How to pass vehicle emissions test if "Check Engine" is on

[digitalcb]

Buy an OBD II code reader for less than $100.00 on the internet.

Have some friends share the cost.

Download free OBD II software from the internet.

Hook it up to you car with your laptop in the Eastgate parking lot.

Clear the codes which will turn off the check engine light.

Go through the emissions test station. If you pass you didn't really have a problem just a false code.

Often as not the problem is with the sensor. No sense in paying two or three hundred dollars to replace a sensor if the city is going to test with their sensors every 12 months.

My catalytic converter went bad and the heat killed the sensor. I replaced the converter with a brand new one but there was no sense in buying a new sensor too. The car wouldn't last long enough to kill another converter.

 

[wrechin2]

Depends on what year vehicle you have....anything 96 and newer is OBD II. The older vehicles use a 5 gas analizer in the exhaust and you can get away with clearing the codes. On OBD II cars they have OBD II monitors which are checks and balances (self test) and they are meeting certain criteria and would be passing the gas analizer test. So on 96-up vehicles they use a scanner to verify certain monitors have ran if not all, if the converter is still there and air test the gas cap. That is it. If the monitors are not saying YES they have ran, it will fail. Have had to repair TOO MANY OF THEM. They are a few like evaportive moniotors they would allow not be set but the catalyst, o2 heater and switch rate would have to be set. In order for these monitor to run they are alot of different factors involved. I worked for chrysler and we had JTEC (jeep/ truck engine controlers) SBEC ( single boared engine controlers) NGC (next generation controllers) and GPEC ( global powertrain engine controllers). Each one was unique in how some of the monitors would run. Like the JTEC would run the o2 while driving down the road where SBEC would run it after you stopped at a red light. The sbec would also run the O2 heater test 5 minutes after the engine was turned off after a warm up cycle. Clearing the codes also resets the monitors and will not pass on chrslers. Every Chevy and ford we had to make pass was set up the same way. You must have gotten lucky and your vehicle had very few monitors and enough monitors had set during the drive there to pass. Most of our new stuff 2006 and up takes a act of congress to get the monitors to set and we are driving down the road with scan tools getting all the critera correct needed for the test to run. Just my experience on the subject.