JCL622

Now that I'm back in New York i need a NYS inspection sticker. problem is everytime the mechanic hooks it up to the OBDII sensor, he claims that it just keeps saying not ready.

I'm already on my 3rd extension and i'm not sure what to do. I asked my mechanic what else I could possibly do and he said try to drive @ 30MPH for 3miles straight etc etc....originally he said that i didnt put ENOUGH miles on it after I had told him i threw a CEL and reset to see if the CEL stuck. but that was while i was in Pennsylvania. - i've put at least 300 miles on the car since then.

What is going on? I dont think i've ever read a problem like that on the boards...i tried a search and I dunno if I'm searching with the right keywords.









ALSO how do i get my LED SMT tower to not shine it's hyper white? and ONLY to shine orange when i use the blinkers?

Majofo

are you sure it's a problem with your teminal or OBDII output and not their diagnostic machine? Did you try plugging in an aftermarket reader like scangauge? If so, I would then try clearing the ECU. Csmeance recommended this to reset ECU to factory state:

1. turn on car and then shut off A/C, radio, lights, etc.
2. Turn off car
3. Turn car to positon 2 (radio, navi, guages, etc come on)
4. Press the gas pedal to the floor for about 30-35 seconds
5. Turn off car
6. Turn on car and then go for a SPIRITED (that means very fast and pounding within limits) drive

csmeance

have the dude use another machine, or have acura check it out.

JCL622

went to autozone myself; went back to the dude, acura made me pay to have them check it out and everyone keeps saying i didnt complete the drive cycle....

i've even tried the above suggestion;

since this problem occurred i've put about 400 miles to the car....i don't know what else to do. my warranty with acura expired last year, going there is like asking to donate money (sorry to ralleye advocates but i've had the worst experience with ralleye acura).

RACINGHART03

iTrader: (2)

Most likely he means that the readiness codes have not completed. Did you lose battery power for any reason in the past 30 days or so?

JCL622

i unplugged my battery once because i threw a CEL that stayed on when I went from 60-110 on the interstate one night; I wasn't entirely sure if there was an actual problem or not (i get CEL every now and then esp from stop and go digs....i've had it checked out before, and everytime no codes are ever stored), so I pulled the battery, and reconnected it. ~ after that no CEL; i did this in PA, i then drove all the way up to NY with no CEL;

then i brought it for the inspections sticker and it's been reading not ready. if i include the mileage from PA i've probably in total dumped about 550-650+ miles? and i've been totally CEL free too....

i'm thinking about just going ahead and just buying a sticker...but at the very least I'd really like to figure out wth is making it stick w/"Not Ready"

is there anything else i should try?

Majofo

I was reading this fact sheet [link below]. Does anyone know the drive cycle to reset the monitors? You need to find out what CEL came up. I think that might be a key factor. I'd check your fuses to your ECU as well, just for a sanity check.

http://dnr.mo.gov/gatewayvip/docs/obdfactsheet.pdf

I also saw this on another page:

As a general rule, doing some stop-and-go driving around town at speeds up to about 30 mph followed by five to seven minutes of 55 mph plus highway speed driving will usually set most or all of the monitors (the converter and EVAP system readiness monitors are the hardest ones to set). So if you're checking the OBD II system and find a particular monitor is not ready, it may be necessary to test drive the vehicle to set all the monitors.

Some import vehicles have known readiness issues. Many 1996-'98 Mitsubishi vehicles will have monitors that read "not ready" because setting the monitors requires very specific drive cycles (which can be found in their service information). Even so, these vehicles can be scanned for codes and the MIL light without regard to readiness status. On 1996 Subarus, turning the key off will clear all the readiness flags. The same thing happens on 1996 Volvo 850 Turbos. This means the vehicle has to be driven to reset all the readiness flags. On 1997 Toyota Tercel and Paseo models, the readiness flag for the EVAP monitor will never set, and no dealer fix is yet available. Other vehicles that often have a "not ready" condition for the EVAP and catalytic converter monitors include 1996-'98 Volvos, 1996-'98 Saabs, and 1996-'97 Nissan 2.0L 200SX models.

