Thread: P0440 error/fault code

So, I bought my car almost a month ago (2000 Grand Prix GT) and knew it had some issues (I expected no less for a car that I paid only $400.00 for).
Anyhow, I brought it to my cousins shop and he told me it had a hole in the exhaust and I needed to weld it (where the hole is exactly.. I dont know), & that I needed a new thermostat.

I finally decided I'd buy the $50 OBD2 reader/scanner today and plugged it in into my car (well, my boyfriend plugged it in and read the codes). The first code was P0128 (for the thermostat not reaching its optimal temperature, or something to that effect). The second code was P0440, which says "EVAP Emission Control System Malfunction".

My boyfriend had started it after reading the codes and all we could smell was gas (never noticed it before) & while he had it in park, he punched the gas and all we see was a cloud of bluish/grey smoke that smelled awfully bad of gas and he says he smelled oil (I didnt smell it, or dont know what it smells like).

My question is (since I dont know if my cousin actually seen the hole or just plugged the OBD2 in and assumed it was a hole), if a hole would cause all that smoke and gas smell or could it be something else.

If the hole could do that, is there anything else I need to check (like is there something that causes that hole that also needs repair).

I live in Canada so rust and corrosion are common problems but I want to make sure I dont fix one thing just to have to fix another thing.

Thanks

He (my boyfriend) checked the gas cap and said it fine and that it wouldn't cause all that smoke anyways.

He says that the leak could be anything from a busted hose to the charcoal cannister being full.

Does anyone know if there is a way to check everything from easiest to hardest fixes? & is this a common problem or am I just unlucky lmao.

Originally Posted by dsmuts

An exhaust hole isn't going to hurt anything if it's post o2. The 440 means your car has an evap leak somewhere in the system.

Thanks BTW

I dont think she had the fuel pump changed. The gas gauge doesnt work properly (bounces from E to full) so I dont think she changed it.

Friday night was the first time I put gas in it ($10.00 worth, so about 12L). The night I drove it back from my cousins shop, my boyfriend stood behind the car, checking my lights. He never smelled gas. After he said everything was fine (with the lights) we went to the gas station, put in gas, then drove 6km or so where it has stayed parked since.

Saturday is when we turned it on and noticed the strong gas smell, after having hooked it up to the OBD2, reading the codes, and then turning it on and punching the gas with it in park (which is when it smoked, he said after he let go of the gas is when it smoked.

Originally Posted by 00grandprixgtp

easy way is to smoke test the system but you need a evap pressure tool for that LOL dealers have it but charge u out the A$$ for it i know i work at one but it could also be a leaky vent valve or purge valve my guess is someone changed the fuel pump and didnt get the oring to seat in the right spot i see that alot you go fill it up yet? LOL 9 out of 10 times you fill it up and it keeps filling up on the ground under the car my friends and mother in laws did that had to remove the pump and install a new oring easy fix not sure on your case but might be ?

I dont think she had the fuel pump changed. The gas gauge doesnt work properly (bounces from E to full) so I dont think she changed it.

Friday night was the first time I put gas in it ($10.00 worth, so about 12L). That night I drove it back from my cousins shop, my boyfriend stood behind the car, checking my lights. He never smelled gas. After he said everything was fine (with the lights) we went to the gas station, put in gas, then drove 6km or so where it has stayed parked since.

Saturday is when we turned it on and noticed the strong gas smell, after having hooked it up to the OBD2, reading the codes, and then turning it on. After the gas smell, he punched the gas with it in park (which is when it smoked, he said after he let go of the gas is when it smoked.

The car just had an oil change a week ago when I had the brake line (front right had a big leak), rear hub assemblies (ABS sensor was bad), pads and rotors all around (the girl before me drove it while they were down to nothing and cooked the rotors).

I only drove it once since the oil change so I am not sure there would be any other fluid in there but will have my boyfriend take a look, both at the oil and gaskets.

The smoke was a bluish-grey colour. It didnt smoke when it started up (although you could really smell gas), it only smoked when he punched the gas while it was in park and brought the RPMs to 5 or 6. He said it smoked when he let go of the gas after punching it. I didnt notice because it didnt take long before he had the RPMs up and when I looked over (was sitting in the passenger seat) after I smelled the gas, he had already let go of the gas and there was a cloud of smoke.

