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Evap Purge Solenoid Clicking very Fast and Causing Strange Sound near Throttle Body

39K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  thndr8 
#1 ·
This evening when I pulled into the driveway I had the windows down and noticed a strange cyclic sound coming from my X. The only way to describe it is "pfft pfft pfft pfft pfft". (I know that sounds silly but it's the only way I can describe it) It was constant and was rapid. I kinda sounded like a small exhaust leak I thought at first.

When I opened the hood I found that the sound was coming from the throttle body area. I also heard a rapid clicking sound that was in sync with the "pfft" sound. I quickly found that the clicking was coming from the evap purge solenoid. It was cycling open and shut very fast and continuously. I followed the hose that goes from the solenoid to the intake right next to the throttle body and found the "pfft" sound was caused by the vapors rushing into the intake every time the solenoid opened. To be sure I squeezed the hose to cut off flow and the sound went away.

I am aware that on very hot days when the vehicle is really baking alot of fuel vapors can build up and cause the solenoid to open and close very rapidly. However I've never heard the cyclic "pfft" sound before.

A few things about the truck: over the last few weeks it will sometimes idle a bit rough and other times its nice and smooth. The rpms are erratic too. Sometimes at a stop it idles at 625, then a few stops later it sits at 750 and other times its somewhere in between. Lastly, I cannot fill the truck with fuel normally. I have to pump the gas very slow or it will spurt out and shut off the pump nozzle. I believe there's a known issue with the canister vent valve on these trucks that causes the gas fill problem but I'm not 100% sure. Oh, and of course, there are no codes or pending codes.

Im wondering if all these symptoms may be related. The rough idle, random idle speed, purge solenoid cycling very fast, the very loud "pfft" sound coming from the evap hose every time vapors rush into the intake and the fuel fill problem.

I looking for any help you guys can give on this one. Perhaps someone has dealt with these symptoms before? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the super long post. I hope at least yall got a laugh out of how many times I wrote "pfft".
 
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#3 ·
Thanks for the info. It's been raining like crazy all day so I haven't been able to try and figure anything out about the truck.

The first place I want to look is the charcoal canister and all related hoses and valves I think. See if any of the hoses are plugged up or full of fuel where they shouldn't be, test the vent solenoid and see if the canister itself is full of fuel. Heck, maybe the vent hose is plugged up with crud.

I was thinking, perhaps the funny sucking sound (pfft pfft pfft) from the evap hose that goes into the inake is because liquid fuel is in the charcoal canister or getting into the evap lines. I don't think liquid fuel could be getting as far as the evap hoses under the hood without causing a serious running condition but ill check those any how.

It's just the weirdest sound. I've heard evap purge solenoids clicking guickly before but ive never heard such a loud sound of suction every time the solenoid opens. Like I posted earlier, ot sounds like a small exhaust leak.


In any case there's not much I can do until it stops raining. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Thanks
 
#4 · (Edited)
Doing some searching and I can't find any evap tsbs that apply to my 2010 X.

Can anyone tell me how to figure out what part or parts are the cause of the hard to fill with gas problem? I can only fill my truck slowly or it spurts out or shuts the pump off. I'd like to start there.

Every time I take the gas cap off there's alot of pressure. I'm wondering if the vent solenoid is stuck shut or the vent hose/filter is plugged. That could explain the sucking sound up front. If the purge valve opens to pull vapors out of the canister but theres no way for air to get in it could make a suction noise.

With no codes stored I'm kinda hoping it's just crap plugging up my vent hose.
 
#5 ·
Doing some searching and I can't find any evap tsbs that apply to my 2010 X.

Can anyone tell me how to figure out what part or parts are the cause of the hard to fill with gas problem? I can only fill my truck slowly or it spurts out or shuts the pump off. I'd like to start there.

Every time I take the gas cap off there's alot of pressure. I'm wondering if the vent solenoid is stuck shut or the vent hose/filter is plugged. That could explain the sucking sound up front. If the purge valve opens to pull vapors out of the canister but theres no way for air to get in it could make a suction noise.

With no codes stored I'm kinda hoping it's just crap plugging up my vent hose.

My 2010 Ford E-250 5.4L has similar symptoms.. Started with the pumping of gas.. Eventually my air now only blows through the floor & defrost while driving.. & Now after 100,000 more miles of not solving those issues my engine now has a very rough idle. Loud knocking sounds coming from above the oil pan, & a scratchy sound coming from the purge valve. Unsure if its all related or not.. Seems like it could be some form of vacuum leak that could be causing all of this. Did you ever find anything out? Thanks!
 
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