I have been trying to get my jeep to pass California smog for 3 months. It has been in and out of a mechanic/ smog shop that has been working on it the entire time. They have fixed most of everything and now there are no check engine lights. The problem im having now is that all of the sensors are showing ready except the CAT monitor. After clearing the jeep of previous codes i have put about 200 miles on it and it still will not show ready. At this point the mechanic doesn't know why it wont run and all i can do is keep driving but like i said it isn't working. The mechanic sent a scope into the cats and they appear to be fine. Plz Help!!!!!!!!
Emissions Help!
- Thread starter Zoee Bartley
- Start date
I had the same issue with my Honda. It took 300 miles before the ECM showed "ready." The smog tech recommended long fwy runs, which was no issue being that I commute 75 miles one way.
we had to reset it a number of times because of bogus cylinder misfires but in total we have driven it 4000 miles in total trying to get it to pass. So far if we keep it under 65 mph then it doesnt throw the light. we are hoping that we will be able to get it to run by only going 55 to 60.
Same thing happened to me on my old BMW. Each time the ECU was reset or the battery disconnected, it would sometimes take up to 300 miles to be in a "ready" state for smog. This is something I wasn't even aware of until the tech told me about it at DEQ.
In the case of the OP, I might unplug the batter and let it sit for 10 minutes or so, plug it back in, and then drive it several hundred miles and see if it will pass again. You could also get an OBDII scanner which will tell you if your sensors are all "ready".
Because short of putting in new cats and O2 sensors, I'm stumped!
Getting the monitors to reset really has nothing to do with miles driven. It's all about getting the vehicle to perform its required drive cycles. You can drive it a million miles but if you don't drive it in a way that runs the monitors they will not reset.
Each monitor has a very specific drive cycle that needs to be run for the monitor to complete. Some drive cycles require a steady speed for X amount a time and others require a specific fuel level and outside temperature before they run. If you know the requirement for the specific monitor you need to run you can just run it. Below is some Chrysler drive cycle information that should help you speed up the reset.
A side note: California allows the EVAP monitor to show incomplete and still pass smog in 2000 and newer vehicles, but no others, 1996-1999 can have any one monitor incomplete. There can also be NO "check engine light".
You can purchase an OBDII reader like this ONE and use the Torque Pro phone app to watch everything your self without relying on a mechanic all the time.
Each monitor has a very specific drive cycle that needs to be run for the monitor to complete. Some drive cycles require a steady speed for X amount a time and others require a specific fuel level and outside temperature before they run. If you know the requirement for the specific monitor you need to run you can just run it. Below is some Chrysler drive cycle information that should help you speed up the reset.
A side note: California allows the EVAP monitor to show incomplete and still pass smog in 2000 and newer vehicles, but no others, 1996-1999 can have any one monitor incomplete. There can also be NO "check engine light".
You can purchase an OBDII reader like this ONE and use the Torque Pro phone app to watch everything your self without relying on a mechanic all the time.
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Maybe this is similar? I had an emissions issue when I first got my LJ, where it would never show ready for testing. Read through this recall and see if its similar to what you are experiencing. https://www.carmd.com/Tsb/Download/98689/000000003b9b27fa
I have an OBD2 monitor and check the jeep after every time I drive it. I have been running the drive cycle for the cat monitor and it still will not show ready. IDK how many times I have to do it before it will finally run. To run the cat it says to idle it for 5 min then drive it at a constant speed between 30 and 45 mph for 2 min. I have done this a number of times and it still wont show ready. All other monitors have run besides the cat and evap. As long as I can get the cat to show ready it should smog. I just cant figure out how to get it to finally run it. It is not throwing any codes so it shouldn't be a problem. It is just getting super frustrating. Also, the recall article is interesting but its not for my jeeps year.