97 Outback fails CA smog due to "I/M monitors"

[baboonia]

I'm trying to Smog a 97 Outback 2.5 in California. The head gaskets were recently changed and I presume the ECU codes were cleared after that procedure. The CEL is off i.e. no error codes, the exhaust gasses were within spec but the car failed overall because of "incomplete monitors".

 

After the failed test I then drove about 140 miles, then I got a loaner Actron scan tool from Autozone and it still shows CATALYST MON and EGR SYSTEM MON as incomplete. Are these two incomplete monitors OK for retest or will they fail me again?

[OB99W]

I'm trying to Smog a 97 Outback 2.5 in California. The head gaskets were recently changed and I presume the ECU codes were cleared after that procedure.

The battery was probably disconnected during the work, clearing the ECU's memory.

 

 

The CEL is off i.e. no error codes, the exhaust gasses were within spec but the car failed overall because of "incomplete monitors".

The CEL can be off and yet there can still be problems. Many troubles won't light the CEL until after they occur on two drive cycles. There may be "pending" codes, but the monitors have to complete.

 

 

After the failed test I then drove about 140 miles, then I got a loaner Actron scan tool from Autozone and it still shows CATALYST MON and EGR SYSTEM MON as incomplete.

Just putting on mileage isn't sufficient for the monitors to complete; a specific drive cycle is required. See: http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/OBDInfo.pdf

 

 

Are these two incomplete monitors OK for retest or will they fail me again?

I'm in NY, so I don't know CA law. The answer may even depend whether you're in an "enhanced area". The most recent CA info I could find is at http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/EtBlast/PrintMsg.aspx?QryMessageKey=18404 . However, since the goal is to reduce the acceptable number of incomplete monitors, I'd suggest contacting the Bureau of Automotive Repair and ask them for the latest regulation if nobody on the forum knows for sure. See: http://www.smogcheck.ca.gov/StdPage.asp?Body=/contacts.htm

[porcupine73]

Yah the evap will take the longest to set to 'ready'. I had to drive 100+ miles over three days to get that one to say ready. The others said ready pretty fast. I'm assuming you have a scan tool to see the monitor status.

 

Not sure about CA, but in NY if you go in for inspection and the only reason it can't pass is the I/M's aren't 'ready' and the current inspection isn't already expired, I think you can get a 10 day extension sticker.

[OB99W]

Page 3 of http://www.ncvecs.colostate.edu/cac.docs/cac22/PaulHedglin.pdf says CA allows two monitors to be not ready.

[baboonia]

So my car passed smog today....one of the two monitors went away by itself then everything tested fine.

 

However, the Catalyst monitor was still showing incomplete with the scan tool, even after I passed the test.

 

I confirmed with the smog place that in CA you are allowed two monitors to be incomplete, I thought it was zero and was driving around trying to make them all go away. Thanks to the other forum posters for helping clarify this stuff.

[porcupine73]

Cool that you passed. Not sure about your '97, but some '96's reset all the I/M's every time the engine was shut off. So some of those got exemptions from the readiness tests.

[Cougar]

Glad you passed.

 

Once again, great info from OB99W. Thanks.

[OB99W]

So my car passed smog today....one of the two monitors went away by itself then everything tested fine.

 

[...]Thanks to the other forum posters for helping clarify this stuff.

Congrats, and you're welcome.

 

 

[...]Once again, great info from OB99W. Thanks.

Thank you, Cougar; I haven't hit 3,000+ posts yet (although somehow I seem to be creeping up on 1,000) !