Where is the vapor canister vent valve located?

Hi Al, let me explain what it's doing now and the work I have progress over the last couple of months. I apologize I wasn't able to get back to you sooner.

I have been busy, and I have been driving this car like this all summer. A week ago, or two I was able to replace the intake manifold and fuel injectors. I got a great deal for the entire intake assembly that came with fuel injectors, map sensor, purge solenoid canister, new vacuum hose and gaskets. So, I figured for that price I might as well do the entire assembly to have any future problems down the road since it's my daily driver. It was a summer deal the parts website was having. I replaced the entire kit for a price of $287. Cheaper than what four new injectors would cost for each. It also came with a new fuel rail and pressure regulator. I replaced the air filter, cleaned the throttle body and cleaned the MAF sensor again as well.

Now, after the intake was replaced, it still surge at idle, it's been happening so far in the 80s or 90 degrees outside. It has been very hot this summer. Since the intake and injectors were replaced, I don't notice the engine surging rough anymore and it's not constant at decel anymore like it was before.

Only sometimes, not all the time, but when real hot out, it feels hard to step on the gas pedal and when you begin to accelerate, *turns green at a stop light* that is when it's hard to accelerate, give it gas for example, at acceleration, not sitting, driving.

I wasn't noticing much surging when you begin to decel. Fuel pressure is good because I can hear the pump.

One of my friends who fixes cars as well, says when an engine surge it's hard to determine what it can be. Even if it does it at the slightest moment. He suggested I replace the brake booster check valve. I don't know where it's at on this car. I thought it was just a hose that connects to the intake into the booster. Any thoughts? Everything is almost new on this car now. If not the booster check valve, maybe there's just a carbon deposit on the valves?

Hi AL, what a crazy month September has been I was not able to drive this car AGAIN, so it sat the entire month. I have been waiting on more parts and could not drive it all last month. Let me tell you what it's doing NOW. I might think it's a sensor causing rough idle rpm surging and rough acceleration, but it's been a slow process figuring it out with this rpm surge mystery because it doesn't do it all the time. Thank you for trying to figure it out with me because it has been very frustrating not being able to drive my car.

Shortly after replacing the intake manifold, everything was ok until about a week after I commented to you here. I would say the beginning of September, the day before Labor Day the ECM sets out another code P0013. It must have been a slow process before the ECM decided to set the code because during the time, I comment to you about not being able to accelerate the gas pedal while driving shortly after replacing the intake manifold and having the rpm jump slightly at idle still, maybe this sensor is all related, I hope.

I like to keep a record of what happens on my vehicles, so I know when the problem begins to exist. I replaced the entire intake manifold with new gaskets nd brand new fuel injectors with new rail sometime in August before it was inspected because it needs to get inspected that month. So again, to repeat myself, I checked spark plugs and coil packs and cleaned the MAF sensor and throttle body while replacing the intake. None of that really improved acceleration.

To answer your question about intake manifold carbon build-up, no I did not notice any major carbon build-up on the old manifold. I had to remove the valve cover to replace the intake and I didn’t notice a lot of carbon buildup on the valves. It was just dry oil residue on the cams. That being said, I think this car must have been a short-trip-driven car because it had low mileage when I purchased it in 2015. It was a clean car, but it had its problems. I don’t change my oil every 3,000 miles, only once a year. The older lady I bought it from used conventional because I can tell it wasn’t good quality oil. I have been using high-mileage synthetic motor oil for over 75,000 now and I have been using synthetic since I owned the car.

Now to explain what it’s doing now. At the beginning of September, the day before Labor Day, I was out running errands and the check engine light came on. I tried to clear the code P0013, but it would just come back right on. The code is set for the variable valve timing solenoid. I replaced the sensor but as soon as I replaced the sensor the wiring for that sensor broke off. It took a month to find a new connector for this sensor. I was able to install the new connector today. But the check engine light didn’t go out like I thought it would due to the break in the wiring.

