The Nissan Path

Ok, so I went to Payson for a camping trip with the girl and the drive there was fine. I checked fluids and were all set for the 2hr drive. I knew I was due for a oil change within 1K miles but I knew the total drive was no more than 500 miles. When we left the camp to head back home, I heard a knock when I started to come back from the mountains. I changed the oil that following morning and the knock almost went away. I got a readings of P0325 & P0446.... I have almost 40 days to fix this before I'm in trouble. Any advice or anywhere I should start?

98' SE Pathy
178 Miles
auto & 4x4

P0446 is a vent control valve code. Ignore the knock sensor code for now. Under the driver's side, rear of the vehicle is a carbon canister and bolted to the back of it is the vent control valve. Two problems are common. First, the vent control valve may have failed or be sticking. Normally, the valve is "open," meaning you should be able to blow through it if you remove it from the canister. With 12v power and ground applied to the appropriate pins, the valve should shut. The other common issue is the foam liner inside the evap canister breaks down and leaks charcoal into the system and jams the valve. Remove the canister and the valve and shake the canister over some paper. If tiny bits of charcoal fall out of it, the canister is bad (and will need to be replaced) and the entire evap system will need to be blown clear to get the charcoal out of the system.

Thanks SMJ, I'm going to try to shake the canister before I head to work.

So, i checked the valve lines and i found charcoal in the lines from the canister and from the lines under the engine bay. So, according to what i've read, I'm gonna need to replace the following:

1. EVAP canister purge control solenoid valve
2. EVAP canister purge control valve
3. EVAP canister purge volume control valve

Does that sound about right?

The only thing you have to replace initially is the evap canister. As far as the rest of the parts, you may be able to clean them out. You will need a source of compressed air to thoroughly clear all of the charcoal out of the system. Nissan released a detailed technical service bulletin describing the procedure to clean out the system. The bulletin was #NTB00-085a and was issued 10/28/03. The bulletin applies to 97-03 Pathfinders as well as many other Nissan models. You can get the bulletin in .pdf form at NissanHelp.com. Go under "Knowledge Base," to "service bulletins," go under "98 Pathfinder" and search keyword "charcoal." There you will be able to download the file; you may have to register to the site for this feature. If you can't clear out the other components and get them to work, then you may need to replace them.

SMJ thanks soo much. I'm going to buy the canister and download the PDF from the nissan site. I sure hope this is all I need. Thanks again!!

So, i finally changed out my canister. Should I notice something immediately or do I need to drive around for a few hours and go to an Autozone and see if the codes are still there?