Spent three hours on a 2007 Civic's EVAP code because of a hidden hose

Had a P0455 on a customer's Civic that just would NOT clear after the usual checks. I replaced the gas cap and smoke tested the system twice, finding nothing. Turns out a tiny vacuum hose behind the intake manifold had a hairline split you couldn't see without a mirror. That little thing ate up my entire morning. Anyone else have a simple code turn into a major hunt recently?

4 comments

4 Comments

angela_morgan2d ago

Read an article once about a master tech who said something like "check the cheapest fix first but then start looking for the stupidest possible problem second." That stuck with me because it's so true. EVAP codes especially love to hide in those little rubber lines nobody thinks about. Three hours is rough though, I feel your pain. At least you found it and didn't have to send the customer somewhere else.

flores.emma2mo ago

Ever notice how the smallest, hidden flaw can cause the biggest headaches? It's like that in so many things, not just cars.

young.thomas2mo ago

Yeah, that "smallest hidden flaw" thing is so true, I had a coolant leak from a pinhole in a heater hose.

colescott2mo ago

You know, I used to think the big obvious problems were the real time killers. But that line about the smallest hidden flaw is dead on. I spent a whole day on a weird misfire that turned out to be a single broken wire inside a harness sleeve. It looked perfect from the outside. Now I start with the idea that the tiniest, dumbest thing is probably the cause.