Patent ID: 6973924
Filing Date: 2005-12-13
Classification: F02M

Abstract:
1. An evaporative fuel control system for an internal combustion engine having a canister disposed on an evaporative fuel control passage for absorbing evaporative fuel, said canister connecting to an intake passage for the engine and a fuel tank, an atmosphere open passage to permit the canister to open to the atmosphere, an atmosphere open/close valve disposed on the atmosphere open passage, and a purge valve disposed on the evaporative fuel control passage between the intake passage and the canister, the canister absorbing the evaporative fuel generated in the fuel tank, and the purge valve supplying the evaporative fuel absorbed by the canister to the intake passage for a purge control, comprising: a fuel level detector to detect a quantity of fuel in the fuel tank; a leak check system to examine leakage in the evaporative fuel control system by closing the atmosphere open/close valve while the engine is stopped and generating a negative pressure in the evaporative fuel control system; and a controller including a leak check control section to operate the leak check system, a refuel detecting section to determine by the fuel level detector whether the fuel tank has been refueled, a purge quantity totalizing section to add up the quantity of purge during operation of the engine, and a leak check stop section to prevent the leak check from occurring until the total purge quantity, as determined by the purge quantity totalizing section during operation of the engine after the refuel check section has determined that the fuel tank was refueled, is greater than a predetermined value.