I'm in a mess that wasn't really my fault!!

[ailsagirl]

I had hardly driven my car for about two years (covid-- we were told to stay at home). In January I went in to have it smogged, I was told there wasn't enough mileage on it and they were unable to smog it. The guy said to put mileage on it as many miles as possible, then bring it back. I put as much mileage on it as possible. For a total of three times now, I've brought it back and it's still the same story-- it needs more miles. I paid my registration fee well before the deadline, but I'm at a loss as to what to do. Someone told me I wouldn't be able to drive it anymore-- not if I can't get my car smogged. So I have just begun a new job and things would be great if only I could take care of this problem.

Damn the covid.

Any ideas??

Thanks in advance.

[elleng]

1. What state?

Check @ your state 'forum.'

[unblock]

2. Sell it for 50% more than you paid for it

New-ish cars are worth a fortune right now!

[ailsagirl]

9. It's not even a newish car-- it's a 2001 Corolla

but I could never get rid of it. It's been such a trusty little car.

But I found something online that may be a solution to the problem. Stay tuned!!

[SheltieLover]

12. Don't sell it!

Great car!

[ailsagirl]

15. I know it is!! It's a little gem.

[SheltieLover]

19. 2005 civic here

Wouldn't trade it for a new anything tbh.

Turned 270,000 today and running strong!

[Scrivener7]

20. I gave my "Economy Package" 2005 Civic to my niece last year. That car was a workhorse.

Now, she's not taking care of it! It would last forever if she did! It's killing me, but it is her car now.

[SheltieLover]

21. Tell her there is a "pressure fit" black plug on the end of the head

That will blow out & kill engine. Can quiclky & replace with aluminum part with a lip on it so it can't blow out. (Billet Triple O ring cam seal.)

This part kills more engines than you can imagine! Honda's dirty little secret.

This was Honda's answer to plugging up the hole from when they used distributors.

Part is pretty easy to change (~30 min).

I hope cousin will listen. Tell her to price a replacement car!



On edit: part only costs ~$30ish (for 1.7 liter).

[Scrivener7]

22. Thank you! I have the best mechanic in the world, so I imagine he did this already, but

I will tell her to check into it.

[SheltieLover]

23. It's on outside of head behind egr valve on passenger side

But only applicable to 1.7 liter engine. 👍

[Scrivener7]

24. Thank you!

[SheltieLover]

26. Yw!

Sometimes they visibly leak, but you have to look on cylinder head because it hides & pools there. But they don't always leak before they blow.

[SheltieLover]

25. When plug blows, it's only a few seconds till all oil is gone!

Ps - engine does not last l9ng without oil!

[LisaL]

3. Why does it need more miles?

Could you take it to a different place?

[ailsagirl]

10. Wish I could, but it wouldn't make any difference

I just may have found a solution, though!!

[FSogol]

43. To make the car's computer reset. Drive it about 60-100 miles. n/t

[elleng]

4. Does the state regulate the places who test?

Sounds questionable to me.

[Woodwizard]

5. Is it throwing a code?

As far as I know unless a code reset has been done. No need to drive it. If there was a reset it takes 20-30 miles to get all the sensors back on line with the main computer. I love the days of working on my 69 mustang simple to fix but new cars are way more reliable on average.

[ailsagirl]

13. I'm embarrassed to say I have no idea! I don't even know what a code reset it.

I don't even know what a code reset is!!

On the Smog Check Vehicle Inspection Report was written the following:

Overall Test Result
NOT READY

Your vehicle failed the Smog Check inspection due to the fact that the vehicle's on-board computer system has not completed the emission system's self-checks.

So there you have it. But I may have found a solution to the problem-- fingers crossed.

Thanks!!

ailsagirl

[jcgoldie]

48. check your battery connection

If you unhook the battery then it resets and you will have to drive awhile before it can be tested. This is to keep people from wiping the error codes by unhooking the battery. If you have a loose connection or corrosion its possible that could happen unintentionally I think.

[ailsagirl]

49. I'll look into that'll

One way or another, I’ll get this resolved!!!

Thanks.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. What in the world is smogging a car?

Somehow I have never heard of that.

[Enter stage left]

7. Emissions test.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. Oh. I'd certainly heard of emissions tests, but never saw it called smogging.

Learn something new, I guess.

I will say I fail to understand why not having driven it much the past two years should matter. Surely a car can be tested regardless of mileage?

[elleng]

11. Ditto, and I agree.

[Emile]

47. I thought reading down the thread I must be the only one who didn't know. I never

heard of anyone calling it smogging. Is smogging even a word?

[SheltieLover]

14. Did battery went dead, computer will reset.

It could also be a matter of "stop start" cycles.

Requirements are kept secret to keep people from skirting repairs. Sigh...

Good luck with car & on new job!

[ailsagirl]

16. Thanks so much, guys!!

I'll get it figured out.

And as for the new job... I'm over the moon!!

[SheltieLover]

18. Congrats on new job!

[ailsagirl]

34. Thank you!! I still can't quite believe it!!

[SheltieLover]

37. Must be a great job!

[ailsagirl]

38. It is!!

It's a woman-owned company, to begin with-- the vibe is very different from what I am used to.

