Emissions Test
 

Due soon, in Canada, am using some SeaFoam in the tank to clean the system and will change my oil prior to the test after this tank has been used up. Throwing no codes, but did unhook the battery approx 150 miles ago and wondering;

1. how many miles does the car need to complete all its reset cycles after a battery disconnect?
2. will a slight pull to the right effect an emissions test? (waiting for a nice day to replace a lower control arm)
3. how critical to a pass is running the engine up to highway temperature?
4. how significant to a pass is higher octane full?
5. at 230,000 km, any tips welcome...

1 - it's not miles, it's "drive cycles". I'm not sure what exactly constitutes a drive cycle however.

2 - no. Emissions have nothing to do with the suspension...unless in Canada they do a full "inspection"...but even then, a slight pull is of no relevance.

3 - Pretty damn critical. Drive for at least 30 minutes straight before going to the emissions station, preferably at least some on highway.

4 - Not sure, but it's always recommended.

5 - make sure your O2 sensors are in good shape, replace if needed. You should be fine if you're not throwing a code, depending on how your emissions testing works, a CEL code is an automatic failure. Some do the sniffer test, some hook up to the OBD port on the car. It all depends.

[QUOTE=Amerikaner83;8926640]1 - it's not miles, it's "drive cycles". I'm not sure what exactly constitutes a drive cycle however.

2 - no. Emissions have nothing to do with the suspension...unless in Canada they do a full "inspection"...but even then, a slight pull is of no relevance.

The thought is, as in Ontario Canada the test is the rollers up front with an exhaust monitor, if the car is pulling to one side in the harness, that could cause a heavier load on the engine altering the temperature and or altering the emissions.

Hello, I just went through this a few days ago. This method should get you a conditional pass. Almost all testing is done via OBD.

1. Reset the engine codes. scanner or battery unplug.
2. Go in for the test - it will come back as "NOT READY".
3. You need to wait 24hrs and drive only 30km's after your first test.
4. Go back to testing center and hopefully with a bit of luck you will still be in a "NOT READY" state.

That is good enough to get a conditional pass. If your SES light comes on or you reset code/disconnect battery between tests- you will fail and need to do it again.

It's a pain in the a$$ but for $60 it's the cheapest method to pass.

Good luck.