Hi you guys. On November 23rd I took my 2000 Camry (126k miles) to Big Als because after getting my engine light checked at Oreilly' s, a 0440 code came up for an evap leak. My last car had an evap leak so I didn't freak out because I know what it is.

When I took my car to Big Als they did the smoke test to determine if there was a leak and found that the the purge solenoid hose had a small leak. They fixed that. The mechanic also told me my car had a lot of carbon build up and I needed a fuel system cleaner so I went ahead and got that.

When I came to pick up my car, the mechanic told me that since I got the fuel system cleaner that it will be completely normal for my engine light to possibly cut on and off. He told me that if it stays on then to bring it back in a week and they will manually reset it.

ok so I have horrible anxiety lol. I'm thinking and thinking and hoping the car is ok. When I left the shop that day the engine light stayed out from Friday afternoon all the way until Monday afternoon, 3 days later, then it came back on. I took the car to the shop I bought it from so they could repair my seat ( it would not adjust but they fixed it) .I asked them to check the engine light to make sure it was the same code. They checked it and then guy who fixed the seat said "yes it's the same code and you actually had another code come up for a purge. He then told me with the services I got at big als, that it will be on for a while and he basically said to me what they said....so you guys since I have horrible anxiety...is this normal? The car runs fine. I just have anxiety and keep overthinking because I took out a car loan to get this car and I got rid of my other toyota camry two weeks ago because it was giving me major problems. Oh yeah, and the guy who fixed my seat at the shop reset it again ( I didn't want him to). He told me it will probably come back on again.

has anyone experienced this? Sorry my anxiety is at an all time high because I don't want to spend more money on this issue.

 

This a common code. This code means there is problem with the cars EVAP system.

For environmental reasons the cars fuel tank system is sealed from air leaks to keep the fuel vapors inside the EVAP system and not let out into the atmosphere. The vapors are stored in the EVAP system then eventually sent to the engine to be burned. The computer determines when to burn the vapors. The computer then opens the purge valve to route the vapors into the engine.

The EVAP system uses something called an vapor pressure sensor to check the pressure inside the EVAP system. If the pressure inside the EVAP system is the same as the pressure outside it could mean there is a air (not fuel) leak. The P0440 code is then set.

The issue could be an air leak in the EVAP system, typically a failed hose, gas cap leak, loose gas cap or a crack in the container that stores the vapors. The vapor pressure sensor could have failed.

The shop did a "smoke" test to try to determine the location of the leak.

The shop most likely reset the engine computer which cleared the code(s) and turned off the check light. The computer continuously monitors the EVAP system via self checks. These checks can take more than one drive to complete which is why if the problem was not fixed t may take 3 days for the light to come back on. If the problem is not fixed, resetting the computer will just have the check light off until the computer detects the problem again.

Have the shop check the code(s) again for free. If its the same codes the shop needs to fix the problem. There are only so many issues that can cause the P0440 and these are well documented in the Toyota shop manual.

The car OK to drive and many owners have done so for a long time. The only issue is the car would not pass a smog test because the check light is on.

I doubt fuel system cleaning will cause this code. From experience if the car was running OK fuel cleaning was most likely not needed.

 

hi Toyomoho. The mechanic said there was a lot of carbon build up (I think that's what I remember him saying) and that it needed to be cleaned. He did tell me to give it a week. I'll probably go back to him on Friday or wait until Monday to see if the light goes out. He did say they might have to manually reset it.

there's probably another leak somewhere and like you stated, I might need to go back.

 

The car is OK to drive until you can get the issue resolved.

Make sure the gas cap seal is clean and cap tightened.

 

Thanks. I called the shop on my lunch break and they told me to bring it in so they can look at it some more. When I get home I'm gonna examine the gas cap and make sure it's on tight enough and that it's clean. Thanks again! I might come back with an update because it might help someone else in the future.

 

So I dropped the car off last week on Friday and went to work. They called me and told me my gas cap was on too loose. I was a bit skeptic and told them ok. They said they tightened it and told me they reset the codes again and that the gas cap was most likely the problem. Since then the light has not been on. I got gas on Sunday and made sure it was very tight and I screwed it until it made that clicking noise and still no light so I guess they were right.

 

Great job!

When installing the gas cap, always tighten it until it starts to click.

Post back if the light comes back on.