What exactly does this thing do ? do i need it. it is that tall black canisted low on the firewall on the passanger side of the car

 

holds extra hydrocarbons, what state do you live in? yes you need it. yes its that big black thing

 

I dont live in the US. I live in the Caribbean. hot all year round

 

Would not having one of these cause a gasoline smell under the hood?

 

the charcoal canister is used to hold fuel vapors from the fuel tank until the EVAP purge valve opens and pulls them into the engine.

Depending onw what car you have, OBD1 the system can be removed with the valve and it will not cause CEL problems. OBD2 will cause a CEL eventually.
If you're into saving the environment leave it... logically it can increase mpg but only slightly and it does not sap power in any way. basically unless it's harming something why not leave it.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by D50boy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Would not having one of these cause a gasoline smell under the hood?</TD></TR></TABLE>
depending on where the fuel tank vent is run, it could.

 

how can you get around it without it throwing a cel with obd2 i want to get rid of it to clean up under the hood, is there anyway to jumper the sensor??

 

the OBD2 ECU reads the EVAP purge functionality when the car is cruising down the road. There isn't a really good way to get rid of it without converting to OBD1 or relocating the canister.

 

my car doesnt even have the EVAP.... is JDM RHD so i guess it is there for nothing.