When the engine “troit”, this detail is the last thing they remember

And it’s all about one detail of the gas tank, experts from Za Rulem, the oldest and most authoritative automotive publication in Russia, explain. Mikhail Kolodochkin and Alexey Revin.

It’s called an adsorber. The purpose of this device is to clean the air released from the tank as a result of fuel heating by gasoline vapors.

But this is not just a filter, but a complex system controlled by the ECU, capable of redirecting the collected gasoline vapors not only back to the tank, but also to the fuel line leading to the combustion chambers.

Adsorbers are designed for runs of 80 thousand (up to Euro-4) or 160 thousand (Euro-5 and -6) kilometers. But often, especially in cool Russia, they serve for decades. However, failures of these systems are quite common.

If something happens to the valve windings or the pressure sensor, the Check engine lights up immediately. The advice to check the engine also appears if the lambda sensors show that no fuel vapor is coming out of the adsorber. In addition, coal granules in the adsorption filter can stick together and stop the condensation of gasoline vapors.

Signs of a faulty adsorber

• The ventilation of the tank is disturbed or even stops.
• Plugs form in the fuel line.
• The engine does not start properly and does not hold speed, stalls.
• The dynamics decrease, when the accelerator pedal is released, the car vibrates.
• Pops are heard near the gas tank and it begins to smell of gasoline.

Read how the adsorber works and whether it can be dismantled in the December issue of the magazine “Behind the wheel” – already on sale.

The material was prepared on the basis of the article by Mikhail Kolodochkin and Alexei Revin “Why do we need an adsorber?”, published in the magazine “Za Rulem” No. 12/2022.