My charcoal canister / carbon filter (whichever you want to call it) fell out of it's spot in the front left fender and broke. I know I need to replace it and I plan on doing that (eventually), but in the mean time I wanted to know if its safe (for the car, not the environment) for me to drive. Right now it's completely disconnected. The two rubber hoses going in/out of it are just hanging out in the fender where the canister used to be. Will this throw a code? If so, will the car still drive the same?

Someone else recommended that in the mean time I should "disconnect the purge solenoid that is on the fan, it will keep the system sealed and not cause a vac leak." Any idea what he means?

 

I purchased my 1997 850 R last year. About 5 or 6 months after that, I noticed that my charcoal canister was missing and the tubes are just tucked up along the frame. It's never thrown a code for it and it passed the e-check emissions test to get it registered. I'll eventually replace it, but it doesn't seem to cause any issues for my car.