WahooJames

Long story short, My 2000 Max SE failed an emissions test due to my SES Light being on (P0420). Brought it to the dealer where they did the ECU Reprogram.

Drove it for a week and had emissions tested again- the result was ABORT, and the reason was "Catalyst Readiness Monitor Reject". The emissions center and the state tech I spoke to on the phone both agreed that the ECU had not gone through a full drive cycle, I needed to drive it more (despite putting over 200 mi on it since the reprogram.)

Drove it for another week and a half and brought it back to emissions... SAME thing. I called the state again and they indicated that I needed to make sure I took the car through a "drive cycle" which is series of specific speed for specific times/distances, such as 55 mph for 3 miles, then 20 mph for 5 miles, then coast to a stop etc etc...

I have never heard of this.

I asked him how i find out what my specific drive cycle is and he said call the dealer. Yeah right. Anyone know what the drive cycle for the ECU on my 2000 SE?

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

Just drive the car as you always do for another week or so and go back. IIRC, the Illinois emissions notice says to drive for about 1-2 weeks or 200-300 miles if you've had the ECU recently reset.

spiromax

Once my SES light went off (I think because I drove with a loose gas cap), and the dealer just told me to go through a full "drive cycle" to get it to go away. I didn't really know what that meant, but I drove around for about two weeks, and it just went away on its own.

I recently started my car without the MAF sensor hooked up by accident. After I hooked the sensor up, I had the SES light. I didn't think anything of it, since I knew the car had been started without the MAF sensor hooked up. I reset my ECU using the procedure listed in the HOW TO section.

Every other day, my SES light comes back on. I've reset it twice, thinking that I may have just done the procedure wrong the first time, but today it came on again. I'm going to take it down to Autozone or something to get the code pulled.

WahooJames

As a followup, this is still going on. At this point, the dealer says they will SELL me the information. That's right. They are gonna photocopy the drive cycle from the service handbook and sell it to me.

HA! Haven't gotten the quote yet.

Epacy

iTrader: (6)

Sell you the info? That is f'ing retarded. I hate your dealer.

Rob01ski

Ask them what the five fingers said to the face and the ***** slap all those *****es at the dealer, wtf

spiromax

Tell the service manager that if HE pays YOU, you might not sell the tapes of you screwing his mom on the internet. I have a copy of the complete factory service manual, which I downloaded for free from PhatG20.net. You can get a free copy there too if you just sign up at their site.

cbmoosemax

2002 max gle battery was off for two months got the up again drove it over 300 miles and readings still say cant no info 4 o2 sensor? all mileage highway,roundtown and stop&go for two hours on lie!

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Hmm, I see what you did there.

Apparently you have a problem with your O2 sensor, English isn't your first language, and this thread has cobwebs.

97SMG

iTrader: (23)

He might not have a problem with his O2. If he does not have a code stored or the CEL on than he just needs to keep driving his car. Your "readiness cycle" that emissions / state inspections look at has not completed its cycle therefore the ecu is stating its not ready. I'm currently having the same issue.

If you look in the owners manual there is a series of steps where it tells you how to complete a drive cycle. I have to try it this weekend as I am way over due for my emissions and driving for the last two weeks has not done anything for me.

cbmoosemax

2002 max gle battery was off for two months got the up again drove it over 300 miles and readings still say cant no info 4 o2 sensor? all mileage highway,roundtown and stop&go for two hours on L.I.E.

cbmoosemax

Long story shortened. O2 sensors fail yet do not indicate a failure. I drove several hundred miles trying to fulfill the elusive "Drive Cycle". The O2 sensor continued to indicate not ready.
Ultimately went to a mechanic that had a more sophisticated scan tool/computer, he assessed the situation and quickly diagnosed the problem as a defective O2 sensor. Net,net. I drove the car 100 miles had the car inspected and it passed!

BTW the dealer wanted $100.00 to hook up his computer + $125.00/hr labor rate and if an O2 sensor needed replacement Book Time 1.6 hours. $165.00 for the sensor....do the math.