An official OBD II emissions test consists of three parts:

1. An inspector checks to see if the MIL light comes on when the key is turned on. If the light does not come on, the vehicle fails the bulb check.
2. A scanner similar to AutoTap is plugged into the diagnostic link connector (DLC), and the system is checked for monitor readiness. If more than the allowed number of monitors are not ready, the vehicle is rejected and asked to come back later after it has been driven sufficiently to set the readiness flags. The scanner also checks the status of the MIL light (is it on or off?), and downloads any fault codes that may be present. If the MIL light is on and there are any OBD II codes present, the vehicle fails the test and must be repaired. The vehicle also fails if the DLC is missing, has been tampered with or fails to provide any data.
3. As a final system check, the scanner is used to command the MIL lamp on to verify it is taking commands from the onboard computer. If the OBD II light is on, or a vehicle has failed an OBD II emissions test, your first job is to verify the problem. That means plugging into the OBD II system, pulling out any stored codes and looking at any system data that might help you nail down what's causing the problem. Long-term fuel trim data can provide some useful insight into what's going on with the fuel mixture. If long-term fuel trim is at maximum, or you see a big difference in the numbers for the right and left banks of a V6 or V8 engine, it would tell you the engine control system is trying to compensate for a fuel mixture problem (possibly an air leak, dirty injectors, leaky EGR valve, etc.)

bhelsdon

Did the tech tell you which monitor is "not ready"?

RACINGHART03

iTrader: (2)

I double that. I would need to know which code is set for me to tell you the drive cycle. Prob TWC but its just a guess.

JCL622

they said it's EVAC and Cat......

what am i supposed to do now?

JCL622

bump anyone know what i should be doing?

JCL622

havent had time to drive the TL around, /bump;

what do i have to do to reset the drive cycle on the EVAC and cat?

Inaccurate

I will offer this info, but I doubt that it applies to you because you driven thru a tank of gasoline already.

I was research if it was possible for me to remove my EVAP canister for my TL Diet. I discovered that the Monitor will run a test on the EVAP only when your fuel gauge is between approx 1/3 to 3/4. So, if you always had an empty tank with less than a 1/3, the monitor would never run it's test to set the Ready code. Similiarly, if you always had a full tank (never less than 3/4), the monitor would never test either.

JCL622

thanks for reply! yea...i mean i've run the car full to dry many times at this point.... man this is frustrating that no one really has a solution

Majofo

New ECU?

RedResistance

Figured I'd bump an old thread.

Hello all my names Shawn, and I just acquired a 1997 Acura 3.5 RL.

I am having the same issue as the OP, but I have a large amount of experience in setting OBD 2 Readiness monitor, as I am a California Smog Technician. We can't smog cars here in California unless ALL the readiness monitors are complete.

I cannot get the EVAP monitor to set.

I looked up the actual procedure on All-data and Identifix and they said the same thing. Fire up the car after 8 hours of no activity, and just let it idle.

Now normally this is NOT the procedure to set the EVAP monitor on most cars. What we usually reccomend to our customers is to have between 1/4 and 3/4 tank of gas and to fire up the car from dead cold and drive it in the city at speeds under 40 MPH. The EVAP monitor is by far the hardest monitor to set on any car except BMW's which will actually set with the car just idling from a cold start.

I have noticed that 1997 is a very difficult year for Honda/Acura's with this EVAP monitor. I have never had this problem with any 1996 because they usually dont have an EVAP monitor as this was the first year of OBD 2, and I've never had trouble setting this monitor on 1998's.

Sometimes when this monitor won't set it's because there is a problem with the EVAP system that is too small for the ECU to detect and set a code, but if there actually is any problem with the EVAP system, the monitor won't set either.

So to anyone else who is having this problem, there is most likely a leak in your evap system that is very, VERY small.

Any Suggestions?

I'm going to test my Acura's EVAP system today and will post back with my results.

-Shawn

dcmodels

This may not be useful, but my '09 RDX Owner's Manual has a method for determining if all of the systems have been set, i.e., the OBD system has all systems in 'readiness'. If your vehicle has this option, check your OM for how to verify, in order to save a trip to the testing station.

As for the 'leak' problem, actually, my Chevy is known for failure to set the EV system to ready because of a problem with the solenoid on the engine, which actually opens and sucks the vapors from the EVAP canistor into the engine. Perhaps your Honda has a similar solenoid to check?