Majestic isactually the same placewhere I bought my valve too. But that was maybe5 years ago.

 

SoI nearly bought some parts from Majestic, but wanted to check my favorite place for honda parts first: http://www.tasauto.com/

After further inspection, Majestic Honda has a $5 handling fee on everything and expensive shipping ($11 for the shut valve, come on). Thevent shutvalve, for example, when it is all said and done, ends up being $5 cheaper from TAS Auto.

Just an FYI for anyonethat comesacross this thread looking for Honda parts...

Edit: I screwed up my math, but both places end up being the same price!

 

Ok, this also happens to be the exact same price as it is at the Honda dealer 2 miles from my house. They can get it in stock in a day or two and it can be returned if unused, so, order is going in tomorrow!

I guess online dealers of genuine Honda parts are not going to be able to undercut the dealer. I almost thought I was going to get a deal.

 

Comparison shopping FTW. It doesnt always work out the same way, depending on what parts youre looking for. Sometimes I save 20%, sometimes theres not much difference.

 

OK. I finally tackled this thing. If nothing else, I hope this thread will be help others if they come across it, as this can be a relatively frustrating problem. And also, in regards to the last few posts, I ended up buying my part from the dealer. It was actually $70. So both of those sites online are about $15 cheaper when it is all said and done. I am not a patient person though, and I am a big fan of being able to return things with paying restocking fees. OK, back to the valve replacement.

First I checked the valve to hear for the click Jim mentions from above. I did this by using some short speaker wire from one of those 12-volt jump starters. There was no click, so I proceeded. I was going to proceed anyway.

So the first bolt, the easier one to access (closest to the pavement) was difficult and took just about everything I had to get loose. This, of course, was after letting them soak in all kinds of nice chemicals.

At this point, after screwing with the first screw for a few minutes, it was time for the top screw. This proved to be difficult. It proved to be real difficult. This may in fact be one of the most frustrating things that I have ever done, at least as far as car repairs goes. Ive had to deal with stuck rotors, caliper bolts, stripped spark plug threads, blah blah, but man, this thing was a REAL pain in the ***.

So, 4 hours after beginning, I am done, and I am here. Ive got a stripped out bolt head, with a new head made by my dremel for use with a flat head screwdriver (2 of which broke because they couldnt handle the torque), that is now STUCK on a screw extractor. This is just the HEAD of the screw, as this extractor bit (after I was unable to turn it by hand, it actually made my 18 volt drill struggle) sheared off the head of the bolt. On the bright side, I got the valve off.

I should add that in the process a whole bunch of other components came off under the car. The big canister thingie was loosened and I was able to let it "hang down" for access to the screws, it absolutely would not have been possible without direct access to the screw.

So, everything is back together, minus one screw. This 1457 Evap Control System Leak code was the only recurring code that I had before I did this (after cleaning the EGR ports). Ive cleared the code and I pray that this shut valve was actually the cause. I will keep you all updated.

Due to a few chunks of time waiting for my PB Blaster to seap in (and seemingly do nothing), I did manage to give my new Honda some fresh synthetic oil (Penzoil Platinum, for those wondering) and a nice filter (Wix, of course)... Right after I started to feel good about getting something done, I noticed a small radiator leak...

ANYWAY, Ill keep you all updated on the 1457 issue. If my check engine light comes back, I will either cut my head off, or throw on a new filter canister.

 

WOW! I had trouble with those stupid little screws too, but not as bad as all that.

 

Jim,

I've been following this P1457 Code issue for some time now, and I appreciate your input to the users of the forum - you definitely seem to know what you're doing. I believe I have a new "wrench" to throw in the works, though. My vehicle posted a P1457 code, which I have been diagnosing using the factory service manual. Using the manual, I was able to rule out the purge solenoid near the intake, and had moved to the EVAP two-way valve near the cannister, which is the next step in the troubleshooting procedure.

At first, it seemed like I had found the problem, as I was not able to draw a vacuum on the valve with the ignition on (key postion II). I checked the connector for 12V (black/orange to chassis ground)-which there was, as well as the ECM control line (blue/red) for continuity (which in this case, it should not have any). The ECM control line registered 732 ohms, which in my experience is NOT continuity (I would think I was "seeing" the ECM). Therefore, according to the factory service manual's instructions, the EVAP two-way valve should be the suspect part.

