Resolved 2G - VRSF FMIC & Charcoal Canister

[jukematt]

Hi, I'm finally trying to install my VRSF FMIC I bought years ago. I trimmed the bracket on the passenger side and the bracket aligns with the fog light holes as intended, but I have a '99 GSX and my charcoal canister is under the driver side headlight. The intercooler is hitting the bolt on the side of it. How do I get around this issue without removing my emissions?

I saw a couple other threads mentioning this issue but did not find one that had a solution. There are also a bunch of lines and wires there but maybe they can be pushed out of the way after I figure out the canister...?

Thanks!

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

 

[jukematt]

So far my thoughts are to either see if I can push it over a bit or maybe there is a tutorial on moving it under the battery like where some of the earlier 2Gs had it.

 

[jukematt]

OK after much searching I couldn't find a solution on the forums. I guess since only late 98 and 99, (and only GSX's) have the charcoal canister in this location, and many just remove their emissions, it would seem there aren't many who have this issue. I found one guy that said you remove one of the bolts, loosen another, then as you tighten the one, the canister pushes itself out of the way. I couldn't figure out what that meant. BUT! I figured out a solution! So, if anyone else has this problem, here is what I did:

I first removed the charcoal canister (3 bolts, 2 hoses, and the electrical plug) and noticed that there are a lot of holes in the sheet metal bracket it was mounted to (the bolt that faces forward). So I figured I would move it over to the larger hole to the right. But I had to trim it first so I pulled out my Dremel rotary tool and metal cutting wheel, sliced a chunk off, deburred with one of the stone Dremel attachments, and used my color match paint pen to prevent rust.

Red box: where I trimmed the bracket
Blue circle: old mounting hole
Green circle: future mounting hole
Side note: see that white plastic mounted to the frame to the lower left of the red box (not the round thing, I don't even know what that is)? I didn't know that was white until I sprayed it with brake cleaner. Nice to see clean stuff.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

I went to the hardware store (3 trips to find everything plus a Lowe's trip for the actual FMIC install) but I ultimately ended up with the following:

• Washer and nut for the bigger bolt. The bolt itself is an OEM bolt I had lying around that has a built in split washer. It might be M10 or something, but it was just small enough to fit through that hole perfectly. I did have to drill out the hole in the tab on the canister SLIGHTLY to fit it through.
• 4x L-brackets: These have two holes on each side. I drilled out the two holes on one side of each bracket so the original bolts fit through it (In the pics, you will see I only needed to do one hole in each bracket, but I wasn't sure how things would line up).
• 2x small bolts and nuts (M5?): These attach the L-brackets together. I don't know the size for sure. I just brought the bracket over to the bolt section and tried some out until I found the size that fit through the small holes. No washers used.
• 2x bolts that are the same size and thread of the original bolts (M8x1.25 I believe) but one was the next size up in terms of length, and the second was the next size in length up from that one. I should have gone slightly longer still with the second one since you might be able to see in the picture below that one bolt has a washer and the other does not. I'm not too worried about it.
• 2x nylon spacers. 8+mm ID. I don't know the size specifically but they said they were 8mm and change. I got one of each length they had and used the smaller one in the rear and the longer one in the front.

The goal was to only move the two-bolt mounting locations over to the driver side enough to that larger bolt can still mount well to help with fitting the bumper.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Finished!

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

The goal was to keep it as close to the passenger side as possible and still allow the FMIC to mount so I can ensure the bumper cover will still fit. The canister does rest against the coupler but I don't think it will rub. I'll look closer at it tomorrow and if I think it might be a problem long term, like any sharp edges or whatever, I will add some rubber hose or something to cushion the contact.

I did sort of test the bumper cover fitment, but since I already had the FMIC mounted, I still need to trim the front ducting down to fit over it, but it seems that it will mount fine with the new canister location, barely.

Obviously, I ruined those hoses since they were seized on the hard line and I had to cut them. I have replacement bulk hoses but I'm going to wait until my radiator is installed again since the hard lines mount to the bottom of the radiator. That way I can ensure proper fitment. I picked up an assortment of hose barbs too since bulk hose has a slight curve from being coiled up. That way I can cut and alter the direction easily with the barbs, considering that the original hoses are formed. I had also removed that vent hose attached to the cylinder portion to replace it since it no longer reaches the hole in the engine bay. But since it is just a vent, I may just orient it elsewhere instead. I haven't decided.

Have a great day!

EDIT:
Since this is the "Resolved" post, I wanted to update it to include one more thing I had to do which was move the little black cylinder portion that hangs off the right side in the pictures. It sat right where my side marker light was and resting against the bumper cover. Turns out: Easy fix! It is held on by a small bracket attached with a single little nut. Well, there is a second little nut on the other side and there is plenty of space behind the canister. You can see the original mounting nut on the right, and where it is attached now:

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

I trimmed a little off the top portion of the bracket with my Dremel to ensure no interference with that hose that does a 90° bend, then painted over the cut with my body color paint pen to prevent rust.

Side-by-side, Original vs. Cut:

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

I also had to bend the bracket slightly so that it is more in a line with the cylinder in order for it to sit in the right spot behind the canister:

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Can't even see it from the front:

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

There it is! You can see the hole in the frame above it which is where the top hose vents to.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

Only thing left is to hook up my replacement hoses since they are all different lengths now; and the bumper cover fits perfectly without interference.

 

[Dericsh]

Great resolution, thanks for coming back with an update!

 

[jukematt]

Great resolution, thanks for coming back with an update!

Sure thing! I like to make sure I share solutions when I have them. And apparently all I have to do is check a box on the right to resolve. Good to know, thank you!

I'm thinking I might finally do a build thread to also share my journey and things I've found solutions for. Maybe explore creating a few solution posts for things I've done.

 

[Dericsh]

Sure thing! I like to make sure I share solutions when I have them. And apparently all I have to do is check a box on the right to resolve. Good to know, thank you!

I'm thinking I might finally do a build thread to also share my journey and things I've found solutions for. Maybe explore creating a few solution posts for things I've done.

Right on, I love a good informative build thread.