Long story short I bought a ZO6 it has minor mods and will not pass emissions in AZ. Took it to the dealer and they said that i need a signal generator chip and must take it to a performance shop. Any advice on what this chip is and how to go about installing it or anything?

Car has lg headers vararam dyno tune no cats 160 thermo aftermarket fuel pump

 

Why will it not pass? They MAY be referring to O2 simulators or simms. Very old school. Your tuner should be able to set that code to not report and satisfy emissions.

 

The dealer told me that i have no o2 sensors at all. And when i tried to get it to pass everything said not ready. I also called a local tuner and he said he has no clue what a signal generator chip is.

 

Wait...so you're running no cats and you're wondering why you failed emissions?

 

Instead
Ya i bought the car like that, that's not the problem though. The problem is all the tests say not ready instead of failed.

 

Well........if it doesn't have Cats....or rear O2 sensors....or any O2 sensors.......it's never going to say ready.

Signal generator chip? Now that's a good one!
And a dealer told you that? Geeze.

Your tuner should be able to tune out the rear O2 sensors so they say ready.

What other readiness checks weren't ready?

FWIW....I've never been to a dealer yet where I didn't know a lot more about my car, or cars in general than the service writer does. Cracks me up.

Ron

 

^this was my first thought as well...

Check your DTC codes, post all H & C here... Then clear them and try this:

As per GM :

To perform an OBDII Driving cycle do the following in this exact sequence...

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.


It won't matter though if they do a visual or hook you up to a sniffer you won't pass, and even with just an OBDII scan you may not pass.

 

That's for sure!

 

I will post up all the codes soon. The problem though was that this chip is fried and that's suppose to send the signal to everything else sensors included. I have done the drive cycle multiple times but because that chip is broke every test just says not ready.

 

Forget about this "chip" issue. Either take it to a tuner and tell him to make it pass the readiness tests or buy HP tuners and get your hands on a laptop and PM me after you get it and I can straighten it out.

If you don't want to keep HPtuners after you're done with it, sell it. You can get close to what you paid for it, minus the licenses we'll be using.

When done properly, you don't even have to start the car to get the readiness tests happy, much less drive it over the hills and through the woods to grandma's house.

 

Your C5 doesnt have a CHIP,or NEED A CHIP. Its a NON VOILTOL flash memory and the only way to change the data in your PCMs operating system is with tuning software.

You need tuner help for that or purchase HP Tuners or EFI Live tuning software.

Its very important for you to be able to read and post your own DTCs. You can do that right from your drivers seat using the DIC.

STAY WAY from the STEALERSHIP's if you can!! When you walk into the service department door, they see MONEY dripping out of your wallet.!!! Half the time, the service tech just easter eggs parts (at your expense )

Find a good trustworthy C5/C6 specialist and use them for your repair needs if you can do it your self.

Read and post your DTCs and that will get us into your PCMs issues.

Bill

 

Thanks for the advice im taking it to a specialist hoping to get this problem fixed this week.
Here are my codes
PCM P0140, P0160
HVAC B0361, B0367
IPC U1160

 

I think the "chip" the dealer referred to is an O2 sensor simulator. You can find them online if you look.... very illegal though....

They're used to simulate an 02 sensor and faking the computer to thinking they have them, and that they're reporting normal 02 levels. He might also be referring to an ECU piggyback chip, I think a lot of Hondas and some other older cars use them to tune the ECU. Either way, he doesn't really know what he's talking about.

Like others said, just get a tuner to tune them out... surprised your dealer mentioned the "chips", haha, I would definitely return to that dealer, since most shops would not pass a car that they knew did not have cats or 02 sensors.

 

Looks like whoever tuned the car after the headers were installed didn't tune out the rear O2 sensors.
Were the mods installed by previous owner or yourself?

 

If you can figure out who did the dyno tune, you can go back and ask them to delete the code. If they're a good shop, they shouldn't charge you for something so simple, especially since they've already been paid once for work on the car. Or find someone local who has HPTuners, pay them $100 (the cost of the credits on HP tuners) and have them turn off the codes. Or buy a pair of O2 sims.

Contrary to what people say, I don't think the mechanic you went to is that bad. If they were, they would have suggested you needed catalytic converters installed and tried to BS you that the car wouldn't run right without them, and etc. They got the name of the item wrong, but at least they knew what you needed.

A quick story about a truly bad dealer:

I have a fairly new GM LS6 crate motor in my car with a GMPP warranty, which should be honored by any Goodwrench shop or GMPP approved mechanic. I brought the car to the largest Chevy dealer in Houston due to an obvious harmonic balancer wobble. I had receipts in hand showing the purchase, the part number of the engine, the receipts from the installer, etc. The service manager insisted that the harmonic balancer wasn't covered under the warranty because "it's usually taken from the old engine", even though a simple part number search would show it came with the balancer. He suggested I leave the car overnight for diagnostic, something that would cost $100. Now that's a bad dealer.