My guy did the whole enchilada for $125.00 parts/labor/inspection!

wilkerstaff

This is from the 2001 Maxima SE Owner's Manual (available here: http://www.courtesyparts.com/owners-manuals.php )

Due to legal requirements in some states/
areas, your vehicle may be required to be in
what is called the ready condition for an
Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) test of the emission
control system.
The vehicle is set to the ready condition when
it is driven through certain driving patterns.
Usually, the ready condition can be obtained
by ordinary usage of the vehicle.
If a powertrain system component is repaired
or the battery is disconnected, the vehicle may
be reset to a not ready condition. Before taking
the I/M test, drive the vehicle through the
following pattern to set the vehicle to the ready
condition. If you cannot or do not want to
perform the driving pattern, an NISSAN dealer
can conduct it for you.

WARNING

Always drive the vehicle in a safe and
prudent manner according to traffic conditions,
and obey all traffic laws.

1. Start the engine when the engine coolant
temperature gauge needle points to C. Allow
the engine to idle until the gauge needle
points between the C and H (normal operating
temperature).
2. Accelerate the vehicle to 55 MPH (88
km/h), then quickly release the accelerator
pedal completely and keep it released for at
least 6 seconds.
3. Quickly depress the accelerator pedal for a
moment, then drive the vehicle at a speed
of 53 to 60 MPH (86 to 96 km/h) for at least
5 minutes.
4. Stop the vehicle.
5. Accelerate the vehicle to 35 MPH (55 km/h)
and maintain the speed for 20 seconds.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 at least 3 times.
7. Accelerate the vehicle to 55 MPH (88 km/h)
and maintain the speed for at least 3 minutes.
8. Stop the vehicle (shift lever in the “P” or “N”
position).
9. Rev the engine up between 2,500 and
3,500 rpm and hold it for 3 consecutive
minutes, then release the accelerator pedal
completely.
10.Wait 5 second at idle.
11.Rev the engine up between 2,000 and
3,000 rpm and maintain it for 5 consecutive
minutes.
12.Turn the engine off.
13.Repeat steps 1 through 8 at least one more
time.
If step 1 through 7 is interrupted, repeat the
preceding step. Any safe driving mode is acceptable
between steps. Do not stop the engine

until step 7 is completed.

Chris Gregg

iTrader: (59)

WTF!?

mandyfig

So if you just reset an SES and go in to the test, will it fail?

sontakke

Almost most certainly! There are bunch of monitors. Depending upon the model year of the vehicle, some state will let you pass with one or two incomplete monitors but otherwise you will fail the inspection.

If you need to reset the check engine light often on your car, get a scanner which gives you status of I/M Readiness. These start as low as $40 shipped from Amazon.

- Vikas

mandyfig

I do have one. If I reset my SES using my OBDII scanner, and drive to the Emission station, and the SES is not back on, will I pass?

2damax

Depends on the state I guess. CT just checks for codes I think so if you clear the code, drive at least 50 miles and no light then you should be good. I got a dumb EVAP small leak code that comes on and off and I just waited for it to go off and passed a couple days ago

sontakke

You need to find out how many monitors are being shown as complete when you hook up your code reader. Most state allow no more than one or two incompletes depending upon your model year.

- Vikas

maxima34

Though my car was a Eclipse, I passed with my Evap not ready and all others sensors at ready. I had talked to a guy at Jiffy Lube he said it would fail, another guy at Master Lube said it could still pass. It passed, I was allowed at least one sensor not ready. I live in Utah though. It took me only 20 miles of driving to get the sensors to go ready. I tried the OBDII driving sequence and decided that it was too hard and just drove around.

wilkerstaff

Another OBDII drive sequence suggestion:

