Hi All,

I recently have had a DTC 0442 code get thrown. At first I was freaked out... but found out it was a leak in the evap system. This is the second time this has happened in about 2 months.

I cleared it the first time... and it has been several tanks of gas, and a little over a month since it first occured.

The light seems to come on when I am a little under 1/2 tank of gas. And it always seems to come on within the first few minutes of starting the truck.

I searched the FAQ and found that some known fixes are:

Evap codes 442 & 445:
1) fix was split vacuum line at the top of the gas tank.
2) new gas cap.

I'm hesitant to think it is the gas cap, since I recently purchased a locking gas cap about 6 months ago. I guess it could be "bad", but I would have thought this problem would have occured before now.

Maybe I just got some attendand that didn't put the cap back on all the way (I live in Oregon, I can't pump my own gas )... It just seems odd that occured twice within such a short ammount of time.

Has anyone else fought this problem? How frequently did you have the light come on after you cleared it? I'm trying to assess if this really is problem. I'm inclined to clear the code and see how long it take for it to reappear.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Cartman

 

P0442 is a small leak.
It can be caused by any leak in the fuel system.
Small leaks are the hardest to find. A bad or loose gas cap is most common, followed by loose or cracked vacuum hoses. I've also seen bad Leak Detection pumps, purge solenoids and cracked vapour canisters cause leaks.
I've had problems with locking caps before. try reinstalling the original.

 

Attached are two pictures of the failure...

The hose was badly cracked at the LDP. I need to replace the hoses and see what happens. I'm guessing it will be fixed. And in case anyone happens acrossed this in the future - it takes two consecutive failures to trip the 0442. Three consecutive "good" trips will clear it (but I used my Superchips)

Cartman



[IMG]local://upfiles/70685/75134FED455842F2BCDCBD11E6F85B9C.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/70685/8D51BEACC9A344C3AF28FFEDDCA7DF52.jpg[/IMG]

 

You can replace that hose as it might be the problem, but I'd check your gas cap first.

As the gas goes down in the tank there is a vacuum that gets created in the tank, which is why in a good functioning cap you get that WHOOSH when you crack it open at the pump.

 

I replaced the hose thinking for damn sure that would fix the problem. Well, that was not the case. After two trips - the CEL came on again. [:@]

So, I dug out the old factory gas cap and compared it to the locking gas cap. It appears to have a much better sealing surface than the locking cap. It actually looks like the locking cap somehow lost a rubber o-ring or something. It had to have... because the cap seemed to work fine for the first 6 months.

Installed the factory gas cap and all is well. Live and learn I guess... I'll see if I can find a way to make a better seal for my locking cap. I'd hate to be a source of free fuel for some meth heads. [8D]

Cartman

 

Well... turns out the gas cap was not the source of the leak after all. The check engine light continues to come on.

After looking around and reading a lot of different internet posts - it seems like there are quite a few people that have had cracked hoses at the EVAP canister under the cab. Well... I decided to pull this down and take a look. Sure enough... two hoses there were cracking.

WTF is wrong with Dodge? Do they not use fuel rated hoses for their evap systems? My truck only has 60K miles on it... and these hoses are the worst I have EVER seen on any vehicle. This seems like a never ending battle... starting to **** me off.

I guess I should be glad that this isn't a bust *** LDP - which seems to be another "common" failure mode for this code. I shouldn't jynx myself though... it might happen after I fix all the other hoses. [:@]

So... does anyone know where to get some pre-formed replacement hoses? I called the dealer... wanted almost 200 bucks for an entire new set of hoses for the EVAP system. I don't think so... especially if they suck as bad as the set that is on there currently.

Does anyone know of a place that sells decent hose kits? I'm tempted just to go to Napa or Autozone and buy generic fuel line and go to work. It won't have the nice tight preformed bends... but it might actually last.

Cartman

 

Go with the Napa / Autozone hoses. How hard can it be to run the hoses. Crawl under your truck for a while. Just dont break the connectors.

Jeff

 

Well... that is the route I went. So far - so good. I did not replace every single hose in the EVAP system, but at least I got the ones I could get to easily.

One of the hoses I got from Autozone seemed a little smaller that the previous hose, and I was having a bitch of a time getting in on. I was fearing I might break the connector, when I had a flash of genious.I wanted to use something to lube up the hose to make it easy to get on. I thought vaseline - but that will destroy rubber. So - I opted for a water basedlubricant.It worked awesome! Those hose slipped on easily and I don't have to worry about it destroying the hose. I'm sure I'll have some explaining to do the next time someone digs through my toolbox and see a tube of KY. [:-]

Cartman