P0446/P0440/P0441

You're exactly right, when one makes the move to the bi-directional scan tools the price really jumps. Add to that the uncertainty of whether the car's PCM will even allow a specific aftermarket scan tool to control it and it is even tougher to make that kind of investment. I have not researched the one you mentioned but the KAL9640's owners manual states that not all cars will allow input from it other than the instruction to clear codes.

I did see however that it appears the KAL line is still being manufactured. I called KAL and spoke directly with them in April of 2006 when I was researching scan tools and they told me they were being shut down. Now I see that was not the case. I like my Actron 9145 but if I had know that SPX was not going to shut them down after all I would have bought the KAL9640, now it is called the KAL9640B and there is a KEQ9640-something-or-other so it seems there has been some mix-up there with changing ownership. Anyway the documentation is clearly printed by the same people that print the documentation for Actron and OTC, no surprise since SPX owns them all and one or two others like Auto X-ray and I think Genesis. The KAL9640 does still use the archaic RS232 printer port so that is one reason I'm glad I didn't buy it, however, my Actron 9145 doesn't print at all! What to do? What to do?

Jeff, from your perspective as a dealership mechanic, if I take the car in for service and they work on it but they, like me, also get it wrong and the work that they do, work I pay for does not fix it is it fair for me to expect them to work on it again without being charged a second time? I work in the machining industry and if we make a part for someone and we make it wrong you can bet they will not pay to have it made a second time correctly, no matter where I have worked the expectation is always that we're are on our own time the second time around. Is this something that needs to be discussed up-front before they work on it the first time? What are your thoughts on this?

Gary

They're excellent questions to ask Gary! As a dealer tech for me it's all relative to time. In depth diagnosis takes time. Time to trace wires, time to smoke the system for leaks, time to reset parameters and monitors to verify the repair is successful. Alot of this costs more then most customers are willing to pay and problems that are intermittent or evap are another issue because if it's not acting up or the system is sealled at the moment then you either keep charging the customer the time it takes to roadtest and simulate till it does act up or go to your expereince, pattern failures etc and perform the repair, adjusttment that is sucessful most of the time. Evaps suck because a hose that seals at 20 above 0 may leak at 20 below. What is sealing in January may be leaking by August. Every customer thinks evap dtcs are always related to the same repair that was perfromed last time even if the code isn't active for months. Temperature, grade of fuel, fuel level, fuel temperature etc are effect the results. Customers that continually flood the charcoal cannister with fuel on filling can expect repeat failures within the system for as long as they persist. Not saying that's you but it is a cause. Same with people that leave the cap loose. It happens more then people admit or realize. If you go to the dealer and explain what you've done, what parts have been changed then they upon diagnosis will have to recheck what you've done and continue diagging it further. Where people get into problems is using the dealer for diagnosis then executing the repair themselves and then finding that it didn't fix it. It doesn't hold the dealer or any tech liable for that matter because if the execution is wrong and they have to recheck your work then why shouldn't you be charged? If they changed a valve, left a line off and the code returned and they installed the valve would you pay to have them fix it? No of course not it's there mistake but with roles reversed if the customer installs the valve after I tell him it's what it needs, he crosses the hoses and the code returns and I charge him to put it correct Im called a crook and they'll never believe or admit they were at fault. Each case is different and the one constant is that it isn't easy. Diagnosis takes time and costs money. How much time the customer authorizes to diag and repair determines the success level of the repair assuming the tech is qualified. Customers often get shot gunned for repairs when they go to the wrong mechanic or just want the magic bullet repairs attmeptted. It's just like replacing all 02 sensors because of a burnt fuse and that's not a crack at painkiller but customers always would rather spend 200 dollars on parts versus 200 dollars on diagnosis. It's the way it's always been. If you're service writer suggests a part that you've already changed then tell him you 've already tried. If he tells you it needs another part ask him if he can gurantee success. If you authorize enough time to diagnose it properly and his tech is competent then you should be fine.

good luck and let me know if I can assist further

Thanks for the robust reply! You and I are certainly on the same page, in fact when I was a young man I used to run a repair shop out of my Dad's garage (cars were simpler back in the Eighties weren't they?) so I have been on both sides of this thing. Most people were pretty reasonable but not all of them! As far as having someone diagnose something and then fixing it myself... I can't remember ever doing that. Normally I don't get stumped like this, almost always if I am taking my car somewhere to be repaired it is because I don't have the time to do it myself or in some cases I can't justify the expense for the proper special tool for the job as might be the case here as we have discussed. I kind of feel that having someone else diagnose your car and then fixing it yourself is bad form. It is kind of like (and I have known people who do this) buying something, using it, and then returning it to the store. I am not sure why I relate those two in my mind but I do. I suppose if the mechanic gets paid for the time to diagnose the car it is theoretically ethical but I would think that part of the cost to diagnose is recouped in the repair, at least that is my feeling. So I suppose that is why I would not feel right about having someone else check it out for me. But in no uncertain terms should anyone ever have a right to complain if the work they did didn't fix the problem, they are on their own as far as I am concerned. I only warranty my own work, not someone else's!

