P0442 w/ fuel smell at rear of the 4Runner

[HvacTim]

This write up might help you to resolve the symptoms below for the 3rd generation Toyota 4Runner. Hopefully you’ll be able to resolve this issue faster than I have, & save $$$ in the process.

My car: 2001 Toyota 4Runner, 3.4L SR5, Automatic, engine: 5VZ-FE, odometer 130K.

Symptoms:- 4Runner fuel / gas smell rear of the vehicle
- Code P0442 : small evap leak (intermittent)
- Check engine, vsc, trac lights ON

Disclaimer:
1) You will be responsible for your own work. I will not be responsible for you or your car if you attempt to do the following repairs on your own.
2) If you choose to use a repair shop to diagnose your car, understand that independent shops or dealerships are not perfect. They will not be able to pin point your small leak P0442 every time. If they do diagnostics and repairs, they need to be paid for their labor and living cost. You don’t work for free, so don’t expect to get free repair/labor when they spend time on your car. Once you find a good mechanic, stay with him/her.

Items tried:
- Replaced fuel tank cap. Result: no help.
- 1st smoke test at a trusted independent shop : showed smoke at the VSV valve on the charcoal canister
-- Replaced charcoal canister [p/n: 77740-35482, $342.66]. Results: fuel smell improved but still has code P0442 intermittently.
- 2nd smoke test: no findings anywhere in the EVAP system.
-- The independent repair shop recommended the fuel tank pump gasket and the fuel sender replaced, but indicated these may not fix the issue. I elected to replace the parts. Result: No improvement.
- Finally I researched on the web and found the 4Runner has issues with the fuel tank check valve (also called overfill valve) which often leaks by.
-- Bought the check valve [p/n: valve 77390-35010,$64.88] and gasket 77177-33010 ($14.16)] from a local Toyota dealer, dropped the fuel tank myself, replaced the parts, then confirmed the parts fixed code P0442 with a scanned Evap test result after 1 week. The gas smell is also gone.

 

[Widget23]

This is exactly the same issue I am having on our 2001.

Question - can you see the fuel tank check valve from the access port under the rear seat (driver's side)?

 

[RUGGED Elegance]

Thank you for this information! I to replaced my gas cap and charcoal canister. I'll be purchasing these parts soon.

 

[HvacTim]

This is exactly the same issue I am having on our 2001.

Question - can you see the fuel tank check valve from the access port under the rear seat (driver's side)?

I don't think you can see it from the access door under the seat. If you do, the top is circular & black, about 3" in diameter. You'll need to drop the tank to replace this valve. I tried leaving the fuel tank partially dropped to pull the valve but it was too tough to do. Besides the valve is long so you'll need good clearance on top of the fuel tank.

 

[Jhelms]

Same thing started to happen to my 01 sr5. Except no engine light, but I am getting a code on my ultra gauge. I can smell fuel at the back of the car but cannot find a leak. Will try this first as I plan to replace the fuel pump anyways Awesome thread and THANK YOU for the P/N's!!!

 

[AZBub]

I think there needs to be a master p0442 tips, tricks, repair posting. Seems this is a common code for us. My p0442 was clear by JB weld around the charcoal can seam....after I spent a bunch of money on VSVs and a Toyota gas cap.

 

[Jhelms]

I think there needs to be a master p0442 tips, tricks, repair posting. Seems this is a common code for us. My p0442 was clear by JB weld around the charcoal can seam....after I spent a bunch of money on VSVs and a Toyota gas cap.

Would be a good one to post.

I ordered all the above parts from camelback plus fuel pump assembly gasket PN 7716960010. Since I will have the tank down, I will be doing the fuel pump with a denso factory replacement (fraction of the cost of OE denso) P/N: DENSO 950-0100

Seems this check valve is VERY common speaking with the parts guys, so much so, they keep several in stock. Since I had the fuel pump to do in my 02 as well as general maintenance, I went ahead and bought a new check valve and gasket for it. Better to do it all at once while the tank is down. Will take a detailed look at the canisters - any photos of where yours leaked AZBUB? Was your car original Az? Rust issues?

 

[AZBub]

my vapor can is under the hood. I think the newer 3G's were under the rear part of truck. It had hairline cracks on a corner by seam so I JB welded the cracks and entire seam since it's the weakest link.

My truck came off a boat in Cali, went to Colorado for 4 years then spent the rest of its life in Chandler. nice and clean underside.

UPDATE. the 9v was used to check the VSVs. if they click when hit with electricity they are fine, thats how I found out my old one was perfectly fine :-/

 

[Jhelms]

Good stuff and photo! And yes, the 01-02 are in the rear of the car. Will check them out in detail - never know!

 

[AZPartsGuy]

Hey Guys!

I recently had to fix my CEL with the same codes on my 2001 SR5. I had P0440, P0441, and P0446. My symptoms were exactly as the OP describes. Raw gas smell on a hot day from rear of vehicle.

I had checked all the emissions hoses (caked in dirt but good), I applied 9v power to all 3 VSVs, checked that the canister was not flooded from an overfill, everything seemed fine. Threw in the towel, had it diagnosed by a local shop. They pressurized the system and ran a smoke test and came up with the exact same cause: roll-over valve on fuel tank. Had the work done for $350 and I am in the clear.

I hope the information in this thread will prove useful to future 4Runner owners, all the information I got from the forum to perform the above tests was invaluable.

 

[AZBub]

Subscribed for future reference.

 

[Jhelms]

Photos of how to drop the tank and of the valve in question on this page:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/193922-my-4gunner-restore-refurb-re-work-6.html

 

[stir_fry_boy]

For me, the canister was the problem. Bought my 02' with 110k and it had the CEL on.

First, I replaced the gas cap, problem returned. P0442

Second I replaced the VSV by the canister, problem remained. P0442

Third, I dropped the fuel tank and replaced all gaskets and valves. ~$125 in parts. The problem continued, this time with P0441 (small leak).

I finally gave up and took it to the dealer to have it smoke tested. They couldn't find the problem. Never any fuel smell. Dealer suggested to replace charcoal canister which was $450 just for the canister. They told me they can leak within themselves, and you will never see any smoke when testing it.

I found a slightly used one through car-part.com with 30k miles out of VA that was $50. Replaced the canister, haven't had a problem since. Don't buy a new canister if you don't have to. $350-$450 is crazy.

My advice is to diagnose then replace. Don't just throw parts at your truck and cross your fingers.

People should not be intimidated by dropping the gas tank. Run the truck until near empty, then drop. It took me 2 hours to drop the tank and replace the gaskets and valves. Pretty straightforward. Best to have some help to put the tank back up.

 

[cotto4]

Thank you! Very helpful. I've been trying to figure out the smell for the past year. I think this might do the trick