here it is, 2000 3.8l, when its cold out, and the engine is completely cold, it will start up almost immediatly after i turn the key, but once it has warmed up to about 185-200 and i stop but dont let it cool down completely, it will crank for about 5-6 seconds before starting and lope for a second or two. there is also a very strong gas smell from the engine bay, and i can even smell it in the car sometimes.... is it dangerous to be driving?? and what could/will cause that

 

Is the check engine lite lit?

 

yes its p0442, evap emissions control circuit malfunction, but i cant find the evap canister either, its not in the fender where the books n stuff say it should be.[&:] this is getting agravating

 

[:@] do you know if the cars been wrecked?? some quality body shop may have decided you didnt need that part. you may need to contact your local shop for a component locator and then have a good look around to verify that it doesnt exist. on my 95 its behind the drivers rear fenderwell. i suspect your car is trying to evacuate the canister at warm startup but may be seeing a huge vacuum leak instead. this system will need to be repaired before we do anything else kurt

 

P0442 shouldn't have a issue with hot starting. There are some rare possibilities but checking other stuff first should be done. Maybe, just maybe, a gas related smell you could have a fuel pressure regulator that is leaky so bad it's causing a hot start issue. Pull the vacumm line off the reg and see if fuel poors out. If it's been occuring for a long time you could have the canister so filled with fuel it won't purge properly any longer.

The gas smell could be related to the 0442, evap system failed, a leaky purge valve or a line off, also a canister cracked or filled with fuel.

The hot start, you could have a starter with a bad set of brushes and when hot they just won't send juice threw to turn it over hot. A bad battery cable (feel them when turning it over hot, any of them feel very warm? that is because of high resistance causing heat) or you could have a timing issue if any previous work has been done. To far advanced can cause issue with hot starts.

 

[&:] willie, red 94 mentions that he cant find/doesnt know if his evap cannister exists. this fact combined with a warm start up lope or lean surge and evap code would certainly indicate the possibility of a vacuum leak. along with those things you mentioned
he also indicates that it does indeed crank, not slowly mind you, he just has to crank for awhile. we all know theres 10,000 possibilities when diagnosing over the phone er computer i mean. kurt

 

You may not like this, but the EVAP canaister in your car sits on top of the gas tank, and the gas tank has to be dropped to reach it. Check attachments.

From Alldata:
Description and Operation

The canister is filled with carbon pellets used to absorb and store fuel vapors. Fuel vapor is stored in the canister until the control module determines that the vapor can be consumed in the normal combustion process.


EVAP Hoses/Pipes Replacement - Canister/Fuel Tank

REMOVAL PROCEDURE[*]Remove the fuel tank.[*]Remove the evaporative emission (EVAP) purge pipe (7) from the EVAP canister.[*]Remove the EVAP canister vent valve hose (5).[*]Remove the EVAP pipe to fill limiter vent valve pipe (3).[*]Cap the EVAP pipes in order to prevent possible EVAP system contamination.[*]Carefully bend the bracket in order to remove the EVAP canister from the bracket.
[ol][/ol]
INSTALLATION PROCEDURE

1. Install the EVAP canister to the bracket.
2. Remove the caps from the fuel and EVAP pipes.
3. Install the EVAP pipe to fill limiter vent valve pipe
4. Install the EVAP canister vent valve hose. (5)
5. Connect the EVAP purge pipe (7) to the EVAP canister.
6. Install the fuel tank.

 

Ya, I hear ya there, doing over the phone or the net is like pissing in a fan, someone is going to get wet.

I'm only thinking the P0442 isn't with his problem because it's for a small evap leak. P0440 is a large leak code, the usual one when the gas cap is off or a part is gone.

P0442 are tough to diagnose without a smoke machine and a scanner capable of manipulating the purge valve and the evap switch. Also to check the vent valve mounted in the tank. Visually you might get lucky seeing a cracked line or see a dead part on the scanner not responding.

It's a ***** cause I've been there.