I have a 95 Blazer, 4 door, 2 wd, 4.3L (W) and was wondering how to tell if the carbon canister is bad or not. I'm getting a gasoline smell inside the vehicle and have isolated it to the left side, rear, near the carbon canister.

I've inspected the vacuum lines to and from the canister and they don't appear to be cracked. Gas cap ok, and smell not coming from that area either. The smell doesn't occur all the time and the SES light isn't on either. It only happens at start up, when I fill the fuel tank, and sometimes when I'm driving. Anything else to troubleshoot, like purge and solenoid valves? Thanks.

John

 

It is possible that the vent solenoid is bad. But the charcoal canister could be saturated with fuel. I have seen this a few times where people overfill the tank on a regular basis and fuel gets into the EVAP line and from there into the charcoal canister. Remove the canister and see if it is heavy or if any gasoline flows out when tipped.

 

Is the vent solenoid the one that is located above the spare tire? I plan on removing the canister to check as you instructed. If not heavy feeling and no gas drips out, can one assume that the canister is ok? How do check the vent solenoid? Thanks.

John

 

Yes, the vent solenoid is located in front of the spare tire (on a 4dr anyway). You can test the vent solenoid by removing it and attempting to blow through it. I believe it should be sealed when unpowered and open up when power is applied.

 

I know this post goes back a few months but how did you make out? I am having an issue with my 2002 blazer that sounds like it could be the evap system. I am having trouble filling my tank and I'm getting a P0453 code (Evaporative Emission Control System Pressure Sensor High Input)