H-T

The Kalifornia smog ****’s are out to get me!

My car has been in storage and hooked to a battery tender for the past 2-years. I got my smog notice in the mail so last week I started the car and drove it 25-miles to the smog inspection station. The tech promptly failed it saying the OBDII did not finish the self-diagnostics. The code says “EVAP not ready”. The tech said I should try a new battery first. That didn’t make sense to me since the car started right up on the first try and drove just fine. I need it to pass smog this week so I bought a brand new Optima Red Top battery for $250. Next I checked all the codes using the DIC. No history codes and no current codes. I hooked up an OBDII tool and it showed the EVAP blinking. For three days in a row I followed the GM procedure below, but I can’t get the EVAP to pass. I have racked up about 200 miles over 3-days. The car has never failed smog before. As a matter of fact, the last time it was driven was 2-years ago to go down to the smog shop so I could register it and it has been parked since. I’ve tried two local smog shops and they both told me that everything has to be ready or they won’t pass it. This is contrary to what I read on the California Bureau of Automotive Repair website. As of May 4, 2015 any 2000 or newer gasoline vehicle is allowed to have the Evaporative System “not ready” and still pass the OBD smog test.

Has anyone else in California been thru the OBD (OIS) smog check and passed with the EVAP not ready?

A complete driving cycle should perform diagnostics on all systems. A complete driving cycle can be done in under fifteen minutes.
To perform an OBDII Driving cycle do the following:
1. Cold Start. In order to be classified as a cold start the engine coolant temperature must be below 50°C (122°F) and within 6°C (11°F) of the ambient air temperature at startup. Do not leave the key on prior to the cold start or the heated oxygen sensor diagnostic may not run.-----------------------------
2. Idle. The engine must be run for two and a half minutes with the air conditioner on and rear defroster on. The more electrical load you can apply the better. This will test the O2 heater, Passive Air, Purge "No Flow", Misfire and if closed loop is achieved, Fuel Trim.-------------------------------------------
3. Accelerate. Turn off the air conditioner and all the other loads and apply half throttle until 88km/hr (55mph) is reached. During this time the Misfire, Fuel Trim, and Purge Flow diagnostics will be performed.---------------------------
4. Hold Steady Speed. Hold a steady speed of 88km/hr (55mph) for 3 minutes. During this time the O2 response, air Intrusive, EGR, Purge, Misfire, and Fuel Trim diagnostics will be performed.----------------------------------------------------
5. Decelerate. Let off the accelerator pedal. Do not shift, touch the brake or clutch. It is important to let the vehicle coast along gradually slowing down to 32km/hr (20 mph). During this time the EGR, Purge and Fuel Trim diagnostics will be performed.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Accelerate. Accelerate at 3/4 throttle until 88-96 km/hr (55-60mph). This will perform the same diagnostics as in step 3.------------------------------------------------------------
7. Hold Steady Speed. Hold a steady speed of 88km/hr (55mph) for five minutes. During this time, in addition to the diagnostics performed in step 4, the catalyst monitor diagnostics will be performed. If the catalyst is marginal or the battery has been disconnected, it may take 5 complete driving cycles to determine the state of the catalyst.------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Decelerate. This will perform the same diagnostics as in step 5. Again, don't press the clutch or brakes or shift gears.

Reprinted on OBDII web site courtesy of General Motors Corporation

killian96ss

Did you show them the info from the CA site that you found?

Steve

jimmyLSX

Why don't you drive your car, I go crazy after a few days if I don't drive my vette.

I think you just need to cycle turned on and off the amount of times driven. I don't think it matters mileage, drive 5 miles pull to the side turn off, then turn on and repeat. Because last year when I went to do my smog, The very morning of it, I disconnected my battery, swapped out my catless midpipe, oil catch can, swapped out my vararam to stock. Reconnected my battery turned it on and drove 4 miles to the nearest smog station and it passed with flying colors. Also I drive my car every day/other, 03 z06.

Vetteman Jack

Print out the change to the requirements and show it to the smog station. If they still persist, go over their heads to the oversight agency.

H-T

I showed the smog tech, then he started bragging about how he has been a smog tech for 18 years and never heard of that. (All mouth and no ears.)

H-T

I have a lot of cars. I am down to only 4 cars now, but I've been driving my Z06 more than my hardtop the last few years.

I've tried city driving, then parking. I've tried freeway driving, then parking. I pulled off the freeway twice on the way home today and shut it off to connect my OBD tool to see if it was ready yet. I've tried letting it cool down for 8-hours overnight and then following the GM drive cycle procedure, but still nothing. Now that the fuel is at half tank, I will let it sit over night again and try in the morning. I read somewhere that the fuel must be between one quarter and three quarters and a cold start or the EVAP cycle won't run. I also read that the EVAP cycle must be successful two times to flip the bit in the computer to show it is ready.

I've replaced the battery many times in the 17-years that I have owned this car, but never had this trouble with a smog check.

I've got to get this thing to pass by Saturday. I'm thinking of calling the Calif DMV referee on Friday.

