So, the PO of my car removed the charcoal box from the front trunk, and now there's just a hanging hose, and the scent of gasoline permeates my cabin. Do I have to buy a new charcoal box, or is there something cheap I could put on the end of the hose that would stop the smell, yet still prevent vapor lock (so not a plug)? Thanks.

If you decide just to replace the charcoal canister, I may have an extra one, let me know.

How much would you want to sell it for?

A 35 year old charcoal canister will be pretty much useless. Those canisters are "wear" items and the active charcoal inside will have turned to dust by now ...

Andy

PS: Also, if you converted to carbs and didn't use the return line, DO NOT try to cap that line off. You will develop a vacuum in the tank and it will cause the car to stall.

"Vapor lock"? Not a chance. If it exists in 914s, and I don't believe it does, it has nothing to do with the evaporative emissions system, of which the vapor canister is a part. The Cap'n

I'm glad mine is gone. Perhaps you could just insert a piece of hose where the canister was, connecting the original lines back together? (Using short pieces of metal tubing inside to join the ends.)

I ended up buying a canister for a 924/944 from AA and it seems to be working fine (round instead of oval).

Before that, I just bought a big carton of aquarium charcoal and ran the two lines through it after covering the ends with some cloth -- enough free air came in through the spout. I even used duct tape to hold it in place in the front trunk.

Kidna cheap looking, but no fumes.

The charcoal filter is required emissions equipment on all USA cars since at least the early 1970s, it reduces hydrocarbons in the atmosphere by filtering fuel fumes through the activated charcoal filter media and then into the engien intake, driven by air provided by the engine fan. The fumes can be stopped by just capping off the nipple at the expansion tank, but its a passive system that will not give you better performance if deleted.

The canisters were to be replaced every 50K mi, but on the later model cans that can be opened the charcaol can be replaced easily and cheaply. Google 'activated charcoal' and you can find it in bulk. I opened mine up recently and here are the photos: You are welcome...

even if the carbon was dead, replacing the canister would at least get the fumes back to the rear of the car.

Just a thought - have you looked at the fuel lines at the bottom of the tank. There has been several 'strong smell of gas in the cabin' threads that have been traced to weeping fuel lines.

Awesome, thanks everyone. Anyone know where I can get the hoses if I decide to by a canister?

The hoses are available from Auto Atlanta and Pelican Parts and foreign car parts stores. I found some recently at my local VW dealership. The parts guy hadn't sold any for years so he sold me their entire stock ( about 10 feet in all ) for $5.00. He found a bunch of NOS 914 parts gathering dust on a shelf and gave me the lot.
Chris

Now you're just teasing us.

I took my cannister apart, and it looks just like the one in the photos that Jeff posted. The charcoal pellets were not powdered, and there was no detectable gasoline odor (car sat in a garage for 14 years). Any reason this cannister couldn't still be used?

Thanks,
Andys

the key word here is "ACTIVATED". As any chemist can tell you , the charcoal works by adsorbing the organic vapors onto active "spots" on the media. After time , and exposure to organic vapors, all of these active spots are filled. This is a reversable reaction. What we do in the lab, is heat the charcoal with an inert gas flowing through it (nitrogen), but the best bet is to buy new charcoal from a pet store and reseal it and call it good for 50K miles!

Good cheap solution. 'Course that "pet shop" stuff is real messy and powdery, thinking back to my aquarium days.

Andys