RdHrshyKss

My check engine light came on about a month ago. I brought the car in for an oil change and the place ran the codes for me and told me the code was 1457. I did some research online and found out it is associated with the EVAP System.

Shortly thereafter I started having problems at the gas pump. I live in NJ, so the gas attendant would put the pump in, set it up to start pumping gas, and it would just stop after a couple seconds. Some attendants have had luck putting the nozzle in upside down, but most of the time they have to sit there and manually pump the gas into my car. Really annoying and embarrassing!

My dad brought the car to his usual auto shop today and they quoted me at $700 to fix the EVAP system problem, which I think is just ridiculous. They said that they could tell that one of the solenoids needed to be replaced, but that when they do this kind of work, they typically replace all of the associated solenoids because when one goes, the others will go shortly thereafter.

I don't want to spend $700! I already had to cough up $100 for them to diagnose it and give me my car back. When I spoke to an Autozone representative and told them the code that was coming up, he told me that the following valves are associated with it:

- vapor canister
- vapor canister shutoff valve
- purge solenoid valve
- vent solenoid valve

He quoted me at around $275 to purchase all of these parts and also mentioned a place nearby his store that would be willing to fix my car with parts I provide.

I'm picking my car up today after work and am trying to figure out my next steps and wanted to get some insight from people on here.

Do you agree with the auto shop that I should replace ALL of the associated parts? Or is there one particular valve that is most likely the culprit? While reading some older posts that showed up on a google search, people kept mentiong the "EVAP bypass solenoid valve". Which valve is this referring to? The vapor canister shutoff valve?

When I had my codes run a month ago, there were also some misfire codes as well as a catalytic converter code that popped up. Would the misfires be associated with the EVAP system problem? Or are they most likely associated with the catalytic converter problem?

How long would it typically take to replace one of the valves vs. all 3? What should I be looking at in regards to labor? I just want to be sure I have an idea as to what this kind of work will entail so that I don't get screwed by an auto shop like the one tried to screw me today. But my dad insisted on taking it to this place that he thought would hook him up...obviously not the case!

Anyways, any insight/advice/help you guys could provide me would be extremely helpful. Thank you!!!

seanbev24

Take the car somewhere else. Usually when a tech wants you to replace all of a system's components, it's because he either wants to pad his paycheck or he doesn't know how to pinpoint the actual bad part.

I don't have personal experience with this one, but a quick search suggested the vent solenoid valve was the most likely culprit.

seanbev24

Wait, I just re-read your post. They charged you for diagnosis and didn't tell you what valve was bad? That's ridiculous.

Also, this code should have nothing to do with your misfire. The cat can cause a misfire, but only if it's actually clogged.

RdHrshyKss

Thanks. To make matters worse, I just went to pick up my car and the second I turned it on, I could hear a high pitched whistling sound. This sound did not exist when I dropped the car off to them. I did a little searching online and am guessing it is a vacuum leak. Which means that they didn't hook everything back up properly when they were messing around with it. The whistling sound is audible in park idling and it gets higher pitched when I hit the accelerator, but it is a constant, annoying whistling sound that seemed to get worse the longer I drove the car. But I'm a pessimist so that could just be my imagination.

I am beyond pissed right now. I had actually dropped the car off at the shop in the town I live, and found out later in the day that they didn't have many people on hand, so they drove the car over to their other location. I immediately dropped the car back off at the shop in my town, and there was luckily a guy there. I told him that I got the car back in worse condition then I left it...he is friendly with my parents and my dad was with me, so he took my key and said he'd make sure it was taken care of. Let's hope that means I'll get the car back the way I gave it to them. And I'm also hoping they won't try charging me for anything else.

My dad had actually spoken with the guy at the shop where the car was worked on and the guy had said they had determined which valve was the actual problem, but either my dad didn't remember, or the guy just didn't bother telling him exactly which one it was. They also didn't bother putting anything on the receipt to describe specifically which valve was damaged. I can't help but laugh at how ridiculous my receipt is. It pretty much says, "customer dropped off car stating evap system error 1457. diagnosed vehicle and can confirm 1457 evap system leak." oh yeah? thanks for being redundant!

When I hear back from the shop on my car's status tomorrow, I'll ask them to give me that information and to put it down on paper so I have it for my files.

I'm at a point where I'm pretty fed up with having mechanics look at it, nothing but bad luck. My bf is pretty car savvy...just didn't feel comfortable diagnosing it himself because we saw somewhere online that it involved messing with the ecu and he isn't too comfortable with that. If I find out exactly which valve is the problem, he said he wouldn't have a problem fixing it as long as I can find some kind of tutorial or video on how to do it, since he has never done that before.