Thinking I had the problem licked, I purchased a new EVAP two-way valve and installed it. However, I repeated the vacuum test to be sure I had fixed the problem, as I know it takes time for the ECM to clear the code. Unfortunately, the brand-new two-way valve will not hold a vacuum with the ingition on. However, I did bench test the old valve, and found that even with 12V applied directly across the solenoid, it still would not hold a vacuum either, which tells me that this part is indeed bad.

So here are my questions to you and the forum - if you wouldn't mind considering:

1) In your experience, does 732 ohms constitute "continuity" for Honda engineers? That is, am I looking for a short in the wiring, or perhaps a bad circuit in the ECM? I have yet to wring the wiring harness out, although I suspect it is ok.

2) Does the correct operation of this valve depend on other items "down line" in the system? The service manual has me removing only two of the three hoses on the valve - there is still one hose connected to the system.

3) When I installed the new two-way valve, the car had cooled down considerably, and there was less than a quarter of a tank of fuel in the system. In that this particular valve is connected to the ECM, I would imagine that some types of specific monitored conditions would have to exist for the computer to modulate the the circuit and operate the valve (perhaps not just ignition on) - would you agree?

Any thoughts?

Rob

 

1) I don't remember clearly, but I think a circuit "switched-off" by the ECU shows a lot more than 1k ohm. Try unplugging the wiring harness from the ECU & checking again. If you STILL see some finite resistance then it must be bad insulation somewhere in the wiring harness.

2) I don't own that 98 Accord (or the Helm book) anymore, but I'll try to remember... I think the operation DOES depend on downstream stuff. The procedure of disconnecting hoses, plugging some, leaving some connected was kind of confusing. I even remember the drawing was confusing for which hoses to pull & which to leave.

There's at least one test where you have to pump your MityVac to apply some measurable vacuum because you have a large-ish volume to pump down. I think the idea is that you're testing whether some components are actually air-tight.

In my case, I punted. I skipped ahead in the procedure to test the simple function of each solenoid. When I got to the vent-shut valve, it wouldn't even click when I applied battery leads across the solenoid. It was clearly corroded & was not working at all. I put in a new one & HOPED that was the only thing broken. The error never came back, so I never had to complete the entire troubleshooting tree.

3) This entire rat's nest system of valves, hoses, & pressure sensor only operates OCCASIONALLY. It really has nothing to do with emmissions per-se. It's only purpose is to check whether the canister is still working (per EPA mandate).

While I was waiting for the mail-order replacement valve, I cleared the ECU. The CEL & P1457 error didn't come back until about 2 days later, after maybe 6 driving cycles. So I know the system doesn't cycle thru it's self-check every time you start the car.

 

Jim,

Thanks for your quick reply. On the whole, I know I will have to be patient with the troubleshooting, as you've noted that the system only works occationally. I believe this is what drives some people crazy - in most instances, when you fix something, you expect immediate results, right?

In the meantime I will take your advice and find a way to test the EVAP vent shut valve on the vehicle, which is the next step in the troubleshooting procedure as well. I will also go ahead and wring out the harness from the two-way connector to the computer. Unfortunately, I have nothing with which to compare my vehicle's circuit, so I am also faced with the possibility that the 732 ohms may indeed indicate that the ECM is bad, as I have come upon the TSB (03-001) that cautions that a bad [two-way valve] solenoid could take out the ECM. I would've liked to think that circuits powerfull enough to take out an ECM would've been fused.

I will let you know what happens.

Thanks again,

Rob

 

Yeah, when I was working on that, I was really tempted to dismantle more of the system & learn more. But that's just an acedemic exercise & my wife was asking whether the car was fixed yet. Engineers like me can't just FIX something. We gotta figure out how it really works.

Blown output stages of the ECU is why I suggested unplugging the wiring harness from the ECU. If you can still see that 700-ohm connection to ground with the ECU out of the picture, then you can breathe easy about a bad ECU.

For testing the valves, I considered running 20 feet of wire from the battery posts to the valve, but instead I removed the valve & carried it up to the battery. Then I didn't have to work the MityVac while I held bare wires to the valve while laying on my back while the car was dripping saltwater in my face...