My check engine light went off last month and when I had it looked at my dealership they said it was due to the seal where the gas cap locks into I believe. Anyway, a week later my light went off again and now they are saying it is the charcoal cannister which I found out is very expensive. Here are my two questions. First of all, can I get this part replaced and installed at a non-dealership? My second question is since they reset my check engine light, it came back on a few days later for two days and then turned off completely. Should the light have turned off on its own? Should I be concerned that it is no longer on? It just makes me wonder if they diagnosed this issue correctly or not. If anyone has any thoughts on this, I would appreciate any comments.
there are many reasons the cel can come on and some of those reason can fix themselves. it could be that leaving the cap unsecured caused problems w/ the canaster. you can get a second opinion.
I'm wondering if the OP is overfilling the tank, like trying to get as much gas in the filler neck as possible which is causing the issue with the cannister?
I am also thinking the OP is overfilling the tank by trying to squeeze in every last drop that will stay pooled in the filler neck.
I actually never add to the tank. Once I am alerted that the tank is filled, I remove the gas dispenser right away. As I said, I didn't expect the check engine light to turn off the second time. I thought you had to intentionally reset it to off. But I am concerned now about the diagnosis they gave me and if the charcoal filter really is the problem since the dealership didn't make that diagnosis the first time.
if the car is running okay, i would ignore it until a future problem. wouldn't hurt to have another dealer or a good shoppe look at it.
