Is the charcoal canister needed?

I'm starting to mount everything back into the engine bay of my '88 MJ (non-HO -> HO engine and wiring swap) and was wondering if I need to keep the charcoal canister (or whatever it's called). I'd like to simplify all the hoses running through the engine bay but don't know how this is going to affect the truck.

Will it still run okay?
Where do I route the lines without the canister?
Will there be any other downside to this?

It'll be a trail truck with the occasional road drive to and from trails plus I live in MI so there is no emissions testing.

Thanks.

MJ_Chubs said:

I'm starting to mount everything back into the engine bay of my '88 MJ (non-HO -> HO engine and wiring swap) and was wondering if I need to keep the charcoal canister (or whatever it's called). I'd like to simplify all the hoses running through the engine bay but don't know how this is going to affect the truck.

Will it still run okay?
Where do I route the lines without the canister?
Will there be any other downside to this?

It'll be a trail truck with the occasional road drive to and from trails plus I live in MI so there is no emissions testing.

Thanks.

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The only real downside you're going to have is if you're up by the engine bay trying to diagnose other stuff, you're going to smell a really strong gas smell. I ran without one for a while, damn it stunk. But if your question is about performance, no get rid of it, its fine.

BigBlackHeep said:

The only real downside you're going to have is if you're up by the engine bay trying to diagnose other stuff, you're going to smell a really strong gas smell. I ran without one for a while, damn it stunk. But if your question is about performance, no get rid of it, its fine.

Click to expand...

The line that feeds into the canister, is that just for fumes? Where does it come from on the engine? Does it hook to the fuel pressure regulator?

Thanks.

The canister goes to your fuel tank--it's the tank vent. It stores fumes while setting, instead of venting them to the atmosphere, then sucks them into the engine when it's running. Do us all a favor--hook it up. It's also a Fed crime to remove.

I agree … leave it hooked up. It won't affect performance in any way by removing it. The O2 sensor provides feedback to the ECM and will compensate for variation in the (very) small effect that the vented fumes would have on the combustion mixture. In other words, if more vented fumes are sucked in, the feedback from the O2 sensor shortens the injector duration (i.e. leans the mixture) to compensate and visa versa. Besides, venting gas fumes to the outside (especially near a spark source) is not a good thing … nor is it pleasant to have to breathe in the fumes all day.

I tok mine off and put a small fuel filter on the gas tank line and mounted it up high on the firewall. I blocked off/removed all of the other lines, have 40K on it like that and have never had fumes.

can i use any old charcoal canister? mine was crushed a while ago