(Source
http://www.aa1car.com/library/us796obd.htm

Suppose you have "fixed" an emissions problem on an OBDII-equipped vehicle. How can you check your work? By performing what is called an "OBDII drive cycle."
The purpose of the OBDII drive cycle is to run all of the onboard diagnostics. The drive cycle should be performed after you have erased any trouble codes from the PCM memory, or after the battery has been disconnected. Running through the drive cycle sets all the system monitors so that subsequent faults can be detected.
The OBDII drive cycle begins with a cold start (coolant temperature below 122 degrees F and the coolant and air temperature sensors within 11 degrees of one another).
NOTE: The ignition key must not be on prior to the cold start otherwise the heated oxygen sensor diagnostic may not run.
1. As soon as the engine starts, idle the engine in drive for two and a half minutes with the A/C and rear defrost on. OBDII checks oxygen sensor heater circuits, air pump and EVAP purge.
2. Turn the A/C and rear defrost off, and accelerate to 55 mph at half throttle. OBDII checks for ignition misfire, fuel trim and canister purge.
3. Hold at a steady state speed of 55 mph for three minutes.
OBDII monitors EGR, air pump, O2 sensors and canister purge.
4. Decelerate (coast down) to 20 mph without braking or depressing the clutch. OBDII checks EGR and purge functions.
5. Accelerate back to 55 to 60 mph at half throttle. OBDII checks misfire, fuel trim and purge again.
6. Hold at a steady speed of 55 to 60 mph for five minutes.
OBDII monitors catalytic converter efficiency, misfire, EGR, fuel trim, oxygen sensors and purge functions.
7. Decelerate (coast down) to a stop without braking. OBDII makes a final check of EGR and canister purge.

I'm getting the P0420 and P0430 now. *sigh* I'm thinking I should just scrap this '01 Maxima. My baby. KBB value at $2500, I just don't think it's worth trying to fix....

rroderiques77

iTrader: (45)

If the cat monitor is the only one that is not resetting, then like NMex said, there may be problems with your O2 heaters not working.

Which monitors aren't resetting and how many are you allowed to have unset in order to pass emissions, if any?

Ridge1

Hi - I found this thread useful about a year ago as I was trying to fix a similar problem - thought I'd share my story now as it might help current or future contributors to this discussion.

I had similar problems with my 2001 GLE California emissions Maxima. At 170,000 miles I had a 430 code (front pre-cat) that I was able reset for 6 months or so. I got through 1 inspection like that, then it became more stubborn. I basically parked the car for about 2.5 years, then decided see what could be done. I ended up doing the front cat work myself with a Walker part from Amazon. I was hesitant because I wasn't sure whether California emissions ECU would be fussy, but I took the risk (there is a whole other thread out there about people worried if their Cali spec cars can take non dealer pre-cats).

After the front cat replacement I had the problem where my drive cycle wouldn't complete - the catalyst monitor would never set. I drove 2000 miles or more under varying conditions, and while the CEL never came on, the cat monitor wouldn't set. I tried the INSANE drive cycle instructions a couple of times. After the 2nd attempt I got the 420 code (back pre-cat). At that point I was cursing myself for not doing the back cat at the same time as the front.

So I changed the back pre-cat, again using Walker parts (I'm not promoting Walker, by the way - just saying what worked for me). I ended up breaking a bolt in the exhaust manifold and had to pay a local mechanic $150 to fix that issue. I kept the original main cat because it looked fine, and there are no O2 sensors checking it anyway. After that work, my monitors set themselves nicely with no real effort - i.e. I didn't need to do the drive cycle - just 20 miles or so of varied driving including a highway stint.

So bottom line here is that (1) Walker parts fixed my 420 and 430 codes despite California emissions - I'm not in California, so it might not be legal there with the parts I used (2) You can do the work yourself, but it's pretty involved. And (3) if the cats and O2 sensors are in good order, it shouldn't be necessary to try that drive cycle - the monitors will basically set without trying too hard. I've done about 5000 miles since the fix.

toravir

@Ridge1: can you share me some pointers/instructions on how you fixed both Pre and post Cat ? I have 2K maxima with ~118K miles. it has a 430 code once in ~6months - i cleared it 2 months ago. now smog check fails because obdii is not ready - especially the cat part -everything else passed.. i am gonna try the drive cycle thingie - but i am suspecting that the 430 will either come back or simply will not trigger..