H-T

See slide #11 from this California official site:
http://smogcheck.ca.gov/pdf/OBD_Insp...m_10.14.14.pdf

Also found on page #3 of this official site in Table 1:
https://www.bar.ca.gov/pdf/Smog_Chec...ence_Guide.pdf

Table 1: OBD Test Monitor Readiness Standards
Number of Incomplete Monitors Allowed to Pass OBD Test --
Evaporative system

Swoop Dogg

did you pay your dmv fees already? you can pay and not be penalized a late fee. it will hold for MONTHS (don't ask me how I know). you run a slight risk of getting pulled over after your registration due date but highly doubt it would be a serious issue. hope you get it resolved


also im sure you are going back to the same place since they have free/cheap retest but maybe you should take it to a different shop

laurent_zo6

Any possibility that the old gas is playing havoc with the DIC? I know that I failed with my Toyota when I had one year old gas in my car.

H-T

I got up at 3 am today so it is cool enough outside and less traffic on the freeway so I can hold a steady speed. With a half tank of gas, I ran a complete driving cycle according to the GM instructions, but still can't get the EVAP to show it is ready.

I put in $24 in new gas the day I went to the smog shop. I drove 200 miles to burn off half a tank in the past few days.

I will go to AAA and pay the DMV registration fee so I won't be late, then I will call the DMV referee.

H-T

This is the referee listed on the California DMV website

http://asktheref.org/About/MonitorRe...2/Default.aspx

A vehicle will not pass a smog check if it is:
Gas Powered: 1996 to 1999 with more than one incomplete monitor.
Gas Powered and Hybrid: 2000 and newer with more than the evaporative system monitor incomplete.

According to the B.A.R. referee website, my car should have passed. I'll call them today and find out where a referee can be located in this area.

I would hate to pay the stealership their high price to hook up to an expensive scantool just to flip the bit on my OBD to pass it. That will be my last resort to get the stupid smog cert.

I've already tried 2 smog shops within a 25-mile drive. I will also call a few smog shops in another city to see if they know what they are doing. It would be worth the drive there.

Xavierbank

Got to drive that Queen.....

Shakeydeal

Good 'ole Kalifornia. When I lived there in the 80s I couldn't get a car smogged because I had changed out the 2 barrel carb with a 4 barrel. That place sucks so hard. All they have is nice weather and the beach. I don't miss it at all.......

Your other choice is to search out someone to "look the other way". That is what I ultimately did.

Shakey

DBRASUE

The GAS Cap plays a part in the emissions. I'm thinking your cap failed that part of the test and caused EVAP not ready.

jimmyLSX

I agree with DBRASUE, check the gas cap if its slighlty cracked it will throw the system off, Ive had to replace mine and so did my buddy with our C5s.
If that isn't it, I would try to run the car hard, and refill fully from near E, the gas we get in california is **** crap compared to other states. Also how are you checking if its not ready? Are you using an obd2 dongle and a phone app similiar to obd fushion? Or a seperate obd2 port.

Also check if their are any codes in the DIC just to see if theirs something.
I would call the B.A.R. and find a ref, some smog shop owners are real a hole sometimes. I've been to multiple ones.

2FAS4UU

... HT, things will sort itself out, I am currently going through this same dilema as well. I had two code cycles not completed, evap and heated O2 sensors. I knew that you could have one cycle incomplete to test and after a long time the evap system finally completed cycle, and prior to this, when I was at the test station he did a pre-test and when it showed the evap issue, he looked at the gas cap seal and commented, 'here's the problem', he removed it and hooked it up to the machine, 'Bam', he was wrong and it passed !! Long story short, , evap completed, took it back in for the test, 'Fail', High Nox reading (15 mph),missed allowable number by 21, #$$#&&%)(&%^$@@ !!!!, god I hate Cal star smog system. The real pisser is that in May last year the state changed the rules and lowered the required limits on Corvettes, the car would have passed last year !!! This system is totally broken down, ask any test station tech, all the state wants to do is to get older cars off the road, so they just keep changing the rules !! Sorry for the rant guys, but I'm PO, the nut buster is while he tested my car I see this old 64' ford falcon smoking like a chimney going down the street that is smog exempt, I just shake my head !!!..

Bill Curlee

WOW! Crazy!

BC

jcgunn

In the People's Republic of California everything which is not mandatory is prohibited.

H-T

This afternoon, I finally got a smart technician that knew what I was talking about. The EVAP not completing its self-test is not a cause for failure. My car passed the smog check today.

The printout says OBDII Result 'Pass'. It is interesting that the test printout no longer says how much or how little pollution. In prior years it used to state NOx, CO2 and other measurable items in parts per million (ppm). I think low emission and ultra low emission cars are burning so clean these days it is hard to even measure so they have to test something so the State can collect money from people.

My Innova 3100a code reader still shows EVAP incomplete (blinking) even after 250 miles of varied driving over 4-days.
I immediately drove a few blocked down to the AAA and got my registration paper and sticker.

4-days of hell due to the stupid California Air Resources Board (CARB) implementing ridiculous laws and changing the rules every year. My car was built 17-years ago to meet California standards back then. The engineered design does not change by itself as time goes by, so how can they retroactively change laws affecting existing cars?

Hopefully, I have posted useful links in this thread that other owners can make use of if they find themselves in a similar situation in Kali.

PhiLS1

Woohoo!!