1997 850 GLT: Check engine light

silver850 · Post by **silver850** » 09 Oct 2010, 06:37

My check engine light stays on all the time. I have had the car looked at by Volvo as well as a neighborhood garage. Both have gotten the same code( Very small air leak ) and both have smoked the system. Initally they found about 1 inch of line missing where a varmit had eaten it. After the repair the light came back on and insist on staying on even after being cleared several times. Volvo's answer is to start replacing sensors til it stays off. My guess is that perhaps a small piece has gone thru the line and jamed in one of the sensors. Question. If this makes sense, which is the most likely sensor and could it be taken off and cleaned? Thanks in advance, great forum.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 09 Oct 2010, 08:19

What is the code number? The smoke test should have found the leaks but it may be an evap line before the purge valve (back to the gas tank) or even a bad gas cap gasket.

...Lee

silver850 · Post by **silver850** » 09 Oct 2010, 14:03

I don't recall the specific code. Both garages said a very small air leak. Can't really say if anyone else checked the gas cap but it is the first thing I check if the CE light comes on, so I have ruled that out. The Volvo folks seemed to want to just start replacing the valves one at a time til it was fixed. Isn't there some way to check them?

Post by **JRL** » 09 Oct 2010, 15:29

You will not get an educated answer without posting the code

silver850 · Post by **silver850** » 21 Oct 2010, 11:26

I bought a code reader so that I could read the code. It gives me a P0442 ( EVAP Emission Control System Leak ( Small ). Anybody have any Ideas?

Post by **jblackburn** » 21 Oct 2010, 11:31

Start your search at the charcoal canister. It is either just in front of the front wheel on the drivers side of the car - accessible from the bottom, or up in front of the rear passenger side wheel. Look closely at all the hoses attached to it - the "J-hose" is the common failure point on these cars.

silver850 · Post by **silver850** » 21 Oct 2010, 11:41

Thanks. I'll give it a look when I get time.

Post by **jreed** » 22 Oct 2010, 04:35

I've got a '97 855 GLT and I had the same problem with that code last year. I found that the two hoses (one on each side) on the roll over valve had been nibbled and chewed through by a squirrel or some other creature. The roll over valve is located (on the '97 GLT) right next to the fuel filter on the rear passenger side.
Once I replaced those two hoses and cleared the check engine light, it has been working well (at least, the check engine light hasn't come back on). If the dealer only replaced one of the hoses, you might want to look carefully at the other to make sure it doesn't have damage too.
Good luck!

Post by **phils94850** » 22 Oct 2010, 06:39

as they stated check the hoses going to your evap can, i had a problem with my 95 850 same code and it was the gas cap. When you remove your cap do you hear air exhausting out ? if not, then you probably have a bad cap thats not sealing and causing the code..

silver850 · Post by **silver850** » 26 Oct 2010, 07:36

Thanks for all the feed back. As it happens, following my checking the code and clearing the code, It hasn't reappeared!!!!! My guess is that it was either a bit of trash or in the process of replacing a brake controler I reset some evap lines and fixed it. Go figure. Never look a gift horse in the mouth!!!!! Thanks all.