Here’s what happened today: I replaced that connector, cleared the code P0013, and as soon as I step on the gas at idle to rev to above 2000 RPMs the check engine light comes back on. Check codes again, P0013 comes back and now I see P0010. They are for both the VVT solenoid causing it to stay open. I check resistance in the sensor itself and it’s not giving me the range I should have. I contact the dealer to see if they can send me a replacement.

I did install the sensor correctly this time, thankfully, and the new connector is installed right because I got a wiring diagram to check where the color wires need to go back in the connector. I am hoping it’s just a bad sensor out of the box. I really don’t want to go down this same road again like with the purge solenoid when the code wouldn’t reset, and I thought it was intermittently but in wrong. After all this time and here we go again, another mystery code that will not reset.

Yes, I had the P0013 show first in the beginning of September. Today P0010 set after I replaced the connector. How it set was, I cleared the codes. Then I was checking my battery and testing my alternator by putting a load on it. When I rev the gas to 2,000 RPMs the code set again. Honest to God man, I thought the connector would have reset the code P0013 because the wire was so brittle from all that heat it was broken off the connector after I replaced the sensor initially and the code didn’t reset. So, I thought this would fix it no matter what. I guess I will see what happens when I replace the sensor again. I have the dealer sending another soon. Will keep you posted, and we can talk soon.

Also, yes, in the post I said I change oil once a year. I don’t even reach over 10,000 a year and it’s my daily. But the car has 78,000 on it now. I just use the high mileage synthetic.

I also changed the oil in April, probably about around 77,000. So, it doesn’t have even 1,000 miles on the oil change yet.

It’s near the intake manifold the sensor. Right near the valve cover. So, I had to remove the valve cover to remove the sensor.

Here is where it’s at. It’s on the end of the valve cover as you see in the photo.

It wasn't the timing cover; it was the valve cover I removed. And come to think of it, I think there are two camshaft actuators on this car, are there not? I think I might have replaced the one on top near the intake. I am looking at the engine digraph and I see another one on the front right above the left-hand side of the exhaust manifold. I replaced the one near the intake manifold. Do you think maybe that's what I did wrong? Replaced the one near the intake instead of the exhaust?

I replaced the one on top.

I didn’t remove the timing chain cover to check belt tension. I think it’s a pain to remove because you need to remove accessories to get to it. The owner manual says you don’t need to replace it until 100,000.

As for solenoids, they might be the same part number for the actuators. I will check tomorrow to see the exhaust actuator part number and match with the intake actuator part number. According to gm there’s only one actuator for this car and it doesn’t state if it’s intake or exhaust. Just says this and it’s what I replaced the intake side with.
https://www.eastcoastgm.com/oem-parts/gm-variable-valve-timing-vvt-solenoid-55567050?c=Zz1lbmdpbmUmcz1lbmdpbmUmbD0xJm49U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHMmYT1jaGV2cm9sZXQmbz1hdmVvJnk9MjAxMCZ0PWx0JmU9MS02bC1sNC1nYXM%3D

As for the connectors they might be the same connector for the intake and exhaust actuators. The exhaust is fine, the intake connector is what was broken. All I had to do was cut the brittle wiring and crimp new terminals onto the ends.

Here’s what I will do: I replaced the wrong actuator near the intake. It was supposed to be location to the exhaust because that’s what set the code for. So, I need to buy another actuator for the exhaust side. The part numbers are both the same for both actuators.

But both connectors for the two actuators had very brittle wiring. They are both the same connectors, which is great. I replaced one connector, but I am going to have to replace the other connector next because it fell off. Waiting on the connector and the other actuator to come. When it does, I will let you know what it does, if the light goes out or not. I check the wiring fully and it doesn’t look like there are any breaks in it when you inspect inside the harness. It was just at the connector where it was brittle and falling apart, probably heat damage it. So, crimping a new connector on it and replacing the exhaust side should fix the issue.

I also want to know what can I do to improve engine performance? Remember when I said stepping on the accelerator felt like the car would barely drive down the road smoothly? Here’s the link to the products I would like to use. Let me know which one is suitable for my issue. Maybe there is carbon in the combustion chamber that will not burn off completely. It was a short trip driven once and it’s been sitting a lot.

https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/gasoline-fuel-system/