P0440 Fixed!

I want to start off saying the thread above is great and has a ton of info to get down and dirty with the evap system.

I had the same code that would come and go. I would clear it and sometimes it would come back in a week...sometimes months later. I was putting it off and putting it off, but finally it was coming back reliably.

After much consideration, I just said to heck with it, and decided to replace nearly the whole system. My reasoning is that this is to still be my daily driver for years to come so I'm really loathe to futz with it every other weekend as plastic part after plastic part may go bad over time. I already dropped the tank once for the sender and it was not a fun job and I *REALLY* don't want to deal with dropping the tank again.

I'm grouping things into 2 sections. The gas tank for one and the charcoal canister/fuel filler tube. I recommend just doing everything for the gas tank at once. The filler tube and charcoal canister can be done anytime after.

Part 1!

Parts for the fuel tank. Starred (*) parts are really not needed or you can use standard hose:
So let's do some totals.
Total fuel tank parts I spent: $421.38
Total fuel tank parts I'd recommend: $341.78

This will replace EVERYTHING to do with the blasted fuel tank. There is literally nothing on the tank that isn't replaced at this point.

One thing to note! The Evap Sensor that is connected to the Fuel Suction Tube:



Is $200 from Toyota! BUT BUT BUT! If you buy the ENTIRE fuel suction assembly, you get it as part of the assembly!

So by buying the fuel suction assembly for $94, you get not just the metal structural piece but also:
NEW Evap sensor.
NEW Evap sensor gasket and yellow clip.
NEW electrical connection and gasket for the pump and sender connection.
NEW plastic fuel hoses and red clip.
NEW Fuel Suction Assembly Gasket.

IMHO, totally worth the $94.

I also replaced all the connecting hoses. Make sure you get the correct metric sizes 6mm or 8mm from your favorite store. I don't like using "whatever" fits. Again...I *REALLY* don't want to deal with this for like 15 more years.

If I had to make a prediction, it was the 77177-33010 check valve gasket. It was dried and cracked all over. Everything else I replaced had no visible signs of wear/damage except for the rubber hoses going to the charcoal cannister/fuel filler. The ends had some cracks but the connection is long so I doubt they were leaking. Regardless, they got replaced.

Last note. Tools and materials:

I got some vacuum grease from Amazon and used it on all hose connections. Expensive but it works great. You need this to install the big black check valve and its gasket properly. Use it on the other connections so that if you need to disconnect again for some reason, the hoses come off easily.

Amazon.com: Dow Corning High Vacuum Grease Lubricant 2oz (57g): Industrial & Scientific

Hose clamp pliers and hose pliers. These changed my life. They break hoses free and remove them so easily in super tight spaces. The clamp pliers open the clamp and hold it open for moving it to where you need it on the hose.

GEARWRENCH 3 Pc. Double-X Hose Grip Plier Set - 82107 - - Amazon.com
Drake Off Road 4502 Hose Clamp Pliers Set - 2 Piece - - Amazon.com

PART 2 coming up!

Part 2!

So, next I was going to deal with really the only other two areas under the car that would cause an evap leak. The charcoal cannister and its mess of hoses. The filler pipe and its connections.

Parts for the fuel fill tube and charcoal canister:
So let's do some totals.
Total for parts I spent: $569.30
Total for parts I'd recommend: $347.45

Again, I went overboard with the parts.

Toyota does sell a gas cap seal/grommet so you can try that route instead of a whole new cap as it's a little cheaper and you can always just replace the cap later.

The Vapor Cannister and its myriad of hoses, etc, is an absolute mess:



Once I had my old one out, I feel good about plunking down $300 to replace it. The contents rattled around inside unlike the new one. Every last hose had cracks in them and they would ALL need replacing. Also, I'd have to spend time troubleshooting the valves, etc. to make sure they worked and they looked beat. By the time I got a new canister, replaced the hoses, what would I save? $150? It's just not worth my time.

The filler tube was a different story.



It is mostly metal except for one piece near where the gas cap goes. I can't see it going bad, but maybe there could be some leakage where the green tube is pushed into the grey plastic (see picture). I would remove this unit from the car, inspect it for issues. Then remove that green tube, grease it with vacuum grease and reinsert. This is not super hard to change out if it winds up being the issue. Older 4runners I don't think have this or at least they have a few less tubes.

The other parts I bought that I didn't need was the fuel pocket and its two metal rings that hold it in place. Oh well. I thought it may need to seal something. The fuel pocket with new gas cap looks awesome though!

Part 3 coming up!

Part 3!


Totals!

I spent:

$421.38 + $569.30 = $990.68 + shipping.

I should have probably spent:

$341.78 + $347.45 = $689.23

Well, all new parts. Should make her reliable for a bunch of years, I hope.

Tips on working on the gas tank.

