Two months of chasing a rough idle finally paid off today

I had this 2012 Camry come in back in March with a random rough idle that would only show up when the AC was on and the engine was warm. Tried all the usual stuff first - cleaned the throttle body, swapped plugs, even did a compression test that came back perfect. After throwing about 60 bucks at new PCV hoses and an intake gasket with zero change, I finally decided to smoke test the EVAP system on a whim. Found a tiny crack in the purge valve solenoid that was barely visible, like a hairline thing you couldnt see without the smoke. Replaced that $45 part and the idle smoothed right out after two whole months of chasing my tail. Anyone else ever have a vacuum leak that was basically invisible to the naked eye?

3 comments

3 Comments

rileyb6127d ago

Always the tiniest cracks that cause the biggest headaches, it's like life that way.

ivan_mason26d ago

The purge valve solenoid is actually the one that controls the EVAP system flow, not the purge valve itself having a crack. On that 2012 Camry, the purge valve solenoid is a separate piece from the valve assembly. A lot of guys mix those up lol. I had a similar deal on a 2010 Accord where the solenoid housing had a hairline split that only showed up under vacuum when the engine was warm. Took me like three smoke tests before I caught it.

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the_emma26d ago

Hate when those cracks only show up under heat and vacuum like a ghost in the system...