I didnt notice any smoke driving it Friday night, but he says thats because I wasnt rough with it and drove 55km max on the way back. He said it only smokes when you punch it or accelerate quickly/heavy (when you get the RPMs up).

It has a little under 266,000km (roughly 167000miles).

None of the repair receipts I was given show that she had the gaskets changed so its more than likely the original ones in it. Its at my moms house (no placw to park it here) so I would have to go over there tomorrow and look at it (I have to go to work in a couple hours).

I know the girl before was very rough on the car (drove it like its a race car). I was told by several people who have looked it that she drove it rough and took corners hard etc. So, Im guessing that she did do damage to the engine, although Im not really a car sauvy person and am just learning from what I read and hear from others as I go on this seemingly never ending journey to fix this thing lmao.

Oh, and one thing I remember is that when it was originally parked at my moms (before bringing it over to the shop), my boyfriend lifted the black cover (the one says 3800 series) and there was a brownish colour liquid (gooey like) in the top left corner. Not a whole lot of it, just enough to say it was there.

I dont know if that is related, or a different problem all together (if its even a probkem lol), but I do remember seeing it and thinking it was odd since I didnt see it anywhere in that area.

Originally Posted by scottydoggs

that sounds like coolant in the lim bolt valleys, post up some pics if you can.

When I go over tomorrow, I will take that cover off and take a picture of what I was talking about, as well as take out the dip stick and look for anything cloudy white like (I'll probably take a pic of that too).

I have a picture of the engine but not with the cover off. Just a picture of the engine in general.

K, so just to clarify. The possible coolant leak would be the cause for my P0128 code and the smoke that the exhaust blew out the other day, right?

As for the P0440 code, I don't think it means that there is a leak (but as I said, I know very little to nothing about cars, other than sticking the key in and driving haha.. & I apparently don't do that right since I don't turn it to "on" for a little bit and then "run").

Anyhow, when looking up the code P0440, it says that it's an "EVAP Emission Control System Malfunction/Failure" and there is a different code for the leak, even one as small as a .02-.04". So, I would think if there was a leak somewhere, I would have gotten that code (P0442, I think).

I assume that by the code I have, it could mean that the Charcoal Canister is full, the purge solenoid has failed or whatever other parts pertaining to the EVAP system aren't working properly (or at all). I read that the Canister being full or the purge valve failing could be the cause of the gas smell.

Is that correct?

Thanks

Symptoms of a Bad Purge Valve | eHow.com

So, after searching (trying to educate myself), I found that page. I am gonna guess that after having read what it says, it is more than likely my cars problem that the girl before me had gotten the P0440 code but never bothered to check out or fix the issue and continued to drive it in that that condition, thus blowing the gaskets (which is what is more than likely causing the burning oil).

I have no idea where the spark plugs are and therefore would not be able to tell/see if they're damaged, but I'm trying to look for where they are (I can't find pictures of their location in the engine so have no real clue where or what to look for.

The thing on the left with the numbers on it is the coil pack. Those big wires covered in heavy silicone insulation are the spark plug wires. If you follow those to their end, you will find they are clipped onto the spark plugs. When removing these, it is best to twist and pull on the boot...the big rubber piece on the end. Do not pull on the wire itself. Once these are off, you can use a 5/8" spark plug socket to remove the spark plugs.

So I took the cover off but my camera wont flash good enough to show what I mean.

I also tried what my boyfriend did the other day (punching the gas while in park) but didnt go past 4RPMs because the car started rocking and made me nervous lol.

As for what happened at 4RPMs, the car smoked after letting go of the gas (but not as much as it did at 6). It leaked something from the exhaust (clear like with a tint of black). The exhaust pipes also leaked/dripped the same thing, and there was a black mark on the concrete where the drivers side tailpipe is (not the passengers side).

I took pics and videos of all of it, but dont know how to upload them to my posts.

Mobile Photobucket

I had a hard time trying to copy the URL with my cell phone. I hope that works