The commute is negligible compared to driving to SF--(15 min tops)

The money is good

And it's tutoring students mostly in reading comprehension and all that goes with it.

I did have a teaching credential at one time, but that was years ago. It seems appropriate that my last (probably) job I have come full circle.

Oh, and the people are cool-- kind and helpful. It sounds like a fairy tale, but it's real!!

Thanks, SheltieLover-- it happened so fast!!

[SheltieLover]

39. Very excited for you!

That's awesome you will be tutoring reading comp! And in such a great environment, so close to home!

When do you start?

[ailsagirl]

40. I have already

The last two weeks were training-- starting this next week I will be tutoring kids but with some assistance. Most likely it will be remote, though some students come to our office in person. I'm a little nervous but as long as mgmt is behind me, I should be OK.

Fingers crossed!

Now if only I could get my car taken care of!! DU people have given me some very useful information, so I don't feel quite so panicked.

Thanks for your kind thoughts, SheltieLover!!

[SheltieLover]

41. I'll bet you are looking forwardto working with students

And reading is SO very important.

Serial reader here ~1/day.

I'll be thinking of you!

[ailsagirl]

42. Reading is the foundation for everything!!

[SheltieLover]

17. If you have an obd scanner, it will tell you when car is ready for test

Auto parts stores will quickly scan for free to save you trip to testing facility before it's ready. 👍

[ailsagirl]

35. Never heard of an obd scanner-- I'll have to Google it

Thanks again!!

[SheltieLover]

36. There is a plug, likely under dash to plug in to scan

👍

Parts stores will usually scan free if you don't have one.

[abqtommy]

27. When my car failed its re-test I was desperate and took it to the dealer and they fixed

it up for 400 bucks. Decide if it's worth it to fix up or maybe get a different vehicle.

Your testing guys aren't being much help. They should be explaining all this stuff to
you in clear, short sentences. When I lived in California all the service stations did
smog tests and if it failed at first they'd diddle around with it (for a small fee) until it
passed. Good luck! And at Auto Zone they'll check for failure codes and recommend
corrective action.

[ailsagirl]

29. That's a great idea-- I'll try it!!

Thanks!!

[NBachers]

28. I've had the same problem with smogging in California. Repairs led to computer info being lost.

When my battery was disconnected for car repairs on my 2005 Ford, the computer lost all its info. When the smog guy plugged his meter in, there was a lot of information missing on the screen. The computer in these older cars doesn't have its own back-up battery to preserve its settings.

The smog guy told me I had to drive about 70 miles, with the speedometer between 50 and 55 miles an hour. The computer would do its job and re-build the settings.

I live in San Francisco. I got up at 4:00 AM last week and drove down to Monterey. I had to leave early, because I wanted to miss all the Silicon Valley AM rush hour traffic; sometimes it slows to a crawl in places.

I set the cruise control to 54 MPH and stayed in the slow lane all the way down. Next day, I took my car back to the smog guy. He hooked it up, and all the info was OK on his scope.

This is the second time I've had to do this. It happened again last time I needed smogging.

The upside is, I got to spend the day in beautiful Monterey; then I drove the Coast Highway, CA 1, all the way back home.

I hope you find this helpful.

[ailsagirl]

30. Very helpful!!

Many thanks

[abqtommy]

32. Yes, see my reply #31! nt

[abqtommy]

31. That's exactly what I had to do to get my car ready to finally pass the last test it had!

It was a cold, snowy day here when I first drove up to get the test and it failed. The guy
said I needed to get on the interstate and drive for at least an hour to warm it up. After
that it passed fine. Nobody else had told me that and I'm sorry I didn't mention it before.

[ailsagirl]

33. No problem!! Thanks for the post.

[intrepidity]

44. As others up thread have described

there's a reset procedure that your car's computer needs to complete before it will be ready to be smogged.

When I was facing this, I managed to Google the specific sequence of events needed for the reset --even though the smog mechanic just said "drive it for awhile" it turned out to be a bit more complicated than that. The assumption is that in the course of "driving it for awhile" you will naturally fulfil the various requirements, but it may help to know what, specifically, they are. It varies by vehicle, but for mine at the time ('98 Ford) it involved things like: driving at (x) mph for (x) mins, then decelerate (without breaking) for (x) mins, followed by various other specific sequences.

I bet you can find it if you Google your specific vehicle. Or, you can "just drive it for awhile" and hope for the best!

[ailsagirl]

45. Thanks so much!!

I’ve learned so much from everyone—much appreciated!!! 🥰

[cksmithy]

46. I was just reading this thread

this morning and asked my retired journeyman smog certified mechanic husband and he said, be sure you have enough gas in the tank. There is an evaporation rate that might affect the gas tank pressure. Also, like the other replies, there are specific miles per hour and miles that need to be driven. He also said to reset the code, it almost always required the to start the car cold and not stop for at least two miles (which is really hard to do). If you didn't it was possible your car ride might not reset the code. He also said an auto parts store definitely can use an obd scanner to let you know what's going on. He has one in our basement. Good luck!