I have the P1456 code and I have already replaced the gas cap so I know it's not that. Is a smoke test the best way to pinpoint the leak? where do I go to have that done?

 

Just got off the phone with Pepboys, they do the test for $90 so I'm trying to decide if its worth testing or if I should just replace the canister & valve and hope it fixes it.

 

Is the filler neck rusty? That's what was causing my p0456.

 

I don't recall if the filler neck is rusty or not but I will look at that today. After doing more research on google I found people saying that if you pump more gas in after the nozzle stops the first time that it can damage the canister? This may very well be my problem, as I have done this I don't know how many times

 

Yea man. When the pump clicks off when refueling- it's full. You shouldn't over fill.

 

Yeah, if you are a topper, you're forcing gasoline down the EVAP tubes and you'll fill up the EVAP canister with gasoline--ruining its effectiveness and its lifespan. One of the FSM troubleshooting steps is to, funny I know, weigh the canister.

My car was owned by a topper. The canister was pushing over 6 lbs AFTER I dumped out all the crap I could... The used one I got off a junked '02 only weighed a tick over 2 lbs. Oops. That bad canister was throwing a gross leak code, for some reason, and not a code strictly pertaining to the canister. After I replaced it with the new (used) one, that particular code went away.

A smoke test shouldn't run you $90. Keep calling until you find one for $50. Mine revealed that the filler neck was leaking, but I pulled it off and couldn't see any evidence of that. I replaced it with the neck from the junked '02 after I sanded and Rust-O-Leum'ed it and the remaining EVAP codes I had (one electrical in nature, the other referencing the leaky purge valve that didn't have a proper electrical supply) didn't go away. I'm pretty sure my FORMER mechanics were just trying to cheat me out of a "$300" repair. Yeah, $300 to replace a hollow steel tube with some lines sticking off it that's held in place by all of 3 bolts. Ha freaking ha.