Mazda World Forum banner

New to the Forum ... and in need of help!

1K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  Zen Dude 
#1 ·
Hello!! I'm hoping that someone here can help me.

I bought my 1984 Mazda B2000, SE-5 brand new off the showroom floor in 1983. I purchased in in Pennsylvania (where I grew up) and then drove it to Phoenix where I lived until 1991. Then I moved to Los Angeles where I currently live. My truck was my daily driver until 2008, and has been an amazingly close friend ; )

I don't daily it anymore but drive it every week. With almost 300,000 miles on it, it super-reliable and in pretty darn good condition. But ... it just failed emissions due to a leaking Vapor Canister. I have a week to get it repaired, re-smogged and registered. Yikes!!!

My dilemma... where do I find another vapor canister!! Part #831713970 . I'm told it's not possible to repair mine, and I can't seem to locate another one anywhere. I can't complain that it only lasted 33 years, but... what do I do now?

Is there another canister that I can use as a replacement? I'm not a mechanic, but this thing looks pretty simplistic on the outside. ... 3 hoses and 1 screw to remove it.

I'm open to any suggestions and appreciate any feedback.

By any chance would someone mind loaning me theirs for a couple days? ; )

- mark
 
See less See more
  • Like
Reactions: Agonz
#3 ·
Yes, the canister is cracked on the bottom and it is clearly visible. But someone on another Mazda Forum suggested that I try to get a waiver for a hard to find part. I spoke with several people at the California Bureau of Auto Repair about their Parts Locator service and DMV Referee service. In those discussions I found out that the leak in the canister wouldn't cause the emissions failure. I had it tested at a Referee Station and it passed. I was told to take it back to the Smog station that failed it, and have them retest it. I did ... and it passed!!! ???? ... go figure. ... but at this point I'm happy with the results and am not bothering with the cracked canister. And as an additional note, both my mechanic and the Cal BAR Referee pressure tested the system between the canister and the fuel cap and it was fine. And apparently, per the Cal BAR person that I talked to on the phone, the Canister is not part of the pressure test.

Thanks for your response.
- mark
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the idea. I'll look into doing this sometime, but I'll mention that when I was talking about this problem with the Cal BAR guy on the phone (who really impressed me with his mechanical knowledge) he said "I know the problem isn't the canister. It doesn't matter that the canister is leaking. It's an 'open system', at the canister, that has to 'breathe' so the cracks wouldn't even matter, or be a problem."
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top