News

A Ford rarely announces an EVAP fault loudly. You get P0443 after a battery disconnect, or a long crank after a fill-up. Two solenoids sit behind it.

An honest word on fitment first. The vapor canister purge valve for the Chevy Avalanche and Camaro (214-1680) is the same class of two-port, normally closed, PCM-pulsed solenoid — built for GM platforms, not Ford. This guide covers the Ford valve and how to test it.

What the two valves do, in plain words

EVAP means evaporative emissions — the sealed setup that traps gasoline fumes. Your tank sends vapor to a charcoal canister; on the F-150 2009-2014 it rides the frame rail beside the tank.

• Carbon stores the vapor until warm cruise.
• The PCM — your engine computer — opens the purge valve.
• Intake vacuum pulls the vapor in and burns it as free fuel.
• The vent valve admits fresh air: open while driving, closed on command.

That closing makes diagnosis possible: the PCM seals the system, then watches pressure, convicting leaks down to 0.020 inch (0.508 mm).

Two facts finish the picture — opposite ends of the vehicle, opposite logic:

• Purge: closed at rest, opens when powered.
• Vent: open at rest, closes when powered.

Valves, canisters and hoses for the whole loop are grouped in the exhaust and emission systems collection.

P0443 vs P0446 vs P0449: which valve is guilty

Read the code first.

• P0443 — purge valve circuit. The PCM commanded the solenoid and got no electrical answer. A dead valve, a corroded 2-pin connector, chafed wiring or a driver fault all produce it — check the connector first (five minutes on the 5.0L F-150 2011-2017).
• P0449 — vent valve circuit. The same electrical complaint, aimed at the vent solenoid at the canister.
• P0446 — restricted vent. Nests, road-salt crust or a crushed line block the path. The giveaway: a nozzle that keeps clicking off at the pump.

Both cluster on high-mileage F-150 2009-2014 and Super Duty trucks.

Three neighbors matter: P0496 (purge flow high, a valve stuck open), P1450 (unable to bleed tank vacuum), and leak codes P0455 and P0456.

The 9U5Z-9C915-H family, and what it does not fit

The base number covers a wide list; the headline platforms are in the table below.

• F-150 2009-2017, F-250 and F-350 Super Duty 6.2L about 2011-2021, Escape 2009-2019, Fusion 2010-2020.
• Edge 2011-2018, Explorer 2011-2019, Flex, Taurus and Mustang, Transit 2014-2020.
• Lincoln MKX and MKZ, plus the Mercury Mariner, Milan and Mazda Tribute of the same era.

Ford superseded it twice: AU5Z-9C915-A, then -B, with AU5Z-9C915-E the current replacement at a genuine list price of about $64.91.

The exclusions matter more. The Focus 2012-2018 runs the CM5Z-9C915-A and BV6Z-9C915-A family, the Focus ST 2013-2018 uses CV6Z-9C915-A, and the Fiesta 2011-2019 carries its own number. None interchange with 9U5Z-9C915-H.

The smoke test that ends the guessing

A smoke machine settles what codes cannot: a valve that no longer seals at rest mimics a small leak, and it is the most common conviction behind P0455 and P0456 here.

1. Command the vent valve shut first, as the monitor does, so you test a sealed system.
2. Feed low-pressure smoke at the EVAP service port on the engine-side line, or through the filler neck with the gas cap removed.
3. Set the machine to EVAP mode.
4. Read where the smoke escapes. Smoke at the purge valve's atmospheric side convicts the valve; smoke at the canister or a line joint convicts the rear half.

Never use shop air — unregulated compressed air can rupture the canister.

Where the valves sit, and the swap on each platform

On the F-150 2011-2017 the purge valve sits up on the engine near the throttle body — two 10 mm nuts and the hose clips, about fifteen minutes.

The canister and vent solenoid sit under the truck on the frame rail beside the tank, the vent valve at the top of the canister near the spare tire on the 2009-2014 trucks.

• The vent valve replacement is a connector and a twist; the labor is in the access.
• On the Escape 2009-2019, the Fusion 2010-2020 and the C-Max the purge valve sits on top of the engine, with both vapor lines and the 2-pin connector facing up.
• A leak-at-rest valve floods the intake on a cold start — the long crank after a fill-up.

Ordering honestly: what actually fits a Ford

We will not sell a GM valve as a Ford part. Ours carry GM keying, hose diameter and brackets, and do not interchange with 9U5Z-9C915-H.

• The 214-1680 for the Chevy Avalanche and Camaro and the 214-2317 for the Chevrolet Cruze 2011-2016 and Sonic 1.8L 2011-2018 share the Ford valve's construction principle, not its fitment.
• The same discipline is documented in the Chevy, Buick and GMC purge solenoid guide and the Silverado DTC mapping and cross-reference guide.

For this Ford chassis, exact-match stock sits at the front of the car. The AC condenser for the 2017-2019 Ford Escape and 2016-2018 Ford Focus and the aluminum condenser for the 2013-2020 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ are listed against exact years and platforms.

EVAP is one leg of the emissions system. The catalytic converter guide to emission control covers what happens downstream.

Readiness: make the monitor run after the repair

A new valve does not finish the job; the monitor does. Clearing codes resets it, so the monitor starts over.

• Fuel level between 15 and 85 percent.
• Intake air temperature roughly 40-100 °F.
• Altitude below about 8,000 feet.
• A cold soak to start.

The Ford P1000 drive cycle satisfies all of it: cold start, extended idle, steady cruising, one no-brake deceleration. A truck driven straight to the inspection station usually fails on incomplete monitors, not on the repair.

Frequently asked questions