mdtobe

I just picked up my Jeep from my mechanic and when I started it the Check Engine light was on. Checked the codes and it was throwing a P0443 (Evaporative Emissions Purge Solenoid) Code. It was after hours when I picked up the Jeep so I couldn't talk to my mechanic about this. Among the things he did was to replace two of the brake lines and their paths run along side of the two evaporative lines that come from the Evaporative Emissions Purge Solenoid. I'm wondering if he accidentally dislodged something. As far as I could trace in the firewall area, the two lines are okay. And the Evaporative Emissions Purge Solenoid is clicking as it should when the engine is running. I cleared the code, restarted the engine and within 5 minutes the code came back. SO frustrating. Does anyone have any ideas? The gas cap was replaced within the past year or so and is on tight. The Jeep is running fine. But that Check Engine light is still on.

awg

I would probably be inclined to see if the mechanic can be convinced to resolve this issue as re-work

mdtobe

Yes, I am about to call him and leave a message.

But there are logistical issues with taking it back to the shop. It's a great family owned shop and they've been my go-to mechanics for nearly 20 years. But due to Covid they're down to just the two brothers doing all the mechanical work and minding the office, so they are not answering the phone. Customers just leave a message and wait for a call back (which they do in the late afternoon or evening after working on the cars all day). And one then drops off the vehicle and returns later when its done (no entering the building and waiting for a minor job to be complete, though maybe for this they would make an exception). And since the shop is seven miles from my house I have to have my wife drive along with me to drop the Jeep off and then also to pick it up.

But the main issue is, I need the Jeep right now. My very large Alaskan Malamute has a Carcinoma tumor on his prostate. It's treatable but it will require a weekly trip down to University Illinois Veterinary School Hospital in Champaign/Urbana (127 miles each way). He has developed severe hind leg weakness (likely/hopefully due to the tumor) and it is very hard and painful for him to get into my sedan's back seat, but he is able (with a rear harness assistance) to climb the collapsible stairs we have for him into the back of the Jeep (and with the rear seat completely removed he has plenty of space to be comfortable for the long drive).

I already postponed his first treatment by a week due to the original repair. Didn't mention this in my original post but the catastrophic brake failure that made the repair job necessary occurred when Samson and I were on our way back from his initial consultation with the Oncologist at the U of I Vet Hospital. We were 115 miles from home when the Left Front Brake Rotor broke apart. And I quickly discovered that the rear brakes weren't working either. Exciting..






Best wishes,

John

mdtobe

Just remembered, I also had them replace the heater blower motor - and to do that one needs to at least manipulate if not remove the Purge Solenoid and the associated EVAP lines. I'm sure this is the cause of that code. I'll look around for anything amiss again in the light of day today. But I don't understand why I would continue to get the code when the Solenoid is clicking as it should when the engine is running.

awg

I would ring and leave a message saying when you picked the car up, the CEL light was on, what the OBD2 code is and ask for them to call you

In the meanwhile, just keep driving it

You may wish to consult the FSM regarding diagnosing this fault, which could mean wiring, high resistance, vacuum line, or solenoid faults

Its a bit of a tricky one for the homey to suss out, and would require careful inspection, measurement, and possibly replacing parts

mdtobe

Thanks for the input and suggestions. I did leave a message yesterday with my mechanics, but now I might need to leave an updated one because as of now I was able to clear the P0443 code and it hasn't returned yet (but I only had the engine running for about 15 minutes after clearing the could so who knows). Also, while in the process of clearing that code, two more codes popped up (though the check engine light did not come on!). P1694 and P0700. Both of these point to possible ECU issues, but I think they were anomalies due to the fact that I've got to clean up my electrical grounding points in the engine compartment. I know this because I have issues with the door locks not having quite enough power to cycle the locks, and the radio and its display intermittently disappear. From other posts I've read these are signs of bad grounds. These two additional codes cleared and didn't come back for the 15 minutes I drove the Jeep around. And it's running fine. Well, almost perfect. The only thing I noticed was that if I hold it at around 1500 to 2000 RPM for a bit (in Park) then let off the gas the engine drops down to around 400 RPM for a few seconds before recovering up to normal idle speed. Other than that, no issues.

Can't remember if I mentioned this, but I realized, that it wasn't just the new brake lines that had my mechanic working in the vicinity of the Purge Solenoid. He also replaced my Blower Motor, which probably required the movement or removal of the Purge Solenoid to get to. No matter, if the thing keeps working now.

Last thing I noticed yesterday: When I cleared the code and it did not return for those 15 minutes I tested it, I noticed that under the hood, the Purge Solenoid was NOT clicking as it normally does. The engine was fully warmed up. Should it have been clicking? Or does it just click intermittently?

doublechaz

Your radio etc issue sounds just like when one of my battery cables was failed with green rot just inside the insulation from the battery terminal. Worth a look.

mdtobe

Thank you for that info! I'll buy new battery cables - the ones on it are the originals.