What is a carbon canister for? Do I really need it?

[alfreema]

The 454 in my '76 Pickup has a "carbon canister" with a hose coming out of it that was chewed off by a rat (I am rebuilding this truck), and I am not sure where that hose goes.  Do I even need this part?  The engine seems to be running fine without it.  What's it for and what's the downside of not running the hose to whereever it belongs?

Thanks,

Aaron

[Lt.Del]

my 79 was like this...

http://www.delbridge.net/vacuum.html

vacuum canister is just to absorb the excess gas fumes.  The charcoal should be replaced every so often, but, never gets replaced on 98% of trucks.  It's just and emissions thing.  Dont worry about it.

[1980c10]

my truck had one and it some how imploded and the engine sucked charcoal thought the carb. I had to rebuild the carb and had to drill out every port as this stuff had gotten really hard and doesn't disolve in a dip tank. made a horrible mess. i did not replace it and the truck runs great and it cleans up just a little more under the hood. i would not use it.

[alfreema]

Wow, thanks guys.  So not only "don't worry about", but "it can do more harm than good".

I was just thinking about this.  It takes heat and plastic and rubber (the hose) and some process to shape the carbon inserts to manufacture one of these canisters.  That means there is emissions in the manufacturing process just to construct one of these.  With the little emissions that these guys clean up it almost seems to me that the manufacturing process of one dumps more crap into the air than it is actually preventing from being emitted into the air in the first place. Couple that with the fact that someone has to _ship_ the carbon replacements and the canisters all over the place and those shipping trucks/airplanes/whatever then have to emit crap ... can this really be a net positive part in the long run?

Who cares ... it's plugged now! Thanks guys!

[TexasRed]

That sounds like my diatribe about recycling. Those big trucks running big diesels to pickup my few cans and bottles! Oh yay! Really protecting the environment!

[exilous]

my truck had one and it some how imploded and the engine sucked charcoal thought the carb. I had to rebuild the carb and had to drill out every port as this stuff had gotten really hard and doesn't disolve in a dip tank. made a horrible mess. i did not replace it and the truck runs great and it cleans up just a little more under the hood. i would not use it.

Same thng happened to my truck awhile ago...my dad couldnt figure it out where all that black crap was coming from till one of his friends pointed it out. Cause it happened to his truck.

[TexasRed]

Hmmm. Say one wanted to use his truck solely for non-highway use. Are there delete instructions somewhere on the internet for that?

[Irish_Alley]

yeah, cut and plug lol

[Skunksmash]

Are there any advantages to replacing it? Aside from the fact that it can die and kill your engine/carb lol. It cant make the engine run funny or anything like that? I passed emissions with flying colors so mine must be still be good?

[Irish_Alley]

its not a big emissions thing just one of those "every bit helps" things I've passed DE emissions with no egr no can just two vacuum lines one to the brake booster and one to the pcv took it a couple time cause the carb was screwed but it made it

[joesgarage71]

Wow, thanks guys.  So not only "don't worry about", but "it can do more harm than good".

I was just thinking about this.  It takes heat and plastic and rubber (the hose) and some process to shape the carbon inserts to manufacture one of these canisters.  That means there is emissions in the manufacturing process just to construct one of these.  With the little emissions that these guys clean up it almost seems to me that the manufacturing process of one dumps more crap into the air than it is actually preventing from being emitted into the air in the first place. Couple that with the fact that someone has to _ship_ the carbon replacements and the canisters all over the place and those shipping trucks/airplanes/whatever then have to emit crap ... can this really be a net positive part in the long run?

Who cares ... it's plugged now! Thanks guys!

Gm spent time and money designing the carbon canister for a reason. Emission laws. Its function is to filter and recycle the gas flumes from the gas tank VENT.You plug it off and you have no vent to your tank.

I wonder how many jobs would be affected if everyone thought like the above statement.I don't think it would it really matter if on that truck or airplane there was one more box or ten that truck/airplane would still be making that run to deliver other packages. That guy in the plant making those canisters might lose his job, but what the heck thats what they have welfare for RIGHT?
My .02

[TexasRed]

Wow, thanks guys.  So not only "don't worry about", but "it can do more harm than good".

I was just thinking about this.  It takes heat and plastic and rubber (the hose) and some process to shape the carbon inserts to manufacture one of these canisters.  That means there is emissions in the manufacturing process just to construct one of these.  With the little emissions that these guys clean up it almost seems to me that the manufacturing process of one dumps more crap into the air than it is actually preventing from being emitted into the air in the first place. Couple that with the fact that someone has to _ship_ the carbon replacements and the canisters all over the place and those shipping trucks/airplanes/whatever then have to emit crap ... can this really be a net positive part in the long run?

Who cares ... it's plugged now! Thanks guys!

Gm spent time and money designing the carbon canister for a reason. Emission laws. Its function is to filter and recycle the gas flumes from the gas tank VENT.You plug it off and you have no vent to your tank.

I wonder how many jobs would be affected if everyone thought like the above statement.I don't think it would it really matter if on that truck or airplane there was one more box or ten that truck/airplane would still be making that run to deliver other packages. That guy in the plant making those canisters might lose his job, but what the heck thats what they have welfare for RIGHT?
My .02

I don't want to get pulled into a discussion but that's kind of the broken window fallacy:
http://bastiat.org/en/twisatwins.html

You will have to scroll down to see it. You also seem to say two things, Emissions laws and jobs. The money for the canister had to come from somewhere, so if the vehicle buyer didn't have to spend money on it, he might have purchased something else, which could have created the jobs that did not exist before.  Also, it's a proven fact that as a country gets richer that it becomes more consumer-aware of the environmental impact of the products it buys. Anyway, I'll step out since this veered way off topic.

[Skunksmash]

I agree with you on the point about it venting the gas tank or whatever, but I have to disagree about the whole job thing. If the canister is needed then sure, keep it and let that guy keep his job. But in the event that it wasn't for whatever reason, that company is in no way obligated to keep that guy around. They need to either move him or let him go. Vast inefficiency is what placed GM in it's current predicament. How many jobs have been lost due to that? Not saying I don't feel sorry for him, but that's the way it goes with unskilled labor. If he wanted job security he should have went to his local college or something.

[1980c10]

the effort and money spent on these canisters could have went into a more useful development; such as a cupholder for these trucks. Also being that mine was defective I was sure to remove it from the truck completely so that no one would ever reconnect it and create so much more work again.