Signs of a Bad Evaporative Leak Detection Pump

The evaporative leak detection pump is a key component of your car’s emission control system. The emission control system is very important for minimizing your car’s pollutants, as well as keeping it running efficiently. Your evaporative leak detection pump needs to be in good operating condition at all times.

What the evaporative leak detection pump is and what it does

Your car’s emissions control system is primarily concerned with minimizing the amounts of harmful pollutants that come out of your tailpipe, from the fuel that has been burned in your engine. But it has another important mission: to keep the gasoline vapors from the fuel stored in your gas tank from escaping into the atmosphere, where they react with sunlight to create photochemical smog.

To achieve this goal, your car is equipped with an Evaporative Emissions Control System, which is designed to keep all gas vapors contained within the fuel system. A key part of the Evaporative Emissions Control System is the evaporative leak detection pump. By pressurizing the fuel system, the evaporative leak detection pump allows the engine computer to detect any leaks which may be permitting gas vapors to escape. When a leak is detected, the Check Engine Light on your dashboard will illuminate, and a trouble code will be stored in the computer’s memory.

Symptoms of a bad evaporative leak detection pump

A problem with your evaporative leak detection pump can be a serious issue. Because your evaporative leak detection pump is an important part of your car’s emission control system, your ability to keep your vehicle smog-legal can be affected.

A bad evaporative leak detection pump can cause your vehicle to fail a smog test. Many factors can cause a bad evaporative leak detection pump, but there is a single warning sign of a bad evaporative leak detection pump:

• Your Check Engine Light illuminates

Repairing a bad evaporative leak detection pump

While failing a smog test is a serious enough problem, the real danger from a bad evaporative leak detection pump is the possibility that your car can be creating harmful smog due to the gas vapors escaping from the vehicle.

Your mechanic will access and thoroughly inspect the evaporative leak detection pump, along with the rest of the Evaporative Emissions Control System. If the Check Engine Light has lit up and thrown a trouble code, a diagnostic check with a code scanner can pinpoint the general cause of the problem.

If the cause is a bad evaporative leak detection pump, the bad one can be removed from your car, and then replaced with a new evaporative leak detection pump. Based on the condition of the entire Evaporative Emissions Control System, your mechanic may also recommend replacing some of those components as well. Once repairs are made, another scan with the code reader should verify that the problem has been solved.

Repairing a bad evaporative leak detection pump

Unless you have had extensive experience in working with automotive emission control systems, as well as detecting leaks, leave this to the professionals! The proper repair of a bad evaporative leak detection pump involves a thorough understanding of how the various computer controlled and monitored components in the Evaporative Emissions Control System interact with each other. The evaporative leak detection pump itself is often located in a difficult-to-access location and may require the removal of some or all of the car’s exhaust system.

A thorough knowledge of diagnosing this system with a scan tool is also necessary – a trouble code can be just the beginning of figuring out the precise cause of an emissions-related problem! Your mechanic has the experience, the proper tools, and the diagnostic equipment to replace your evaporative leak detection pump safely and cost-effectively.