Gas cap vacuum leak

I've done the search thing around here and no-one seems to have had similar problems, so here is a new thread.

 

A little background...I've got an '05 LGT limited 5MT. It's been a pretty good car in the 7 months I have owned it. Unfortunately, I was rear ended driving home from work during a snowstorm. Sucks, but the bodyshop did a great job repairing it. New left rear quarter was needed as well as a bumper cover. About two weeks after I got the car back from the shop I started getting the evaporative emissions leak-low code. (gas cap loose...) Well, it wasn't loose so I had the code reset thinking it might have been a fluke. It wasn't, came back the next day. So, I ran down to the dealer and bought a new gas cap for 12 bucks. That was a week ago.

 

Today the CEL came back on with the same code up. Could it be that the gas cap I bought was also bad? Maybe...but I doubt it. The car has ~39k miles on it so the dealer is going to want me to pay for it to get it diagnosed and fixed (understandable) as the emissions warranty only covers the 'hard' parts of the car - according to the service adviser I just spoke to on the phone.

 

So, my question to you guys - has anyone tackled this problem before? Does anyone have a diagram of where these vacuum lines are supposed to run? Is there anything on the drivers side of the car back there that could have been damaged when I got rear ended? Otherwise, any advice on where to start is what I need. I'm not afraid to get into the mechanical bits of the car, I used to turn wrenches for a living so I am fairly confident I can solve this.

 

Anything would be really helpful, even if someone has a .pdf of a dealer service manual (does such a thing even exist?), that would get me a good start. Anyway, thanks in advance - here is to hoping this doesn't fall of the first page without any views.

 

http://www.yourautoadvisor.com/articleimages/chkeng.jpg

I doubt that it is the gas cap - I'd bet that it is another part of the EVAP system. Check out the "vacation pics" thread.

there are specific tests and equipment for checking this out. i would visualy check things around the accident area. it could be a cut hose, etc. one of the best tools is a smoke machine used to check for vac leaks. maybe yer indy has one?

 

george

I doubt that it is the gas cap - I'd bet that it is another part of the EVAP system. Check out the "vacation pics" thread.

 

 

Haha! Clever, you guys rock.

 

Yea, I know about the smoke machines and all that, I wonder if I can get a hold of something like that. If I can I'll tackle it myself. If anyone else has any suggestions feel free to chime in!

 

Thanks!

Interesting update, I found the charcoal canister, drain valve, and drain filter are all located just behind the rear drivers quarter. Along with a few vac-lines. So, I'll be calling up the shop that did the work tomorrow to see if they had any problems with that system back there. Thanks a TON for the vacation pics - that kind of stuff helps out immensely.

could also be a vent valve sticking open