Evap Leak? Not my week for car repair.

[Thordic]

Well not only am I getting a busted cat replaced that's gonna put a dent in my wallet, but my car is also putting out a code for an evap leak.

The code popped up last week and my mechanic replaced the gas cap, hoping it was a simple problem because he felt the gas cap was a little loose. But the light came back on again, and the gas cap is new and tight now. But you still get a slight smell of gas every once in a while near the car, especially after a fill. Nothing strong, just a very slight odor.

I don't really know how the evap system works but apparently theres a bunch of solenoids and its rather labor intensive to identify where the leak is, and my mechanic said it'd be fairly expensive and somewhat unnecessary at this point (I just passed inspection recently so I have like 2 years before that becomes an issue).

Is there anything else it could be? I've heard of people have problems in NJ due to gas station attendents propensity to overfill tanks, and that causes damage.

It just annoys me that in one week I suddenly have potentially over a grand of work to get done to my car that has nothing to do with anything but passing inspection.

 

[streethorse]

If you didnt do this allready, check all the conection points around the
fuel filter for any signs of a leak, or if its been a while, change it.

 

[Mike97gt]

the first thing I check when I am doing a evap leak is the filler neck, check where the cap mates to the neck sometimes they crack right there. Also check the rest of the neck down to the tank..

other common evap problems include..

bad VMV ( vapor management valve)
faulty o-rings
broken or damaged lines
seals and connections at the top of the tank. ( since you notice it more after fillup I would check the filler neck and this first)