and refuel I have not seen the massage back yet. I'm not in a hurry since it is a minor fault so I'll keep monitoring more closely before buying anything.
 
#13 ·
I had the exact same problem



I told the dealership that I thought it was the gas cap, they kept the car for a week, and finally came back saying that it was the gas cap. They ended up replacing my fuel pump, gas line, and a few other parts, AND covering my S60 rental for only $20.

All it was was the spring in the gas cap had fallen out. The cap fell apart on me at a gas station and I snapped in the center piece without ever realizing there was a missing spring. After resetting my CEL, the warning would come back in a few days. It did seem to be once the tank was relatively low, I'm guessing because there was more space for air to get into the tank.

This is what the gap should look like, with the spring behind that black circle part in the center. That part is what holds the tighter seal on the gas cap, so the spring behind it is crucial.



Before you do anything, I would check to see if that spring has been damaged at all. The fix may be as simple as getting a bigger spring from Home Depot.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Nah, my cap has all the parts. My guess is that the central part is a valve to let the air in in order not to create a vacuum when the fuel is drawn by the engine. It is possible the rubber seal and/or this valve gets old or dirty where it does not seal properly when the car is sitting and building up vapor pressure. Now that said, that valve seems extremely gentle (it may need to be) so I don't really understand how vapors are monitored... It can't possibly be pressure based considering the different pressure levels involved with tank empty vs. full, fuel usage, etc... but maybe I'm wrong. Is this "evap" only a safety mechanism so fuel vapors don't fill your garage? Is the "evap" test done only when the car sits, on start?

I'd be weary to put a stronger spring that could cause issues with proper fuel flow...
 
#16 ·
http://www.troublecodes.net/pcodes/p0442/

Fast forward 4 years. Our V50 just started throwing this code. I have a fairly basic reader that does allow me to read/clear codes. I tried putting on a barely used Stant gas cap I had in the garage; no help. Will try a new OE one. If the cap doesn't fix it, what next? The website I've posted above makes it sound like finding a teeny leak in the system won't be easy. I'll also try filling the gas tank. PS: fuel pressure sensor was changed a couple years ago. Car only has 90,000 miles to date.
 
#17 ·
So had this happen before:

First thing as noticed is typically the gas cap. Easiest simplest and cheapest part to replace.

Second thing would be your evaporative emissions pump - it's a pump that vacuums out all of the air in the tank. My old Cobalt had one that went bad. Found out through some digging that emissions systems are covered federally to like 150,000mi or something under warranty. For this car I'm not sure, but for the cobalt it involved dropping the exhaust and dropping the tank to changeout the pump.
 
#18 ·
Odd. With the aftermarket gas cap, twice the car gave me a loose gas cap message, but the Check Engine light did not come back on. Of course the cap was not loose. Today our new OE cap arrived (sourced from IPD...NOT cheap @ $32.95 plus Shipping). I'm guessing the problem is solved. For sure the gasket on the new cap is super supple compared to the original, 12 year old one. Fingers crossed: all's well!!
 
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