jeffjob

Great write up!

Thanks fr taking the time.

RedRider1

Thanks for the write up. Many have said the new gas cap is covered under warranty....

The Clevite Kid

Good write up, thank you!!

Please see http://www.epa.gov/oms/consumer/warr95fs.txt where it is stated that EMISSION CONTROL PARTS that must be warranted by the manufacturer for 8 years or 80,000 miles include:

Evaporative Emission Control System:

purge valve
purge solenoid
fuel filler cap
vapor storage canister and filter


So I would hope that the fuel vent solenoid would be considered a purge valve or purge solenoid and would also be covered by the warranty. Maybe someone with a PO449 code can confront the dealer and let us know if that works.

GOLD72

Great writeup. My 07 has this exact code thrown since last week. Auotzone read the OBD for me.

GOLD72

I just replaced mine last Friday. Without dropping the right side muffler, that vent solenoid is tough to reach as it is mounted to the inside of the drive line tunnel. You can get one hand up there between the exhaust line and the A6 housing and maybe some fingers between the exhaust line and the tunnel. The hose was really hard to pull off the valve plastic nipple due maybe the hardening of the rubber hose on my late year 2007 vert. By sliding the valve off its bracket and pulling downward, I got a better grip on it and got it off w/o dropping the muffer and the exhaust line. The reason for the wiring harness is because there was a change in the solenoid wiring connector port and the harness is a really expensive 6" long adapter back to the car's wiring harness. My car had to have it.

With a lot of patience and about 45 minutes, I was able to do this on my garage floor. I disconnected the battery for 30 minutes to clear the ECM and the CEL, reconnected the battery and then restarted the car with no more CEL!! All is good for about $63 total including tax. The wiring harness if need it is a lot more expensive than the solenoid itself.

bolivar

-I think this is the best write-up and clearest pictures and any repair I have seen on this forum.

-He has two jack stands, a wheel chock, and a jack under the car. Seems safe enough for me.

choprfgr

Wow - one of the guys in our club was scratching his head about this
very issue Sat at lunch - very timely info - almost spooky.

speedraider

good write up....

VET4LES

This is the standard emissions warranty. In addition the 2005 warranty has been extended to 120,000 miles or 10 years for the gas cap per GM letter dated August 2008.

LS WON

PatriotZ

Whew...glad to hear that this is covered by warranty....for us non-mechanical people......nice write up though and as always...good info from the posts as well......

JKbride

I checked with my dealer and the extended warranty is for gas cap only and not the solenoid or harness. . Maybe another dealer has a different opinion. In short, this its a simple fix and no one should stress over this code.

Thanks all for the kind words on the right up. When I do work on my car I always try to take pics and post DIY threads.....just my small way of giving back to all of those who have shared with me over the years

glenB

That's not correct, the only 8/80 parts are:

There are three specified major emission control components,
covered for the first 8 years or 80,000 miles of vehicle use on 1995
and newer vehicles:

* Catalytic converters.

* The electronic emissions control unit or computer (ECU).

* The onboard emissions diagnostic device or computer (OBD).

The Canister Vent Solenoid is not the same as the Purge just as a P0449 is not the same as a small, less than .020, leak

GOLD72

In that case, I just saved myself a GMPP $100 deductible by DIY plus I learned something in the process which is never a bad thing.

FortMorganAl

Nice write up for the specific issue of a P0449 code (NOT "loose gas cap") where the issue is a failed vent valve solenoid but this is not a common issue. "Loose gas cap" IS a common issue. Even with this code the issue might not be in the solenoid but rather in the wiring which is a simple thing to check but isn't in this writeup. It could also be an issue with the control module. The shop manual covers ALL of the possibilities for repairing when you have code P0449.

People should understand this is a very specific failure and they shouldn't be replacing parts unnecessarily until they have seen this specific code and tested all of the parts that can cause it to locate the specific failed component. In other words, the title is misleading in that this isn't a "DIY Fix for Loose Gas Cap" but rather "DIY fix for failed gas tank vent valve solenoid".

LS WON

Lots of pics in here took 5 minutes to load.

GOLD72

You are exactly correct. I have a shop manual which has the fault tree to follow to investigate prior to simply replacing the vent solenoid. I didn't do that but at $25 for the solenoid I didn't see it as a big risk as the other causes were not as likely though this is just my opinion. I was holding my breath as you just never know for sure unless you follow the fault tree procedure.

calemasters

Nice job and great write up. Some Emission Select Components have a limited warranty of 8 years / 80,000 miles. I am not sure if the vent solenoid valve is under this warranty or not?

JKbride

Tnxs...I have checked now with two dealers here in GA who say it's not covered...only the gas cap....of course I did not stand around long to discuss with them once I heard the Banjo music playing "Deliverance" in the back ground.....this is GA after all

jeff.james66

I too am having the "Check Gas Cap" Msg on DIC. Will get codes and check into Fuel Vent Solenoid. Question: Are those Flowmaster Mufflers in your pics? Super 40 series? How are you likeing them? Got the same thing. Just curious...

Thanks,
Jeff