Hi,
I tried to get the new yearly car check sticker and the guy told me due to the new rule - my car will not pass inspection since I have a “Check Engine Soon” light on my dashboard.
In past years the computer did not check for that and I know I have a faulty sensor. I told him to erase the code history using the OBD and I was told I have to drive 50 miles or the inspection computer will refuse to check my car since it needs the accumulated data.
Can some one tell me if there is a way around this? I DO NOT want to pay to replace the sensor!
Best,
Steve
P.S. The error code shows something about the exhaust emission (but its wrong)
Nice post. No vehicle type, mileage, codes, or any other useful info is given and on top of that you want advice on how to beat the government?
Since you apparently do not believe in spending money to keep a vehicle going, as many people are prone to do, and since you seem to think the car’s ECM is lying to you about codes your best bet is to sell the car and buy a bicycle.
It’s not likely that anyone here is going to tell you how to cheat on the emissions even if info was provided and if it were even possible; which is not likely.
The Car is a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclypse Spyder V6 3Liter.
I do not agree with what you said above and I’m not trying to cheat anyone - I know as a FACT that the sensor is faulty - this model is known for it.
If you think that a person should invest money in replacing a sensor juts because the inspections says so - then go ahead - I will NOT participate in a money milking scheme.
And who said all decisions made by various organizations are always right? I can tell you that in a foreign country the government decided to BAN NEW drivers from driving between 12:00am-5am - what do you think happened- they stayed DRINKING until 5am and then drove MORE DRUNK home and MORE accidents happened.
You sure you’re not working for the government or any other association related to milking money from the public by introducing this idiotic new addition to inspections" …
Best,
Steve
You have given us absolutely and totally zero information to work with. We might have been able to offer a suggestion.
What kind of vehicle?
How many miles?
Is it the
upstream oxygen sensor?
downstream oxygen sensor?
mass airflow sensor?
manifold absolute pressure sensor?
temp sensor?
throttle position sensor?
oil pressure sensor?
evaporative emissions system sensor?
crank speed aensor?
crank position sensor?
vehicle speed sensor?
tire pressure sensor?
ABS (wheel speed sensor)?
seat belt sensor?
shall I continue?
What was that code again?
Why do you think it’s wrong?
Have you considered actually getting the sensor changed? Never mind, you already answered that.
I’m not even going to bother to ask if the maintenance has been kept up.
Okay, have it your way. Refuse to fix the car.
Sincere best. Walking is healthy.
TSM,
Thanks for the reply. To answer SOME of your questions:
- Mitsubishi Spyder 6 cylinder 2001
- 82K miles
Regarding the sensor - I don’t know specificaly which one adn I DID NOT write down the code (I told the mechanic to ERASE the ERROR) and we decided that after 50 miles (so data is captures and hopefully the “Service Engine Soon” light will not turn on) I will come back and the test should pass. FROM WHAT I REMEMBER it’s the Emission Sensor - and WHY do I know its FAULTY = because EVERY year this “Service Engine Soon” light is on - the emission test passed = so 1+1 = the sensor is faulty
In the mean while after eliminating the error code using the OBD - after 10 minuets the “Service Engine” light came on again.
And YES, the maintenance is kept up.
I guess all the answers so far are to FIX the damn sensor - nothing “creative” yet.
The thing is I know SO many people with cars that have a “wacky” sensor.
Every time Mitsubishi dealership “fixed” the sensor problem it came back after a day or two.
Anyway- thanks for the replies - I will deal with this on my own
The code reader shows a fault at the sensor. It does not always mean that the sensor itself is defective but something upstream or possibly downstream is causing the fault. The real is answer is fix the issue especially if known research further. There is a fix for this given the problem you state is known.
In the past did the car pass a treadmill check or just an idle emission check? There are some problems that won’t increase emissions at idle but will show up on the treadmill, like EGR problems. Heck, years ago a friend (wink-wink) had a highly modified '81 Accord with a Weber carb, no EGR and no cat converter that could be made to pass idle emissions.
Many states have dropped idle emissions checks. They put older cars on a treadmill and read the OBD-II codes on newer cars. When all the pre-OBD-II cars get over 20 years old they’ll probably give up the treadmill entirely.
Trade your spyder for a '96 or older vehicle and forget about emissions testing and the hassles involved. Or take it to a Mitsubishi Dealer and say “Please fix the CEL and give me a sticker” …They will find a way…
No, I’m not part of a government or trade association conspiracy as you allude to.
You bought an OBD II vehicle and by doing so agreed to play by those emissions rules.