I'll be back with an update on which specific valve is the problem and I'm crossing fingers that they didn't screw anything else up when they work on it tomorrow. Once I can explain which valve is the culprit, if anyone on here has any experience replacing these kind of valves and could give a detailed description of how to fix it, or has any links to tutorials/videos on how to do it, I will be extremely grateful.

Thanks in advance!

redm3turbo

Theres a Honda TSB regarding this.....

Call your local honda dealer and see if they will do anything---
If not, your probably looking at replacing all three valves...alot of times you wont fix the problem til you replace all three.



Honda has a service bulletin out explaining an issue with the Evap By-Pass Solenoid and the PCM. Here it is:

TECH TIPS
Honda — MIL on, DTC P1457 Logged in PCM Memory

Some 1998-2003 Honda models (complete list below) may turn on the MIL and log DTC P1457 in PCM memory. One likely cause for the evap code, reports Honda, is a shorted evap bypass solenoid valve. The short circuit is most likely due to salty water finding its way into the solenoid’s internal windings. The problem occurs almost exclusively in snowbelt areas of the country, says the carmaker, and in severe cases can take out the PCM, as well.

Start your diagnosis by hooking up a scanner to the DLC. If P1457 is the only code stored, put your hand on the solenoid valve and command it on and off with the bidirectional controls on the scan tool. If you don’t hear a click or feel a pulse from the valve when it’s exercised, the solenoid is shorted. Replace it with a better sealed unit, Part No. 17012-S01-A00.

Next, clear the code and command the new solenoid valve on and off with the scanner once again. If you still don’t hear a click or feel a pulse from the valve when it’s commanded with the tool, the old solenoid’s windings were probably corroded, taking out the PCM in the process. Replacing the module with Part No. 37820-P2P-A12 is the only remedy.

Vehicles that are prone to the evap trouble and can benefit from the improved solenoid valve are 1998-2000 Civics, 1998-2001 CR-V SUVs, 1998-2002 Accords, 1999-2003 Odyssey minivans, 2000-02 Insights, 2000-03 S2000 sports cars and 2003 Pilots.

RdHrshyKss

Thanks so much for the input redm3turbo! I spoke to the guy at the shop today and he said that the whistling was definitely a vacuum leak. They fixed it up for me and the car is ready to go, or is at least driveable until I can get the EVAP system fixed.

I asked him for more detail on the valve situation since they didn't give me much of an explanation of the diagnosis on my receipt/paperwork. He told me the following:

-The canister vent control valve was the obvious culprit and is the one that most definitely needs to be replaced. He said this valve specifically is what causes me problems at the gas pump.

-The two way valve and the bypass valve are the other valves he said should be replaced too. Although they aren't creating any issues at the moment, he spoke with some of his colleagues who know about Hondas and said there have been a bunch of TSB's put out about this issue and that if I'm having issues with one, the others will most likely go in a month or so.

I read about the salt/corroding issue online and he confirmed that as the cause on the phone.

I have a little over 190K miles on the car, so I'm not sure if my local Honda dealership would be at all willing to help me out. But I'll definitely give them a call and find out.

The names of the valves I got from Autozone don't match up with what the guy at the auto shop mentioned. I'm assuming the canister vent control valve refers to Autozone's vent valve solenoid? Since this is the one he said definitely needs to be replaced and is what's causing me problems at the pump, it would be awesome if someone could explain where this particular valve is and steps on how to replace it. I want to be sure I can get this fixed soon. If I have to wait on the other stuff to get more detail/direction on how to handle them, then so be it.

I will call Honda later today and see what information they can provide me, but if anyone on here has replaced any/all of these valves before or knows someone who has, and could provide me details on how to find the valves and replace them, it would be a lifesaver. I'm not very car savvy at all, and my bf is down in NC riding dirt bikes for the rest of the week, so I have to scrounge up all the information I can on how to fix it before he gets back this weekend. Thanks again!

redm3turbo

A quick search on here has people saying the car not taking gas is related to the "two way valve"

Your going to find out ALOT more about your problem if you head over to the Honda accord forum on here----

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-accord-1990-2002-2/

Do a search (its located on the right side--top of the threads in forum---
Make sure you search that forum to get a more concise answer.

Its a common problem---

redm3turbo

search results....hope it works

https://honda-tech.com/search.php?searchid=8031556

fomococo

redm3turbo, thank you for your insight. I'm surrently dealing with this problem. How do you "command the new solenoid valve on and off with the scanner"?