thunderbirl

I'll hope this helps someone... Before doing this, I tried a number of things including removal and cleaning of the little solenoid valve on this part - no go. So, I replaced the canister and it's all good! The part is called a vapor canister and was found here: http://www.parts.com It cost about $335 with shipping. OEM part came from a Florida dealer. Took about an hour to swap out. The light has been off for about 10 days and all the ready codes are "yes". We're done! Again, the only code I EVER got was P0440.

So another year has gone by - and I still have the same single code, no others - and, because I haven't done anything, no resolution. Recently, I found this paper. http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/tsb/LexusLX450/eg002l01.pdf My RX300 is a 2000 model, so I have a LATE model evap system. If I read this paper correctly, the P0441 test PRECEDES the P0440 test. In my logic, that says that the pressure sensor must be working and able to see a vacuum initially. Since it fails at the next test with a P0440 rather than a P0442, there must be a BIG leak in some other part of the system. (I get ONLY P0440 code - very reliably.) I've had the tank smoke tested, etc and have NO problems there. With this understanding, am I correct in assuming that the canister is "bad"? Is there any other possible interpretation?? With this change, as I understand it, the system should now throw P0441 because it won't detect any vacuum. Any help on this would be appreciated...

I've had a check engine light on/off for quite a while and it's the P0440 emission problem - no other codes at all - ever. I had swapped the fuel cap and looked for leaks. The "tube" on the air intake is connected. I took it to a shop who smoke tested it and found no leaks, then did an electrical diagnosis and found most of it works, but they can't check the fuel pressure sensor with their scanner. They called me and told me that they weren't sure what to do because the next step for them would be to start swapping in parts. They suggested that the dealer might be able to do a bit more - or I could swap in parts. I'm quite "handy" and don't mind a challenge, so I'm willing to swap in the whole charcoal cannister if I can find one. Can anyone direct me to an on-line parts place that would handle this? Does anyone know the lexus or toyota part # (2000 RX300 awd)? Thanks.. p.s. Oh - I almost forgot the best part. The shop refused to let me pay them for their work because they weren't able to really contribute to solving the problem. You can BET that I'll be going back there again!

I'll toss in my vote for the same business - same great experience. And I don't hit my head on the sagging gate any more!! :P

It seemed to run better with the coil unplugged, but based on mileage I couldn't tell if the injector shut down as I only drove briefly. The car didn't seem to suffer as severe a hesitation with the coil unplugged, do I'm thinking that it did shut down the injector. It's all a moot point now since the coil has been replaced. It failed at 120K. Steve

It's not possible to do this without an electronic device that understands communication protocols and can interrogate the "on board computer". However, in my area, at both AutoZone and Action Auto Parts, the counter person will take their device from behind the counter and come out to the parking lot to read out the codes for free. You drive over, you ask politely, they tell you what the codes are - just that simple. The tough part is taking that data and figuring out what the problem is. In one recent case, the malfunction caused the computer to try to correct for the condition by adjusting the fuel mixtures rich and then lean on each of the cylinder banks. This caused the car to misfire on multiple cyliders and gave out a bunch of codes. I had to clear the codes, run the car briefly, find out what the initial code was then sit and think about the things that could have caused that to happen. Whether a local auto parts store will read out your codes twice may depend on you having a good relationship with the folks at the couter! Sometimes, the counter person will only give you the code and not what it means (it may depend on the sophistication of the scanner they use!). A valuable resource for what it all means is at http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/. Be sure to look first at the generic codes at the bottom of the page and then up at the top half of the page under Lexus. Of course, you can always buy your own scanner! I bought a modest unit and it paid for itself with just one use. Hope that helps.

I've lost a coil pack on a front cylinder on my 2000 RX300 and verified it by moving the coil pack to another cylinder and seeing the OBD codes move with the coil pack. I also noted that if I unplugged the coil pack, I got a different code, but the engine was MUCH smoother. It made me wonder if it was easier for the computer to compensate when there was a non-intermittent problem. Can I unplug the coil and run on five cylinders while the new part arrives? Is the system smart enough to shut off fuel to that injector? Seems a bit silly, but I've only got one car! Thanks. Steve

I had the same error, took out the MAF sensor, and noted that it was kinda dirty/gummy. I cleaned it with a spray and have had no recurrence for the past 20K... I hope you might have the same luck....

I came back to this forum, as I do whenever I need a bit of guidance on my 2000 RX300 and there was the exact picture of what was wrong with my front marker lights! I'll have to see if I can get the replacement connections and then use the grease as suggested. FWIW, I also replaced the clear front "parking"/"marker" bulb with a 168NA (amber). The visual difference (improvement) was dramatic. I'd recommend it. As other have suggested, you go in through the wheel well - I'd love to meet the engineer! :chairshot:

I've just been looking at this issue and found that some dealers are using the DEI 555U bypass kit - which requires an extra ignition key to be wrapped up in wiring somewhere up under the dash - while others are promoting the use of the DEI 555F bypass kit which doesn't require an extra key. The price of the kit seems to be the same - and given the cost of a key..... On the other hand - I almost ran from one shop when they said they'd work me in in April or so, but it wasn't worth their time/effort to spend the hours on my RX300 when they could do 4-5 other vehicles and make that much more profit in the short term!