Remove the spare tire.
Put the rear up on jack stands with the stands on the frame as high as you can get them.
Remove the driver's rear wheel.
Let the rear axle down (unload the rear springs).
This allows much more space above the axle to get tools/hands in there.

In addition I bought a $150 harbor freight transmission jack which helped lift and lower the tank.

Disconnecting the flexible hose at the charcoal canister is way way easier than at the check valve on the tank.

For the fuel filler tube, i found that I could NOT remove it unless I removed the fuel pocket rubber boot AND the charcoal canister. Once those were out, I could rotate/push and pull it enough to get it by the small bracket in the wheel well that holds it in place.

One last item.

I broke the plastic pipe clamp that holds the pipes from the gas tank to the charcoal cannister and mounts to the body. This clamp is just front of the rubber hoses from the charcoal canister. TOYOTA no longer sells it. So I designed and made one and 3D printed it! I just used a body push pin to hold it to the body. Works great!

3D design Clamp Fuel Tube W G - Toyota (77285-35440) | Tinkercad

Put a full tank into her. Drove her around for a few days and checked the ECU and she had no codes and says she was ready for emissions testing. So that's what I did. She passed!

Thanks for listing all the parts & prices for the 01-02 fuel tank & mentioning what all is included with the fuel suction assembly vs getting some of the parts individually like the evap sensor.

I'm troubleshooting a fuel gauge issue on my 02 using the 99-00 TSB as a guide. The fuel sending unit, fuel suction assembly & gasket were some of the recommended parts in the TSB. Good to know that the fuel suction assembly comes with the gasket already.

Great writeup with parts prices and pics. nicely done.

This is perfect. I'm right at the point of reinstalling all of my fuel system. I have many of the replacement parts but not all.

Couldn't come at a better time, thank you so much for taking the time to detail it.

Jason

No problem guys! Glad it can help!

That evap code never has come back and I get a satisfying whoosh sound when I open the gas cap now.

On the issue of the sending unit, that unit burns out at about 200k miles. I replaced mine in the tank and that was the issue. However, while you've got the tank down, I highly recommend just replacing everything to do with the tank. Ethanol dries the gaskets out over time and after 20 years, they are simply going to fail and bless you with some EVAP CEL codes. It's really not that much extra money if you are doing the work yourself.

If you have no inspections, you can ignore evap codes, but if your CEL is constantly on, it's potentially masking any new issues.

Can't believe I never found this write up sooner than today.

For the last 5+ years I've dealt with the gas pump frequently popping as I try to fill up. I occasionally get a p0440 as well as an P0420 but it has been months. That said, I always know there is something going on to cause the fuel pump woes.

Well, the other day I ran to USPS to find that when I left there my fuel tank went from about 1/2 full, to having the fuel light on saying that I was empty - knowing that I was tracking correctly (in my experience at leas) to being about 1/2 full because I reset my ODO every fill up.

I too plan to hopefully drive mine until there are no more gas stations around... Granted with the ~14MPG's I am getting and the sub 5$ gas prices I have not driven much lately.

Needless to say, I think I may begin to source all of these parts and take this project on. So thanks for this post.

I modified the title a bit, made it a bit more in-line with what I posted.

On the gas fill-up popping issue...my 4Runner has done this for 20 years. I've owned the car from when it was new. This is NORMAL.

There have been (very rare) gas stations that I have had to just give up trying to pump gas because it was too sensitive. Usually easing off the flow rate works, but it's the way TOYOTA angled the filler neck causes the gas pump to pop really easily.

Hi,

Taking this to heart. About to buy all the other parts I haven't bought yet.

However, I can't seem to find the "fuel pump kit (Denso) 950-0100" on mcgeorge parts.

Is this sourced from somewhere else?

Never mind, found it!

I got it from Parts Geek.

1992-2002 Toyota 4Runner Fuel Pump - Denso 950-0100 - - PartsGeek.com

Last night I ordered the remaining parts that I was going to skate by on. $700 later, I am on the road to another 200k of miles and not have to worry about it.

I'm like you, buy once and cry once. It hurts but nothing worse than continuously chasing gremlins. Not worth the time. I'm shooting for complete OEM replacement of all maintenance items on this truck so why stop now.

Whats funny is that I've only driven it 5 miles since I bought it late last year... Spending the winter refreshing it..

Kudos to removing the rear mounted charcoal cannister in one piece without trashing it. Last time I had to remove one I said forget it and got out some big cutters and starting chopping stuff to pieces.

I'm guessing it was most likely your charcoal canister rather than the check valve gasket. If the gasket were bad you would smell gas every time you filled up. Side note, replacing the charcoal canister and not the gasket at the same time would most likely result in that gasket failing shortly after. So it's a good thing you replaced the gasket during this process.

Also, there are a couple different part numbers for the rear charcoal canister, and it's important that you match the correct one to your vehicle. If you use the incorrect one you'll have a hard time starting it the first time after filling up, and it will progressively get worse.

Mike