A friend of mine let his 06 Vert sit too long. Had to jump it to get it started. He drove to have it inspected (emissions) and they couldn't do it due to the OBD computer not looking right. They told him to drive it for awhile and come back. Is there a way to reset this computer now? I thought maybe disconnecting the battery for awhile then reconnecting it might do it.

 

Disconnecting the battery will clear the memory, yes. That's why your buddy couldn't get his inspection, there was no data for them to pull. From what I've been told, needs about 100 miles of driving data in the computer for the emissions folks to be happy. So pulling the battery cable won't solve anything, just delay it more.

 

The computer was reset when all power was lost. It is going to 'learn' by being driven and then it will be ready for the inspection. This is a good excuse for a trip up the Hutch for 50 miles or so and back.

 

Thanks. I guess the mechanic was right. Something he did during the 'jumping' process cleared the computer. I guess driving a hundred miles isn't so bad anyway.

 

He needs to drive it some.

 

It wasn't the jumping that caused it... it was the the lack of juice in the battery that cause the computer to clear.. along with him needing to jump start it.

 

Some of the inspection stations don't have OBD11 scanners that are CAN capable, so they will never get a reading, regardless of how many miles you drive.

 

The computer has Monitors that must be run and set for the emissions systems. There are several Monitors, O2 sensors, Evap, and others depending on the car involved. These monitors are the computers way of testing and confirming proper operation of the systems. When you bring a car in for inspections if the Monitors are not set, or only a few have run the state test will not run. Also if a monitor has failed, then a code will be stored. All Monitors will be cleared when the battery has been disconnected or any codes are cleared with a Scanner. There is no way to make the Monitors run, the computer runs tests when the conditions for each test are met. 100 miles should be enough, in California as long as there are no more then 2 monitors not set the state test can be run, you need a scanner to inspect for Monitor conditions.