Hey everyone, got a question about removing the charcoal canister on my 98 ZJ. I'm not sure if I would gain anything by removing it or not, but I know that it has something to do with emissions and I would guess it is robbing me of some power? By removing the the canister and putting in a "T" to complete the vacuum and by-pass the canister would there be any adverse effects other than the "check engine" light would stay on I'm sure? Not sure if this is a common practice of ZJ owners or if it would be worth my time and effort?

Thanks for the info!

Josh

 

It does not rob power and you will only gain the stink of gasoline if you remove it, just leave it alone. You can not tamper with any of the emissions devices, it is a federal law.

 

Unless it is a Full Time ORV.. But thanks for the info.

 

There is nothing emissions wise to remove without the engine running worse, this aint 1982 where you had restrictive catalytic converters and smog pumps with miles of vacuum hoses.

 

So you're saying that catalytic converters aren't restrictive today? I guess the main concern would be with an older vehicle with over 225,000 miles on it might have a little blockage built up in certain areas that could definitely restrict and cause an engine to run worse than when it rolled off the lot 14 years ago. For a budget build, I don't want to go and spend hundreds of dollars replacing factory emissions gadgets when they're not necessary.

 

Todays catalytic converters are not nearly as restrictive as the old pellet type used in the 80's. That is as long as there has not been a melt down inside caused from running too rich for too long.

 

I replaced the one on my old '97 V8 ZJ when it was bad. They're not expensive.
Besides, it's illegal to remove them, and against the rules to discuss doing so on this forum.


Don't remove or disconnect the charcoal canister. As stated above, it won't help a bit by doing so. It only helps remove gas fumes.

 

Hmm... Its funny that this topic comes up. I think I may have a few hoses hooked up wrong on mine. I get a huge wiff of gas every now and again when I'm really getting on my throttle. Good to know!

 

I had actually removed mine and with the left over breather tube that comes from the tank I ran in into my cold air so I'm not just wasting the fumes and installed a one way explosion proof valve to keep from fumes igniting in the intake and going back to the tank. When I did all this I never once had gas smell and my accel had a little more snap and ran way smoother. And I drive the same as I did when I had it and I noticed about 2mpg gain.