[VadGTI]

The car has been throwing a P0441 code. Previously replaced the charcoal canister on the last go-around with this code (2 years ago), and recently replaced the fuel filler cap.

The car is now in the shop and I'm being told the purge valve needs to be replaced, which is $3XX in parts alone (I believe the part number is 55556492).

I can't find any non-OEM parts. Is there some sort of work-around on this? I saw a couple of comments mentioning cleaning this thing, but nothing specific.

Anyone? Thanks!

 

[VadGTI]

To add, I'm at a loss as to what this thing looks like and what I should be purchasing.

100% of sites that have this thing as new show the following:

However, there is one used part on eBay and it looks completely different.

Jim Ellis has it as #4 in their parts diagram:

So, who is correct?

 

[andybisnut]

I hate to be the "just ignore it" guy, but does your car have any drive-ability issues, or just the CEL? You could just ignore it.

That hose I think has two parts. I think your two pictures show two parts of the same inter-connected hose. It goes from the back of the throttle body all the way to the front of the car. They do tend to rot at the throttle body. horsehockey repaired his I believe, and it cured a rough idle and other symptoms. But I'm not sure he ever had a CEL.

 

[VadGTI]

I hate to be the "just ignore it" guy, but does your car have any drive-ability issues, or just the CEL? You could just ignore it.

That hose I think has two parts. I think your two pictures show two parts of the same inter-connected hose. It goes from the back of the throttle body all the way to the front of the car. They do tend to rot at the throttle body. horsehockey repaired his I believe, and it cured a rough idle and other symptoms. But I'm not sure he ever had a CEL.

The CEL is the problem, otherwise I wouldn't care. It needs to pass emissions, and even though CA apparently allows the EVAP monitor to not be ready for 2000+ OBD2 cars, it ends up being ready just before the cat goes ready (which is always the last for readiness), which means it'll fail smog. If it was the last readiness code to go, I'd just smog it as soon as all but EVAP were good to go, but the drive cycle apparently doesn't work that way.

 

[andybisnut]

The CEL is the problem, otherwise I wouldn't care. It needs to pass emissions, and even though CA apparently allows the EVAP monitor to not be ready for 2000+ OBD2 cars, it ends up being ready just before the cat goes ready (which is always the last for readiness), which means it'll fail smog. If it was the last readiness code to go, I'd just smog it as soon as all but EVAP were good to go, but the drive cycle apparently doesn't work that way.

Forgot about emissions. When Jesse Ventura was the governor of MN he got rid of those for us. For that, I am eternally grateful. Even if he was a whacko. :lol:

 

[bob3000]

For that, I am eternally grateful. Even if he was a whacko. :lol:

Jesse Ventura: "Win if you can, lose if you must, always cheat". :>)
.

 

[Jeremy R.]

I don't think that used one looks completely different. It's just missing the actual electric evap purge valve and the short hose that comes after it. If you're just after the valve, there are plenty of those on eBay. A quick search for "Saab 9-5 evap purge valve" comes up with several of the newer style valves, but they only include the valve and the u-shaped hose. If the rest of your hose needs replacement, you may want to get it new. I had the short nipple on the end that attaches to the back of the throttle body split on my wife's car. It threw several check engine codes, and the car could barely idle because it was sucking so much unmetered air in through the split. I fixed it with a lot of electrical tape, and it's been fine ever since. Since you don't have any driveability issues, I kind of doubt your hose is bad. More likely it's just the valve. Have you tried putting 12 volts to the valve to see if it clicks? I've had the valve go bad on both of my 9-5s, and both times the bad valve would do nothing when 12 volts was applied to the pins. Good valves will make a very audible click.

 

[Doug]

Agree with JeremyR, test the valve first. If it works the shop has mislead you. If it doesn't, get a new valve, they just push into the hoses as opposed to being heat shrunk like some of that tubing.

Another possible failure is the NRV, wrapped in the shorter of the two lengths of foam in your image. These can fail open.

If so, get a 6 mm ID aluminium NRV from ebay for a few $, a length of 6 mm ID fuel hose (don't use silicone), Replace the rigid plastic pipe with the NRV between the purge valve and the the back of the throttle body, with the fuel hose and aluminium NRV.

Unlikely the rigid curved piece of pipe has split. If it has, replace that with fuel hose too. It leads to the canister.

That covers the whole length of the £3xx pipe in your first pic, for maybe $20 plus the cost of a used evap purge valve. They may not even be Saab-specific - I wonder if other GM vehicles use them. I, like many, have done the above to convert the pre-2006 9-5 evaporative system to the later one, which omitted a tube leading from the purge valve to the cobra.

Double check the diameter of the nozzles on the evap purge valve. pretty sure a 6 mm tube fits.

To fit the new pipe to the back of the throttle body, its infinitely easier to unbolt it and lift it up. 3 x 10 mm bolts. Don't drop anything in!

Doug

 

[VadGTI]

Thanks, everyone! So it looks like it's the valve, it won't react to power. I did indeed (with help from Anders of Swedecar on Saabnet) realize that there is a Bosch part number for the valve itself and found a bunch on eBay and even more on specialized junkyard-finder sites in Sweden and Finland.

So, this is it, right? I was under the impressions that one the hose/line that runs from the part just above the power socket is a hard line on the OEM part? Is that incorrect? Is it just a regular hose and clip/clamp of some sort?

Also, I still haven't looked to see where this thing is and it's hard to find pics of it installed. Is it sitting under the MAF? Easy to get to?

 

[Doug]

Yes its under the MAF. Take the rubber pipe out. The purge valve itself is in that tapered rubber mount in the pic. I wonder whether I mis-remembered the tubes being easy push-on? Certainly one is but the joint with the 180˚ bend might be heat sealed. Anyway if you get it with the bent pipe, the other end is a quick release as you can see.

 

[Mossypumpkin]

Very easy to replace. Everything is black and white...very straight forward. If I can do it, anyone can.

 

[CJPeterborough]

 

[Mossypumpkin]

This is the actual valve circled in red

 

[ET160]

Did you try to clean the valve?

 

[VadGTI]

Did you try to clean the valve?

I didn't, just ended up ordering a used one as I was told that once it fails to react to power, it's not coming back to life with cleaning.

Do you think it's worth a shot? What's the cleaning procedure? TB cleaner through one end?

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

 

[ET160]

I didn't, just ended up ordering a used one as I was told that once it fails to react to power, it's not coming back to life with cleaning.

Do you think it's worth a shot? What's the cleaning procedure? TB cleaner through one end?

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

Do a search. Some people have used wd-40. I used different things: MAF cleaner, also alcohol and some brake cleaner.

 

[Doug]

I discovered my spare was knackered as a result of reading this. It makes a tiny click, should be louder. I left it a few days with WD-40 in it - no change. Then carb cleaner, taped up to slow evaporation - no change. So I sawed
it open.

The bucket shaped part has the hollow tube screwed into the base. The electromagnet coil causes the square plate to move a tiny distance restrained by that copper retainer with four rivets. The plate only moves a millimetre or so, or 1/16 " or less. I was expecting to find a plunger moving axially within the coil but no. I reassembled it, held it together and of course the flippin' thing works now! I got another spare the other day so no great loss.

So we see it is the square plate which moves, and gets gunged up. I can see how subjecting it to chemical attack might clear it, also, now we know its construction, poking a needle or similar into one of the curved ports on top of the valve might un-stick it.

Fascinating.

Doug

 

[ET160]

Good work!