Thanks a bunch, Jeff!
Gary

I'm getting P0446 on a my Camry, and after reading your post went out to look for disconnected hoses, and found one! It was a small hose on the side of the air-filter box. How did you know? I've read lots about this code, but didn't see this before. I cleared the code a few times already and have a ScanGauge to check my codes.

If this hose has been disconnected for several months, can it damage some other component? The hose leads to a smaller black tube that goes down, and seems to go under the car and maybe towards the rear. I'm not a mechanic. I'll let you know if this fixes it long-term.

Thanks Jeff.

that happens alot on toyota's after air filter servicing

I have a 2001 Toyota corolla that didn't pass emissions testing. The codes were 440, 441 and 446. It seems the advice here is great. I will be checking the hoses and valves. If I find a bad valve, is it repairable? Also would it be logical to assume the canister caused the valve to go bad and if so the replacement valve would go bad in a short period? Also how do you reset the check engine light? It seems there is a period of time before you can say that problem has been fixed, what would that period be? Would it worth me buying the device to check the error codes from lets say Walmart?
Thanks

Corrola2001:

Very nice posting!!!!. I used it to remove P0171. Picture provided for MAF was quite useful. Is it possible for you to post picture of VSV valve ? I saw somebody posted schematic diagram. But real life picture (just like the way you posted for MAF) would be greatly appreciated by all.
thanks a lot for being good path pointer.

Vacuum Switching Valve (VSV) - Codes P0440, P0441, P0446
There are two VSVs. One is up at the air cleaner (according to my dealer this one almost never fails) the other one (the one that does fail - wouldn't you know it) is down underneath the car beside the gas tank, and adjacent to the charcoal canister. Presumably it fails because it is more exposed to splash from the road. One clue that it is a problematic VSV is that the above 3 codes appear at the same time. This problem does not affect vehicle driveability, although it might be a problem when you go for your emissions test. Replacing this valve is not hard but it is uncomfortable because you're lying on your back looking up at the VSV (unless of course you have a hoist - which I don't) and dirt is falling on your face. You just have to pull off a short (few inches) length of tubing which obstructs access to the VSV. This tube is not clamped, you just pull it off, it is a larger diameter with a small tube branching off. Once you have pulled that off, you have a better view of the VSV. It is held by one Phillips screw, which is hard to get at. You would need a right-angle screwdriver; I don't, so I just managed to get it off by grabbing it with a pair of pliers, and turning it bit by bit. Narrow vice-grips would be good too. Feel free to do much cursing while attempting to remove screw. When the screw is removed, undo the electrical connector, and pull off the two tubes from the valve. Out with the bad, and in with the good. In my opinion the VSV is held quite firmly by the attached hoses and electrical connector. I didn't try to get that screw back in, it is just not worth the effort. You could use a cable tie to secure the VSV quite well. Reset your CEL and congratulate yourself.

[quote="williammanda"]I have a 2001 Toyota corolla that didn't pass emissions testing. The codes were 440, 441 and 446. It seems the advice here is great. I will be checking the hoses and valves. If I find a bad valve, is it repairable? Also would it be logical to assume the canister caused the valve to go bad and if so the replacement valve would go bad in a short period? Also how do you reset the check engine light? It seems there is a period of time before you can say that problem has been fixed, what would that period be? Would it worth me buying the device to check the error codes from lets say Walmart?
Thanks[/quote


William - please see my post from a year ago:
Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:18 am
I replaced that VSV and it fixed it, and is still working today a year
later. You will need a code reader to reset the code - again, see my
post for an inexpensive model, which works great. After you fix it, it
takes a couple of weeks of driving until you can be sure, because the
computer holds "pending codes" for a while before turning on the light. But
here you can again use the code reader to spot pending codes before the
light comes on, so you will know sooner weather it is fixed or not.

Dennis
Dennis

When I was a Toyota tech, a car with P0440, 441, and 446 had a loose/defective/aftermarket gas cap or vacuum hoses pulled off the air cleaner housing 95% of the time. Evap diagnostics are something Toyota did not do a very good job of educating us on.

I replaced the VSV and passed the emissions test. I want to thank everyone for your help!