So, if you've managed to make it through my last blog, we know two things about you:

1)  You need a life

2)  You are waiting with baited breath about the check engine light.

Well - first the good news.  I've driven the truck some more and it is still running well.  So it appears that the misfire is sorted.

But now I'm fighting the CEL.  

First thing I did was get myself a new scanner.  Remember the rainstorm in my first blog post?  Well I think it may have washed away my old scanner (was a little thing that worked with my phone).  In any case I bought an Ancel on Amazon.com.  The instructions were obviously translated from Chinese (poorly) but it's a fairly impressive little unit for the cost.  Not too bad. 

(Gonna admit the Chinese got me on this one - I got in a hurry and thought I had ordered an Actron.  But it works).

Scanner shows P0449 (knew that already but verified it).  Vent solenoid.  For those who don't know, the OBDII system - even in 2000 - was pretty damn smart.  It has about 18 codes for the evap system alone.

Off to Amazon to order the most likely culprit - the Evap Solenoid.  What this thing does is ....... well I have no idea what this thing does but I think it controls air flow into the tank to allow fuel out.  I believe the old one was stuck open or just wouldn't close (I later found out it's a normally-open valve).  It closes to allow the system to pull a vacuum on the charcoal canister and get the fumes into the engine via the purge valve. 

Anyway - in their infinite wisdom GM decided to mount this thing on top of the tank.  Which means you either have to a) remove the tank, b) remove the bed, or c) go Cro-magnon on it.  Guess which one I chose.  

Anyway - after unbolting it and pulling on it for about an hour I got it to come loose.  I immediately find it suspicious that there is a wire connector with no wires going to it.   Odd,  I may have broken it when taking the part out but that's not how we're gonna remember it.  I'm gonna blame the rats.  So I order a new one.  BTW - a new 2-prong connector from AC Delco is $20.  FWIW the actual part that connects to this wire is about $15.

Then I gotta figure out where the wires are.  I know they are pink and white, so I find a pink and a white in the bundle that goes to this area, verify on a wiring diagram that they make sense, and pull them out.  Whaddaya know - it was them.  Then I have to get the new plug wired in.  Wasn't hard - would have taken 5 minutes if it were right in front of me but being as I was on my back under the truck it was about 15.  Also confirmed power to the plug so at least I know that part works.

Then I get to put this darn thing back.  One thing for sure is I am NOT putting it back where it was.  So I get some rubber hose, some hose clamps, and a big zip tie and tie it on top of the evap canister.  Hell - it works.  I actually stole this idea from several YouTube videos.

Thing is anytime you take these parts loose it clears the light for a while.  So all I can do for now is to drive it and see if the light comes back on.

We'll see how it goes.