Ridge1

Toravir - sure.

This is not a quick job. Things can go wrong that set you back, so if this is your daily driver I would definitely plan for another way to get to work.

I assume you don't have a lift. There is a lot of underneath work. So get the front of the car raised safely - use redundant methods. Also use goggles or bits of rusty crap will be constantly dropping into your eyes.

Consider fixing the front and back cat pre-cats at the same time. It's not actually the post cat - I left that alone. There are 2 pre-cats both of which trigger separate codes. Your code 430 is the front pre-cat. When you take off the plastic shields under the very front of the car it's the cat you see right at the front with the O2 sensor sticking in it right there. But as I said in my post, I had a 420 code waiting to bite me anyway. Here are the parts I bought for my 2001 Maxima:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Walker-54750-...QJK2F6K2J507RT

You also need the relevant seals between e.g. manifold and cats - so go back-n-forth between Walker website and Amazon.

Recommend that you figure out a solution (e.g. machine shop or mechanic) ahead of time that can help you drill out / burn out broken bolts. I needed to take my manifold and post cat (main cat) to my guy and pay him some money to help me with broken bolts.

I needed to remove the front manifold, so you should buy a new manifold gasket too and have it on hand. I broke a bolt trying to remove the front pre-cat, and had to get the manifold out and get my mechanic to burn out the broken bolt from the manifold (as I said, be prepared for set-backs!!)

If you have any sticking e-brake problems – now is the time to fix that too. With parts of the exhaust system removed you will be able to get the main heat shield out and replace e-brake cables – just a thought.

Some work steps:
1 - Disconnect battery

2 - Remove plastic shielding from under front of car. Comes in 2 half left and right. Multiple 10 mm bolts and plastic studs must be removed to do this.

3 - Remove O2 sensor from front cat - I was able to rent O2 removal tool from local AutoZone. Hang the O2 sensor somewhere safe up in the car engine out of the way.

4 - Carefully work on the 3 nuts connecting the front pre-cat to the front manifold. Use penetrating oil. Back the bolts in and out as you feel you need to. TRY not to let them break. I did break one of mine. I see there is a new Dorman manifold on Amazon for $50, so that's an option too if things go wrong here.

Now it's decision time. The front cat won't come out with both the manifold and the back pre-cat firmly attached. So if you want to leave the back cat in place and not replace that part, it's front manifold time:

5 - Remove electric rad fans: Disconnect connector to air intake and remove air intake from air filter housing and front of car. Drain some coolant and disconnect upper radiator hose. Disconnect 2 electrical connectors from the 2 fans, and remove wire harnesses from plastic fan cowling (try not to break the wire ties, but you may need to improvise a new way to reattach wires to plastic cowling later on if they break - not a big deal). Reach down to bottom of the fan and unhook transmission line from the plastic cowling. Unhook coolant reservoir line from top of plastic cowling. Remove 2 bolts holding plastic cowling to radiator . Lift the cowling with fans up and away.

6 - Remove small bolts attaching heat shielding to front manifold. Try not to break them. Or be prepared to figure out a new way to attach heat shield later on by e.g. drilling and re-tapping the attachment holds on the manifold. Again, see that Dorman manifold kit on Amazon - it actually comes with manifold gasket too, so not a bad option all around.

7 - I can't remember exactly why I did it, but I had to drop the AC compressor (not disconnect, just drop a bit). I think it was to either access one of the manifold bolts (see below), or get the manifold O2 sensor out. But to do this you have to slacken the serpentine belt first, unhook the belt from the compressor pulley, and then remove 4 bolts at the front of AC compressor. To remove serpentine belt you need to loosen the tensioner bolt at the hub of the tensioner wheel, then turn the tensioner-raising bolt.

