Please make allowances for the newbie round here. This is my first post. I have a 2004 2.7 Convertible Limited and from day one (about a year ago) I have been getting a code for a slow leak from the EVAP system. I have had it reset and have changed the fuel filler cap and put grease on the seal. It goes away for a while then reappears.
I have visually checked what I can see as things are well hidden and not very accessible
I have now got to start digging a little further but don't want to start changing things willie nillie.
Can anyone offer any suggestions where to start? Is there one place or component that is known to fail regularly? Where would the best place be to start checking things?
I'm sure this will have come up before, but I haven't been able to locate it on the Forum.

 

If you can find one, get an OEM filler cap, not a generic parts store cap. I have had more luck with the OEM cap. Have no idea why.

 

Thanks for the suggestion re the fuel cap. I'll see if I can get a new one (I think it was changed when I bought the car) but that is not an easy task here in Spain as we don't have a dealer nearby and a parts store as we know it simply does not exist here.
I have checked my cap and cannot find any maker's marks, it there anything to identify it as genuine or after market?
A while ago I coated the rubber seal and neck of the filler with silicone grease in the hope it might seal a small leak. The light disappeared for a while then came back, so perhaps there is another leak.
Does anyone know of a component or favourite place for it to leak? The old saying about a needle and a haystack comes to mind.
I simply don't understand why the system is so complicated. I have two Jeep Cherokee XJs '94 and 95' both with EVAP systems. There is not a wire in sight and they work happily from engine vacuum. The only thing I have ever done in 20 years is change some small moulded rubber elbows that had perished. They do exactly the same job as the unnecessarily complex Sebring system.
I suppose it's a commercial decision by Chrysler based on the theory that the more complex it is, the more it goes wrong and the stealers make more money fixing it!!

 

I think it's more a case of fear of government regulators. If applying a little grease to the seal caused the light to go out then most probably, that was exactly where the problem was. Applying grease to the seal is a temporary, at best, fix so it's not surprising that the problem came back. Try rockauto.com. They are in the US but ship around the world and will quote you a price in euros.

¡Buena suerte!

 

Hola, gracias por tus buenos deseos. My Spanish is gradually improving but at my age things don't go in a well as they used to.
I have contacted the guy I got the car from and he is going to see if he can get a new filler cap.
I have checked Rock Auto in the past for bits for the Jeeps and their prices are always reasonable but it is usually the shipping charges that kill the deal. I just can't see why it costs maybe up to $50 to ship a $20 part.
Now the the UK has done the Brexit deal, things are even getting quite difficult to ship from the UK. I find it quite difficult to get things in Spain that are so easy at home (UK).

Thinking ahead, if the cap is not the problem what is the next most likely thing that would need replacing? I could then start looking for one and get it into stock.

 

I would look at the hoses in the evap system. After 17 years a cracked hose is highly likely, I would think.