Repeated failure of the purge valve

[kennyrkun]

Hiya fellas.

I've got something that's a bit more of an annoyance than a problem, but I need to get it fixed.

I have a 2016 XLT with the 3.5 NA, and every couple of weeks the purge valve fails. I get a code for a blockage in the evap system. The first time it happened, I just replaced the purge valve and went on with my life. It was fine for a month or two, but the code came back. It was an O'Reilly part so I replaced it thinking it might just be a bad part. Light went away for a few weeks. Since then, for about a year, I've been playing whackamole by replacing the valve over and over. The light goes away when it's replaced, but it always comes back eventually.

The last valve I put in started vibrating. It almost sounds like rod knock, or a collapsed lifter. I was horrified thinking of the damage that was being caused in my engine when I heard it, but was very relieved to find it was just the valve. When unplugged, it sounds fine. For a while, it would make the noise but not cause a check engine light. Now, the check engine light is steady and hasn't gone away, though I haven't replaced the valve again yet.

Could it be that the STD brand valve is just not compatible with the car, and I should swap to a Motorcraft part? Or is there something more sinister that I should be looking for. Aside from this, the car has no problems.

I have no experience working with systems like this, so I'm not sure where to start to diagnose it. I've heard of shops running smoke tests, but I'm not sure how to do that and haven't found any great guides for this car.

I've attached a video of the noise enjoy

 

[ProjectSHO89]

First off, what is the actual fault code? It is not uncommon for a misdiagnosis to occur if proper diagnostic procedures are not followed. Guessing at replacing a part without confirming it's actually faulty is often the culprit for repeated "failures" since the actual problem wasn't identified.

 

[Rick]

It could very well be that the aftermarket part is causing the issue, but then again, we bought a 2024 E450 RV which had a purge valve go bad with just 2000 miles on it. So far so good with the Motorcraft replacement.

 

[kennyrkun]

First off, what is the actual fault code? It is not uncommon for a misdiagnosis to occur if proper diagnostic procedures are not followed. Guessing at replacing a part without confirming it's actually faulty is often the culprit for repeated "failures" since the actual problem wasn't identified.

The code is P144A "Evaporative Emission System Purge Vapor Line Restricted/Blocked." I replaced the valve first, because it's the most common failure in that regard and is very cheap and easy to replace. The code was cleared and didn't come back for some time. The original valve was also bad, because I was able to blow through it. The newer valves that I have replaced did not fail in this way, but still replacing them caused the code to go away for a time.

Additionally, I have attached a video of, what is in my opinion, a very noticably bad purge valve. Unless the PCM really wants it to actuate in that manner, but I have never seen that before.

It could very well be that the aftermarket part is causing the issue, but then again, we bought a 2024 E450 RV which had a purge valve go bad with just 2000 miles on it. So far so good with the Motorcraft replacement.

If the current valve indeed has failed, I will replace it with a Motorcraft part, thank you.