I have a 1998 lexus sc300 in great condition and well maintained. Recently my check engine light came on. So I went to autozone to get a diagnostic and the results were troubleshooting codes P0441 and P0446. The probable cause for P0441 says it could due to either block vapor canister, vent solenoid malfunction, or purge solenoid malfunction. And for P0446 says it could be an open or short circuit condition, poor electrical connection, or faulty vent solenoid. I took my ride to the shop and they were unable to find out what the issue is. If anyone has any suggestions, tips, or knows a way to find out the cause of this please let me know. Thank you

 

Anyone have an exact answer/solution to this? Did a search, all talk about posibilty, could be this and that. No sure answer

 

I know it sounds ridiculous, but did you start with the gas cap? when i worked scanning 5-20 cars a day i realized like 90% of the codes that popped up involved with evap systems were always gas caps.

 

Ya done that. Even check for loose hose. Happen before on my old is300.

 

Isn't smoke test pricey? Anyone know a price? Found this


Most common is a stuck open purge solenoid. Should be normally closed. If theres little black bits in the line then your canister is breaking up and causing the purge solenoid to get jammed open. Then you need to fix that too or it will keep happening.

 

^^Pep Boys will do a smoke test, dont know if it's free though. Or, buy the entire smoke machine.

 

ya im staying away from that place.

been reading online, most common is vacuum solenoid valves. is this it? part 77740N ?

 

sometimes they just trip, try resetting the codes and see if they come back.
if they do you may have a damaged canister. I don' think vsv's go out that often but you could try that or test it.

 

Wassup everyone! Sorry about the delayed response. Was offline for a few days. But I wanna thank everyone for all the help and expert information. I really appreciate it. I will take these suggestions into consideration to further troubleshoot this issue.

Yes of course. I always make sure my gas cap is closed securely after filling up every time. Is it possible my gas cap may need to be replaced?

I did check for loose hoses base on the ones that were visible. However I will see if I can have my mechanic check every single hose I wasn't able to access.

I had a feeling it was charcoal canister. Thanks for that suggestion. I will see what I can do about getting that smoke test done.

I did try resetting and it came back with the same codes. So if this is the case I'm hoping replacing the entire canister will resolve this issue.


Haha I don't blame you. Pep Boys is a pretty expensive place. They were trying to charge my friend almost $2000 just to replace brake pads and rotors, LOL! But yeah man thanks for this chart diagram. This will definitely come in handy. I was having trouble finding the location of the canister. The guy at autozone said the same thing. He said its a vacuum hose issue.

 

Any update; working on my daughter's 2000 RX300 with P0440 and P0446 (along with P0128)? Need to pass Texas inspection at the end of the month.

Update (next day) -- replaced replaced coolant and thermostat. New gas cap (non-OEM). Replaced air filter (checked for loose fittings on hoses). Reset Codes; drove 60 miles; no CEL -- Passed Inspections.