Vapor Canister Rebuild - 87 Fifth Avenue

[Justwondering]

For this fall, my big event is to rebuild/rehab the vapor canister.
I've found several links for similar activities, although not exactly the same canister.

http://jeep.smallcraft.net/canister/

http://www.montecarloss.com/community/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=924104

Follow along as I attempt a frame off restoration on a 71 (Pics) - CorvetteForum - Chevrolet Corvette Forum Discussion

Vapor Canister Rebuild - A new how to - International Full Size Jeep Association

http://www.ifsja.org/forums/vb/showthread.php?t=106051

I'll post pictures as I get this project underway.
And yes, the radiator overflow bottle also has a hole in the side of it ... doo-da doo-da.

JW

 

[Justwondering]

So we spent all day today doing the doctor thing...
1 hour to get ready
2 hours to drive there in the rain
1 hour visit
1 hour lunch sitting in the parking lot at a steak and shake (hubby's preference from being in Illinois when he was learning what a hamburger should be... lol ... not a what-a-burger guy .. sigh)
2 hours to drive back in the rain
30 minutes to get into and out of Best Buy -- no micro usb wifi adapters
1 hour to get into and out of Walmart --- no micro usb wifi adapter , so I had to search high and low for a netgear with attenna, more m&m's to celebrate the excellent doctor visit, and two small Poinsettas for him cause he needs something pretty in his greenhouse this winter

And on the last 30 minutes of the drive home, Mister asks me if the Chrysler is ready to drive yet?
I just laughed out loud....
Nope... spent the day today doing the doctor thing, just couldn't seem to work in enough time to rehab the vapor canister and reconnect the lines.... lol ... too funny.

Told him, my magic is strong, but not that strong.

JW
(Aspen500 -- I'm not feeling the love with all this wet drippy weather, dude).

 

[XfbodyX]

micro usb wifi adapter

$7 on ebay

Mini / micro Wireless N 150mbps USB Wifi Adapter LAN Network Adapter 802.11n/g/b 741005415702 | eBay

 

[Justwondering]

Never one to waste a good opportunity to take something apart ....

Vapor canister

When it fails, these carbon pellets get pushed into the carb and stop it right up.
Makes you have a 'no fuel' condition, and the car (5th avenue) won't run.

After sawing on this with a straight blade saw, I grew weary of the excellent fun I was having.
Moved onto to using a dremel.

Put down a black trash bag..
Then poured out as much of the pellets as I could (shake shake pour shake shake pour)
Laid down one of my good gloves so the canister wouldn't roll.
Used the masking tape to guess a cutting line.
NOTE: You should have a cutting line about 2 inches up. Mine was more like 1 inch. I just barely cleared the bottom grating.

Hold the dremel and pull it away from you as you cut through the wall.
The curve of the canister makes it want to wander.
You don't want that dremel pulling toward you and wandering into your belly.

 

[Justwondering]

This is the canister as it pulls apart at the base.

Inside you see this bottom grating.
The good lord was looking over my shoulder, I was cutting just barely above it. Whew.

The guts are pellets and two metal plates with obvious issues of foam failing.

Here is the working end of the canister.

The tube you saw in the earlier picture sticks in the hole in the center of this end.

 

[Justwondering]

My thought was to save another trip to town and just reuse the guts of the water carbon filter.

Used a utility knife to cut off the outside.
yes the carbon has been setting out in the weather for about three months.

its looking like this isn't going to pan out. I'm not seeing any 'crystals or pellets'.
How the heck is this made?

After putting it on the ground and having my brother wack it with a sledge several times, the carbon filter split in two.

No love.

This is not going to help me.

For inquiring minds, apparently they wind paper around a pipe and put it in a low oxygen kiln to burn slow which makes it become carbon.
So while it helps to have it not be in pellets so when it fails it doesn't kill your water system, it is of absolutely no help for me and my vapor canister.

 

[Justwondering]

Gotta go to the dentist tomorrow, so I'll swing by the pet store and see if they have carbon from fish tanks that I can use.

I'm just needing to add a bit more back into the canister. I have over half of the old pellets left that I could reuse.

JW

 

[R.W.Dale]

I really appreciate trying to figure out and fix something even if it is an appendix of auto parts.

I’ve wondered how effective the EVAP system on a 30 plus year old car typically is. Apparently not very

 

[BudW]

The charcoal is there to absorb and store the fuel vapors from carburetor (bowl) and from fuel tank, then release those vapors into the carburetor (base) when commanded (by the computer).

To be honest, I've never cut into one and thought the charcoal was in larger pellets.
The older charcoal canisters have a replaceable filter on bottom of the canister, but the newer (FMJ's) do not (its, more or less, sealed).

Sense there is no pressure or fluid movement (per se), I don't see how the charcoal can get sucked into the carburetor.
Now of liquid gasoline was getting into charcoal canister, then I can. What you cut into appeared to be “dry”.

If nothing else, I could see someone installing a fuel filter to keep “stuff” out, on the line going to carburetor base, maybe.
BudW

 

[Aspen500]

However it does it, the charcoal can get in the fuel bowl when the canister fails. Only thing I can think of is, the fuel bowl must get a slight vacuum on it at times and suck the stuff up the hose. Kind of a lame theory but it's all I got, lol.

 

[Justwondering]

The brand new carb I had successfully put in the fifth avenue was full of those little pellets when it failed to start.
My backstop mechanic (Michael Blair) said it was a failed canister.
He had to take the carb apart and remove all the pellets and blow out the lines.

I've purchased larger fishtank size charcoal pellets and will replace the old tiny ones with larger versions.
Should be fine.

Just waiting for a less windy day and sunshine to finish this up.

JW

 

[Mikes5thAve]

I wonder if its the same type of charcoal. The pellets in the car once could be made of something to withstand gas better or a different absorption rate.

 

[Justwondering]

Mike, you make some good points.
Smaller pellets and more of them means there is more surface area.
I'd imagine they would absorb more fumes than the larger pellets.
I can mitigate the vapors by putting in a venting gas cap if it comes to that.
We won't be driving very far in the vehicle, so I'm thinking I'm good.
The old pellets do reek of gas.

JW

 

[Aspen500]

You'll be fine. The original charcoal is the same stuff used for fish tanks, household water filters, "stink be gone" packets, etc. The only real difference is the size of the pellets or basically dust in some cases. Even with the larger size, they'll store plenty of vapors before being purged when the car is driven.