Howto: Charcoal Canister Refresh - Late Bay Bus
Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:10 pm
As a follow-up from LiveonJG's thread, here is a little write-up on refreshing the charcoal canister on your late bay bus. If (like me) you're not interested in spending $50-60 to buy a new one, this is an easy afternoon project. It's probably necessary if you've replaced all of your evaporative lines, and still smell gas fumes. Betcha the PO of your bus never replaced it, either...
First off, remove the old canister from the engine compartment. It's held in place with a simple clamp. Remove the clamp, then disconnect the 3 hoses: One goes to the crankcase, one to the air filter, and one to the evaporative lines that go across the top of the engine compartment door.
Open up the canister to empty out the old activated carbon. Get a sharp utility knife, and carefully cut around the rim of the bottom of the canister (along the raised edge). Leave a small section uncut, so it opens like a tin can. There's a large spring underneath, which will push the end off.
You'll now be presented with the innards of the canister. Note the plastic screen with another spring in the middle. Beneath the screen is a filter. Pull out the filter, and set it aside for cleaning. I rinsed mine under the faucet, then set it in the sun to dry. Now you'll see the OEM activated carbon that was used. They are fine pellets, about ant-size. Mmmmmm, smells like volatile hydrocarbons....
Dump out the old pellets and discard. There are about 5 cups in the OEM canister. If you can find pellets this size, that's how much you'll need. I couldn't find them this small, and ended up with a larger pellet size. Buy the activated carbon at any large pet store. It will be labeled as "loose filter media". A 28oz. jug cost me about $8.
Get a colander, and rinse the new carbon under running water. You want to remove the carbon dust from the media. Lay it out on a towel in the sun to dry. In the meantime, clean up the inside of the canister with warm soapy water. I also cleaned up the large hoses with some citrus degreaser and a pipe-cleaner. Dry everything well.
Once everything is thoroughly dry, fill with your new activated carbon. The Germans were nice enough to show you how high to fill it. Put the filter and plastic screen back on, and double-check the level. The top of the center spring will be even with the lip of the canister.
Now it's time to seal the works back up. Put the large spring back in place, clamp down the lid, and seal. I used black RTV to seal mine. In addition to the clamps, I put some large zip-ties around the canister to help hold it together while the RTV cured. Looking back, I would probably use a hot glue gun next time, for a little more bond strength.
Re-install the canister into the engine bay, and enjoy the sweet (gas-free) smell of success!
First off, remove the old canister from the engine compartment. It's held in place with a simple clamp. Remove the clamp, then disconnect the 3 hoses: One goes to the crankcase, one to the air filter, and one to the evaporative lines that go across the top of the engine compartment door.
Open up the canister to empty out the old activated carbon. Get a sharp utility knife, and carefully cut around the rim of the bottom of the canister (along the raised edge). Leave a small section uncut, so it opens like a tin can. There's a large spring underneath, which will push the end off.
You'll now be presented with the innards of the canister. Note the plastic screen with another spring in the middle. Beneath the screen is a filter. Pull out the filter, and set it aside for cleaning. I rinsed mine under the faucet, then set it in the sun to dry. Now you'll see the OEM activated carbon that was used. They are fine pellets, about ant-size. Mmmmmm, smells like volatile hydrocarbons....
Dump out the old pellets and discard. There are about 5 cups in the OEM canister. If you can find pellets this size, that's how much you'll need. I couldn't find them this small, and ended up with a larger pellet size. Buy the activated carbon at any large pet store. It will be labeled as "loose filter media". A 28oz. jug cost me about $8.
Get a colander, and rinse the new carbon under running water. You want to remove the carbon dust from the media. Lay it out on a towel in the sun to dry. In the meantime, clean up the inside of the canister with warm soapy water. I also cleaned up the large hoses with some citrus degreaser and a pipe-cleaner. Dry everything well.
Once everything is thoroughly dry, fill with your new activated carbon. The Germans were nice enough to show you how high to fill it. Put the filter and plastic screen back on, and double-check the level. The top of the center spring will be even with the lip of the canister.
Now it's time to seal the works back up. Put the large spring back in place, clamp down the lid, and seal. I used black RTV to seal mine. In addition to the clamps, I put some large zip-ties around the canister to help hold it together while the RTV cured. Looking back, I would probably use a hot glue gun next time, for a little more bond strength.
Re-install the canister into the engine bay, and enjoy the sweet (gas-free) smell of success!