Searching around for some things, I saw this link



http://www.ehow.com/how_8104632_clea...-canister.html



I know alot of people have had problems with their evap system especially when they cant fill up their gas tank without the pump handle clicking right away if your solenoid needs replacing.



But has anybody with a tib ever cleaned out their canisters as preventative maintenance? Is something that should be done during the life of the car?

 

I can't speak for other members here, but my biggest problem wasn't the canister itself but the lack of adequate filtration causing charcoal to gather in the evap lines and clog the valves. Checking the canister to ensure all is well isn't a bad idea.

 

Unless you have mud splashed up in the filter, you should never need to clean the canister. The only thing should be getting in there is gas vapors. That said, for RD platform cars the foam insert that held the charcoal in the canister (vs. getting into the tubes and then the valve) sometimes does fail. It wouldn't HURT to get down there and pull the canister to make sure the charcoal is still well-secured but I hardly consider it to be routine preventative maintenance.

 

i have never opened my evap canister, i have however removed the entire evap canister assembly and all the rubber hose's attached to it off my j2 and replaced the purge control valve, checked and cleaned the valve attached to the canister and replaced all rubber hose's with fresh rubber hoses...let the carbon granules stay in their contained undisturbed..as attempting to clean them will be a pointless and fruitless effort.

 

The charcoal is held back by foam, which deteriorates over time. It then allows the charcoal to flood the lines. The only true maintenance is to replace the entire canister with charcoal and clean out the lines. Or, remove the charcoal altogether.

 

You could put a stainless steel mesh in place of the foam. That was my intention but somehow I still have a bag of charcoal in the shop and an empty canister on the car.