Breathing Life Back into the Carbon Canister

Many Vanagon owners don't even know this component of the van's fuel system exists!  The carbon canister sits in the rear passenger side wheel well of '86+ Vanagons, out of sight, out of mind.  Actually, it is a key component of the evaporative fuel system that keeps the fuel left over after shutting your van down, from escaping into the atmosphere unchecked.  The activated charcoal filters the fumes and lessens your pollution.  However, after time, it loses its ability to filter properly and could lead to poor performance or failing your emissions tests.

After my Subaru engine conversion, I actually left it disconnected until recently.  The car runs OK without it, but if left unhooked it can lead to dust in the engine or fuel system and of course, you are not being environmentally friendly either!  That said, I still wanted to "do it right", meaning, clean that sucker before just plugging it in.  Since new ones are costly $180 or just simply hard to find, I chose to clean the carbon canister I had.

First, I cut it open with an exacto knife and disassembled the canister.  Note: I made the cut too far down.  I recommend cutting it only 1/2" from the end.  Once opened, the carbon smelled HORRIBLE - like fuel, of course.  I disposed of it.  There are two filters that needed to be washed. They were pretty black and clogged.  So, I washed them continuously and scrubbed them with an old toothbrush until I was satisfied I couldn't get them any cleaner.  Then, I cleaned the outside and inside with soap and water.  Finally, I bought new activated charcoal from PetSmart pet store and put it all back together.  The canister was glued with SEAL ALL, which is gas resistant.

Carbon canister (cut open like a clam), top breather hose, spring, and filters

There are a lot of parts inside it including a plastic tube and mini-plastic filter inside that I did not show here and another cloth filter.  I took that mini-plastic filter (not shown) out and washed it too.  The springs keep the carbon nice and compact when you put it back together.

Filters after cleaning

The filters took awhile to clean, but it was worth it.  Did you see how black the left one used to be!!?

New activated charcoal to freshen up the canister!

The two products cost about $16 total.  I used 5 of the 6 packets.  After filling it, there was very little "rattle".  It was packed in tight.  The charcoal must be "activated".  Don't buy anything else.

Carbon canister glued back together

After everything dried, I glued it back together with SEAL-ALL, which won't deteriorate from gas fumes in the canister.  

Next, I just need to plug it into my Subaru engine.  More on that in the next post...