so i know this topic is beaten like a dead horse, but ill ask anyway. got the cel 0442 evap system leak, before the light came on i thought i smelled gas, now when i start my truck and drive, about 3minutes into it i smell gas for a short time then it goes away. gas cap? has anyone smelled gas when the cel is on?

 

It could be a bad/loose or missing gas cap. Or vent hoses. Just check it out.

 

i have been sick as a dog so i finally got a chance yesterday to look at it. i stopped at my dodge dealer(my buddy is a master tech there) i told him i had the 442. he said they can hook up a smoke machine to find the leak, but most time dont need to. he said 90% of the time 0442 is caused by the hose that attaches to the fitting where they hook up the smoke. sure enough, i open my hood and there is my cracked hose right at the fitting. it is a 5/16 rubber hose about 8 inches long that connects the hard line from the fuel tank to the canister. common problem because of the engine heat i guess.

 

I had a similar code, P0441 a few months ago. I didn't smell any gas from it though. If you are smelling gas there has to be a big leak somewhere. Check the hoses at the evap canister under the driver's side of the truck. They are known to crack and deteriorate. You could have a bad gas cap, they are cheap enough to replace. The charcoal canister itself may be bad too, especially if you have been "topping off" the fuel after the pump shuts off. You can check all the emissions hoses under the hood for cracks and splits too.

I replaced all of the emissions hoses in my engine compartment, except for one large one that has to come from the dealer. I used 8 feet of fuel line hose from Advance. I also had to replace my evap leak detection pump to get rid of my P0441 code, but that was because it most likely was damaged in an accident I had back in March. I fixed it all in April and the code has not come back since.

Jimmy

 

if you haven't got the gas cap already, you can get it at any auto store for $10-20, no dealer bs. i had a medium evap leak and this fixed it.