4 years? you really need to find a mechanic that knows what hes doing. if you have replaced the canister and purge solenoid valve (muliple sensors? you realy need to be specific on what has or has not been replaced ) most times the hoses are not installed properly on the purge solenoid, or leak. the hose with the green cap/test port should be closest to the electrical connector.
you can bet theres a leak, its just no one has found it yet. I would find a place that is a specialist in emission repairs with a calibrated smoke machine, it it has a flow meter on it, it should point out a leak in a few minutes. explain the problem. tell him EVERYTHING, and let him have the time to fix it. I turned a (potential) customer down last week, hes had a problem looked at several times, at several shops, then wanted me to fix it in 3 hrs while he waited ,I told him "if its hasnt been fixed yet, I'll need time to properly diagnose it, get parts here, put parts on, and then confirm that its fixed, before it leaves, and thats going to take more than 3 hrs?. maybe he's torqued off the other shops and they're blowing him off ? but problem childs like this take time. "Man made it, Man can fix it".
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We've had the same problem with both of our Chevy Prizm's and went for years with mechanics replacing things that did not fix the problem. Our most recent mechanic was able to fix the problem by removing and cleaning the air flow sensor. It worked for both cars and the light has been off now for about three months.
I have a 2001 Chevy Prizm with the same problem. I live right next to a Good Ole Boys Garage and that's where I've always taken my car to be worked on and inspected.
My check Engine Light has been on for about 2 years now, roughly 30K miles.
They have cleared the light and driven the car around the block a few times, gotten it up to speed etc. To try to have it pass inspection and clear the code (P0171).
The computer is telling us it's running to lean which would make you believe there's a leak in the hoses.
I have had all of my hoses replaced, I have taken the MAF sensor out myself to clean it just this passed week. They have tested the exhaust at the tailpipe to check the O2 sensor, and we still cannot find the problem.
Be it that I am in college and barely get the chance to work, I can't really afford to take it to a dealership and pay 75% in labor fees. i just want it fixed right, so I don't have to worry about it anymore. But I don't know what else to do!
My light stayed off this week for 43 miles, and it only popped back on when I hit 70 mph on highway 81. I drive a lot of highway but it seems that thats when the light comes back on.
If any of you have any suggestions for me too, I'd be very appreciative to your suggestions. I try to take care of it. But it's not hurting my car so this has been taking a while to get done.
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We find a different way each year. This year we are completely stuck. We have done the disconnect the battery thing. Sometimes we replace a sensor and it stays off for a couple days. We have to drive it around in circles to get enough miles for it to clear and pass inspection, but it always comes back on within a week.
Our trusted Mechanic, the only one that is ever honest with us, cannot find anything wrong. Everyone else just makes something up and replaces it. We have been to Chevy dealers, we have had smoke tests, we have replaced the gas caps. Everyone agrees (even the guys that smoke tested it) that there is not a leak. Our charcoal canister is now less than a year old and all of the associated valves have been replaced. We are at a loss, it always comes back on within a week of any work being done.
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