I don’t buy for one minute the bit about keeping the maintenance up because if this were the case you would not plod on year after year with the light staring at you. You would fix the dxxxxx problem rather than begging someone for a non-existent patch that does not exist.
Email the EPA about this dilemna. I can assure you they have a proper answer for this glitch.
Here’s the deal. Obviously, you live in an area that is required to meet emissions standards in order to get your tag. All cars, every make and model, made after 1996 does it’s own emissions testing as the car drives. This is one of the functions of the ODB-II system. This system uses sensors to maintain proper tune, and check it’s emissions on a constant basis. If a sensor is bad, it cannot do it’s job. And, it will set a DTC, and turn the CEL on. If the CEL is on, NO EMISSIONS STATION WILL PASS THE CAR. If you reset the CEL, the car will require a certain time to re-check the emissions under different conditions. Until all conditions are checked, the monitors will not set themselves ‘emissions-ready’, and IT WILL NOT PASS EMISSIONS CHECKS. With the bad sensor, THE MONITOR WILL EITHER BE ‘NOT-READY’, OR ‘NOT-PASSED’ because it cannot confirm the emissions are clean.
It’s your choice, but you will not get a sticker until this problem is resolved. Just get the car fixed. Or sell it, and buy a bicycle. THERE IS NO WAY AROUND IT. THIS IS THE LAW!
There must have been problems with the monitors not being completed on ALL the Mitsubishis for the maker to develop “New OBD-II Drive Cycle Patterns”, TSB-04-13-012 dated December 2004.
It seems that after the battery has been disconnected, or the codes erased with a scanner, that you can’t just drive and drive and the monitors will, eventually complete; but, rather, a specific pattern of driving needs to be performed in a rather specific way. See the TSB-04-13-12 for that specific drive pattern.
I wonder how long it will be before you can buy an OBD-II spoof box that provides it’s owner with a “Pass every test every time” guarantee…Joe Sixpack just doesn’t have the time or money for this nonsense…
Of course, as everyone knows, just because there’s no conspiracy it doesn’t mean that everyone isn’t out to get you. (I don’t know the text symbol for putting my tongue in my cheek or I’d use it now).
LOL, yeah that pesky guvment always trying to jack with us. It’s not about clean air to breath, it’s a conspiracy to make you spend money…
We do occasionally get people who come in and want a cheap shortcut. “There’s no need for a new master cylinder, just reseal this one!” or “I don’t need a new tire, just fix this one”. I don’t play that game, and I send them down the road to someone who will reseal a rust pitted, oval bored master cylinder.
And just like what happened to OK4450, they’ll claim you’re part of the conspiracy on their way out the door.
People, you’re not an island out on the road. Your refusal to fix your car affects us all through unsafe vehicles and unclean air.
(Stepping off the soapbox).
I guess all the answers so far are to FIX the damn sensor - nothing “creative” yet.
Here’s a creative solution for you.
Since you obviously don’t trust your mechanic…I suggest you get a book or take a class and buy some tools and diagnose the problem yourself. Get the manufacturer service manual. It will have step by step directions on how to test each sensor so you can tell if it’s the sensor or actually a fault. Like it or not if your car doesn’t pass emissions you can’t drive it (rightfully so).
Nomatter. He’s not gonna fix it anyway.
It appears that there are enough paranoid people out there to keep conspiracy theories rolling no matter if it’s aliens at Roswell, grassy knolls, BIG OIL confiscating 100 MPG carburetors, or forcing people into repairing their vehicles at money-milking operations.
Hey, of course there are space aliens. There are hundreds of millions of stars in a galaxie, each one a solar system. There are hundreds of trillions of galaxies. Mostof them are billions of years older than us. The same laws of physics that formed us apply to every galaxy and every star and every planet out there. The universe must be teeming with intelligent life. Too bad there’s none here on earth.
Perhaps there really are aliens at Roswell.
Today, making a CEL stay off can run into four figures no trouble at all. This in a car that is running perfectly! I’m sorry my entire EGR system needs to be replaced and the manifold removed and cleaned ($1165) BUT MY CAR RUNS FINE WITHOUT IT and every diesel car and truck on the road spews out more NOx, legally, than my car does with it’s dead EGR system. “Equal protection under the law”. If they can spew out unregulated NOx so can I…Screw emissions testing…$1165.00 buys a lot of groceries. If '96 and older cars don’t need to be tested, mine does not need to be tested either. When you can PROVE my cars emissions makes ANY DIFFERENCE in over-all air quality, talk to me…