8 - Remove O2 sensor from the manifold.

9 -Very carefully remove 6 nuts holding manifold to engine. I did not break any of my studs, and I know that breaking something here would be a major pain. So again, use penetrating oil and go slowly.

10 - Now the manifold and the front cat should come easily out from the bottom of the car. Be careful not to bash the exposed radiator. If you have already removed the nuts connecting the cat to the manifold, then you should be able to separate them when they are out of the car. Use some clean rags to plug the exposed exhaust ports from the engine and stop stuff from falling in. Clean up the manifold mating surface on the engine.

11 - If you're doing the back pre-cat (the Y-pipe) too, the fiddly part is disconnecting the Y-pipe from the rear exhaust manifold. Remove heat shielding form the Y-pipe (I had to just break / cut mine off). Remove and hang the O2 sensor. You have to reach up to the 3 nuts with extension bars and a pivot adapter. I think they are 14 mm nuts. Again, be VERY slow and careful. I managed to get 2 of mine off as nuts-only and the 3rd came out with the stud (which was fine by me - I just treated it as a bolt when I put it back on).

12 - The 2 bolts between the main cat and the Y-pipe broke on mine. So I had to take the entire main can off by grinding, and then take it to my guy to burn out broken off bolts. But I was able to save the main cat and re-use. It looked just fine inside, and there are no O2 sensors monitoring its performance, so I saw no reason to replace it. But I did see that my resonator was in terrible shape, so I replaced that too while I was under there.

That’s all I can think of. I may have forgotten steps so use tons of common sense along the way and PLEASE be careful lying under that car.

Ridge1

Correction to step 4:
There are 5 nuts (or bolts) connecting the front pre-cat to the manifold. But I forgot the step of removing the 3 nuts (or bolts) connecting the front Pre-cat to the back pre-cat (Y-pipe). I'm sure you would have figured that out, but...there you go.

Also took another look at my engine today to try to figure out why I had to drop the AC compressor. I just can't remember. It could be to give myself room to drop out the manifold-front pre-cat pieces, or it could be to get at a manifold bolt. All I remember for sure is I had to drop the compressor out of position - it's not a big deal. Just don't bend or damage AC lines.

Last thing - if you end up having to remove the muffler (I did - long story), you have to jack up the back right side of the car to a crazy angle. The way I did it was a pretty dangerous and I made damn sure I stayed out from under the car at that time. Problem is you have to tilt the muffler way down at the back to work the piping out from the suspension. Hope you don't have to get into that mess.

SquidBeak

Good info.

I'm gearing up to do this myself.

HeavenlyAngel

I don't know if the drive cycle procedure is exactly same for an SE however these are the steps that are listed in my 2000 Nissan maxima gle owners manual

1. Start engine when tempis at cold
2. Let engine idle until temp. Is midway between C and H or normal driving temperature.
3. Accelerate to 53-60 Mph then completely
4.​​let off the pedal for 6 seconds then5. quickly accelerate to 55mph and maintain speed for 5 minutes6. Stop vehicle
7 accelerate to 35 mphand maintain for 20seconds
8. Stop vehicle9. Repeat step 7 and 8 minimum of 3 more times10. Accelerate to 55mph and maintain speed for 3 minutes11. Stop Vehicle12. Put car in park for automatic or Neutral for standard13 press gas till rpms are between 2500-3500 and maintain in that range for 3 full minutes14. Release pedal completely for 5 seconds15. Raise Rpms to 2000-3000 range and maintain in range for 5 minutes. Turn off vehicle16. Repeat once more after engine has completely cooled.(next day or whatever that may be)
it also stated that any safe driving conditions are ok between steps and if a stepis I terrupted to repeat preceding step and continue from there. Also to not turn engine off at any time before reaching the 13th step in order foritto complete drive cycle. Hope this helps