2012 Impala. Car didn’t pass inspection, didn’t fail either.
The check engine light is NOT on.
O2 oxygen sensor “Not Ready” for NJ inspection.
Drove the car over a hundred miles and it’s still is not ready.
Inspection station and my mechanic say keep on driving.
Is there another fix for this?
Should I bring the car to the dealer?
This new format is confusing
Why is it my post grayed out?
You have not completed a full rest drive cycle. After you follow the instructions in the attached link it should reset. If you don’t have an OBDII scanner call a chain auto parts store to confirm that they have one and that it will check for not ready conditions. They will hook it up to your car and let you know if there are any unfinished resets.
Sorry you find yourself in this unfortunate situation. The advice you are receiving to just keep driving is very common, and usually not very helpful.
Your car’s computer automatically runs various tests periodically on its emissions system. This is required by gov’t agencies involved with air pollution. When a test is run is decided by a complicated software algorithm that varies car to car, so there’s really no way for the car owner to know when the computer it is running the tests, or why. Each test varies in how long it takes to complete; some may take 5 minutes, and some may take 5 weeks or even 5 months.
So all in all you are stuck. Don’t feel alone, pretty common problem by reports here. A friend of mine drove a Corolla (same situation) from San Diego to Las Vegas after being told to “drive some more”, yet the test still didn’t complete. The solution was to take the car to the dealership and ask them to solve the problem. They’ll have the computer tools to monitor the progress of each test and prod the car to complete the one that’s balky. You’ll need to assign this problem to a shop with the equivalent computer tools for an Impala, most likely a dealership. Note: This may prove to be quite expensive.
Suggest to not fall into the common trap of replacing the O2 sensor on a hope. The code may be for the O2 sensor, but that doesn’t mean the O2 sensor is faulty.
To minimize the chance this will happen in the future, keep the battery & charging system in good condition and don’t disconnect the battery prior to taking the car in for inspection. Any low voltages on the computer may erase all the test results that otherwise have already been done and turn all the tests into the the “incomplete” state.
Following the instructions in the link above could work, worth a try anyway if you have the time. If you need this problem solved immediately, best to take the car to a dealership.
This is the GM drive cycle to reset the O2 sensor monitor.
The following is the recommended driving cycle for General Motors.
A complete driving cycle should perform diagnostics on all systems. A complete driving cycle can be done in under fifteen minutes.
To perform an OBDII Driving cycle do the following:
** Cold Start. In order to be classified as a cold start the engine coolant temperature must be below 50°C (122°F) and within 6°C (11°F) of the ambient air temperature at startup. Do not leave the key on prior to the cold start or the heated oxygen sensor diagnostic may not run.**
** Idle. The engine must be run for two and a half minutes with the air conditioner on and rear defroster on. The more electrical load you can apply the better. This will test the O2 heater, Passive Air, Purge “No Flow”, Misfire and if closed loop is achieved, Fuel Trim.**
** Accelerate. Turn off the air conditioner and all the other loads and apply half throttle until 88km/hr (55mph) is reached. During this time the Misfire, Fuel Trim, and Purge Flow diagnostics will be performed.**
** Hold Steady Speed. Hold a steady speed of 88km/hr (55mph) for 3 minutes. During this time the O2 response, air Intrusive, EGR, Purge, Misfire, and Fuel Trim diagnostics will be performed.**
** Decelerate. Let off the accelerator pedal. Do not shift, touch the brake or clutch. It is important to let the vehicle coast along gradually slowing down to 32km/hr (20 mph). During this time the EGR, Purge and Fuel Trim diagnostics will be performed.**
** Accelerate. Accelerate at 3/4 throttle until 88-96 km/hr (55-60mph). This will perform the same diagnostics as in step 3.**
** Hold Steady Speed. Hold a steady speed of 88km/hr (55mph) for five minutes. During this time, in addition to the diagnostics performed in step 4, the catalyst monitor diagnostics will be performed. If the catalyst is marginal or the battery has been disconnected, it may take 5 complete driving cycles to determine the state of the catalyst.**
** Decelerate. This will perform the same diagnostics as in step 5. Again, don’t press the clutch or brakes or shift gears**
Tester
Hopefully that will work for OP. OP, let us know if you’ve been able to decipher the GM drive-cycle description and actually accomplish it. It looks like it may be quite distracting to do as you drive and potentially unsafe, so be especially careful.
I finally remembered and got my password correct.
Kept getting a message saying they sent me instructions to reset the password.
Now I can’t find log out!
I did my best to follow the instructions.
I put over 300 miles on the car and it went right through.
The new battery the seller put in apparently reset the computer.
I got the log out
Good for you for figuring it out & doing this job yourself. Shifting the OBD II readiness monitors into the “complete” state often requires taking the car to a dealership, esp for newer cars.
The log-out procedure here is definitely not self-evident. But it sound like you’ve got that under control too.
How often? From my observation, one out of a thousand vehicle owners need assistance completing vehicle emissions readiness monitors.
BTW, newer cars are exempt from biannual emission tests in California for the first 8 years, so it is a non-issue in San Jose.
How many posts here do you see if you type “readiness monitors” into the search box above?
16,500? I didn’t count them.
There are 14 million registered vehicles in California, 2.5 million in New Jersey. If this is a common problem, there should be people seeking help every day.
During one of drives i took.
I was on the hightway late at night, not a lot of traffic. Pulled behind a truck in the right lane doing 55-60mph. Put a few car lengths between us and let the groups of cars zoom past at 70+.
At some point I was being tailgated, for no reason. Right up to my bumper. Figured he was waiting to go around me and the truck. When traffic cleared he didn’t pass me. He was riding my bumper for no reason. I couldn’t go faster with the truck lumbering along at 55.
I slowed and he finally got over in the lane next to me (on my left). They pulled up beside me. Driver and 2 passengers in the car. Scared me. Maybe they will try and run me off the road or worse. I slowed even more and got behind him.
He slowed down and pulled into the right lane. I slowed even more and got behind him again. There was no way I was gonna pass him.
But I’m doing like 30 at best on a major highway and a bunch of cars were coming up. I put the flashers on and pulled onto the shoulder and thinking if they did also, I’d gun it, but the traffic caught up with them and they were gone.
Scared me. but maybe it reset the computer finally.
Your state’s emission testing program definitely put you in a very dangerous situation. If the readiness monitors are required to be “complete”, but aren’t, complete common sense imo says your state should pay for the procedure be done by the dealership, rather than risking your safety.
Get serious , the readiness program had nothing to do with a problem on a public road. You might as well say that going for Ice Cream should be avoided.
After connecting the battery in one of my cars or truck, I use the vehicle for transportation for three days to complete the monitors. How is my safety at risk? Why should vehicle maintenance be the responsibility of the state?
According to USA Today, Ventura County (Calif) just received $4.75 M in state funds to replace aging agricultural equipment with lower emissions versions.
How is that any more dangerous than driving around with a CEL that does not effect the drivability of the vehicle??
I think that California is unique in that respect. It also didn’t answer the question. It showed that Cali is footing the bill for some emissions issues and didn’t explain why that is appropriate.