zackvette

14 base auto. 10420 miles. I cannot get my car to pass the Ga emission test.
The test (failed 3 times) says my
"on-board computer is "Not Ready" to determine
the status of the pollution control systems of the
vehicle. Drive your vehicle for 1 or 2 weeks under normal conditions including some highway driving". I have driven 42 miles between first test and second, all different driving, top speed 109mph. Went to a Chevy dealer in Marietta, and their response is indicative of this dealership. " Keep driving another 100miles and then retest" I drove another 18 miles, paid for another test, ( different test venue) and got the exact same failure report! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

davidtcpa

Find a better dealer. If you did not modify your car, it should pass easily! Something is wrong with your car. Are you the original owner?

Thank god we don't have emission testing in Florida anymore!!

RonC7

Have you recently had a low voltage condition due to a dead battery or battery cable disconnect? If so, the vehicle requires a number of start, stop, and drive cycles for the emissions system (usually O2 sensor) to be ready for test. The system is likely working as designed in this case.

You can verify when the vehicle is ready with a relatively inexpensive OBDII code reader. Or - your favorite auto parts store should be willing to check for free.

I had to drive another Chevy product for a couple weeks after having a dead battery before it was ready for testing.

There are many threads on this issue if you search.

Ron

axr6

Don't panic. When I purchased my '15 Stingray from out of state I needed to do a smog test. It took nearly 800 miles of driving before all the smog parameters reset. It is a huge bother but, they will reset eventually. There's been a number of threads on this topic in these forums.

cam30era

Are you, by chance, using a Range AFM disabler?

zackvette

Thanks for the input! I am original owner, never been modified, all stock, no low voltage warnings, no battery problems or disconnect, no
range disabler.

I have found an OBD II form that shows you how
to do a complete GM driving cycle to make sure all monitors have been reset. Its an 8 driving step process that is almost impossible to accomplish in Atlanta traffic! ie; "accelerate at 3/4 throttle until you reach a sustained speed, hold steady for 5 minutes at 55 mph, do not touch brake, this Misfire, Purge. Fuel Trim and Purge flow monitors diagnostics will be performed!
That's only 4 monitors open. Other steps needed to open 5 other monitors...What a joke. Out I go to see if I can get this done. Each time I go back to test its $25 So far, $75 and counting!!

leadville1

I have a Blue Driver OBD II scan tool for my smart phone and you can run diagnostics for emissions systems plus they are great if you ever get a check engine light for instance diagnosis.

Also in Texas they don't recharge for emissions if you fail, strange that they do in Georgia.

Bill Dearborn

Don't be in such a rush to take the car back in for testing. Make sure it will pass before doing that. From your description it is obvious you aren't driving the car far enough or going through the proper sequence before taking the car in. The dealer is right, drive the car.

As for Atlanta traffic you do know you can do this at night time or on a trip away from Atlanta. A 100 mile one way trip out of Atlanta using both Interstate and side roads to hit a few traffic lights and a couple stops to eat may do the trick for you. Plus it can be a great way to spend an afternoon.

Bill

Higgs Boson

Does actual smog testing help keep dirty cars off the road? Are there a lot of cars (enough to impact the environment) pulled off the road after failing smog?

or do the owners fix them just enough to pass and then drive dirty for the rest of the year?
do they "have a friend" help them through the process? do they just drive illegally?

Is smog a worthwhile endeavor on the whole?

TGO

If the emissions portions of the PCM are not in a ready state then the only thing you can do is drive the damn car! lol!

Drive it. Keep it high in the rev range. 40-50 miles obviously isn't enough. I mean ****, the guy even specifically told you do drive another 100 miles and you did not. Do it! There's no way around it.

2highpsi

This is correct, and it requires shutdowns and restarts as well. The EVAP takes at least 7 days of daily driving to set on my 2015 Z06. Just keep driving

Bucknut2006

Unless you don't have time, there hundreds of places to drive around Marrietta to put miles on your car.

LSX Camaro

Most on-board tests including the evap are only run when the fuel level is between 1/4 and 3/4. More or less it Will Not run. Certain tests only start upon a cold start and then driving a certain speed for a certain amount of time. The cheapest OBDII code reader will tell you I/M readiness status.

Chevy Cust Svc

Hey zackvette,

We can certainly understand how inconvenient multiple dealer visits and out of pocket expenses can be when it comes to emissions testing. If you are still having concerns after driving the recommended mileage, feel free to send us a message and we can reach out to your dealership to see what next best steps are available.

Best,

Erica W.
Chevrolet Customer Care

vettez06

Its really a joke here in Georgia,I believe if you have a piece of junk that wont pass inspection and you spent $250 on it they give you a waiver so you then can pollute all you want just another way to make money.

vettez06

My bad looks like its now $879 on emission related repair

zackvette

After spenfing the good part of 2 days, another180 miles and 7 attempts at the 8 step OBD process, I went to another inspection, and this time there were 4 monitors not working..
Besides the fact my plate expires next week, I went to a better dealer. Carl Black in Atlanta. The Service Mgr immediately took the car in and gave me a loaner.....Free! Car has been there since Monday,granted permission to Shop Foreman to drive car.Loaner car plates ecpire today, so back I go to return loaner and get update on my car. Will keep you posted.

Larry/car

Read your warranty book, emission systems have a lot longer warranty period than the normal bumper to bumper/drive train warranty.

zackvette

Good point! Dealer called and said they opened a GM Engineering Query(?) and could not duplicate monitor failure. However, someone saw my paperwork that I haf failed 4 times, each report notated " 2 or more monitor failures " and looked further into it and found 2 monitor failures when this person rechecked at the dealer. They even offered to get vehicle inspected, and reimburse me for the gas they used for testing...1/2 tank. I picked up the vehicle myself and was assured....shown paperwork that all monitors were good..and instructed to drive straight to inspection, don't stop, don't turn engine off, don't add gas. After 1 hour wait,was tested and shown the EGR Monitor was not working, but you are allowed 1 monitor failure and still pass. Well, finally passed on 3rd try! Kudos to Carl Black for their efforts and resolve to help me....Pondering where I will be 11 months from now, will this problem repeat?
Only time will tell! Thanks to all who replied.

snomuncher

"Monitors Not Ready" for emissions tests are not uncommon, especially if someone stores their car for long periods of time with the battery disconnected. Also as others have noted, low battery voltage will have the same effect. The recommended GM drive cycle may have to be performed a couple of times before enough sensors are active. But also note that not all drive cycles are the same. There may be a specific cycle that pertains to your car. A generic OBD II drive cycle did not work on my car but the one specifically listed in the Service Manual did work. The procedure on two of my GM vehicles is located under the Heading of "Inspection/Maintenance Complete System Set Procedure" in the Engine Controls section of the manual.

How to preclude this from recurring besides driving the car regularly? After using a battery tender I haven't hade any issues.