2009 Camry wont pass readiness monitors

B

bowlofturtle

Joined
Jun 25, 2009
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990
Location
Chicago
Here in the wonderful state of IL, we have "emissions" testing which is simply checking to see if your emission readiness monitors are all "OK". We are allowed to have 1 incomplete. I'm not sure how other states do them or if are even done at all outside of like SMOG in CA.

My father's 2009 V6 camry has no codes set or pending. But has not 2 monitors not completed. One is for the Cat monitor and the other is the O2 sensor testing. The heated element test passed on the car.

Is there a way to force this test to start? I changed his battery like 3 months ago and he has been driving it around locally for maybe 200 miles. I took it and put 100 miles over the weekend. But its still not testing. I just need one to pass but i figure they could be related. Oddly enough the Evap one tested and passed.

I only have a very basic Autel AL619 that does basic data. All 4 oxygen sensors have voltages readings.
 
I have a basic elm 327 that i got for 5 bucks and using the toque app it shows me all of them in green and red. As far as forcing the test clearing out the codes should clear all of them out making them incomplete and as you drive they should become green or complete.
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bowlofturtle said:
Is there a way to force this test to start? I changed his battery like 3 months ago and he has been driving it around locally for maybe 200 miles. I took it and put 100 miles over the weekend. But its still not testing. I just need one to pass but i figure they could be related. Oddly enough the Evap one tested and passed.
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There's a drive cycle that has to be completed. Not sure if it varies by vehicle, but you should be able to find the correct one for the Camry. It generally involve accelerating to a specific speed, then maintaining that speed, then doing it again.
 
brages said:
How many highway miles are you doing? I think it needs a long drive or two to get the cat up to temp.
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I had to change the Cobalt's battery 2 years ago and thought I'd driven it enough to have everything ready but I went to the test station and got hit with 2 "not ready" indications so I couldn't pass. The tester asked if I'd disconnected the battery recently and when I said that I did, he suggested driving it for a few more days and come back. I was not able to come back in a few days so I took the car for a 60-mile drive, suburban and rural to get variations in speed and driving, went back, and one of the two failed systems showed ready so he was able to pass me with one "not ready"

Some cars have a sequence of things one needs to do to clear the "not ready" indicators if you want to get the car ready for testing in a hurry, so it may be worth firing up Google to see if you can find one for your car.

And I'm not going to comment on the irony of having to drive 60 aimless miles to come back and have my car tell the state that I'm not overly-polluting...
 
There might be something in your dad's lifestyle that interferes. First thing I can think of is a cold start that then shuts off then gets a warm restart... like going to the end of the driveway for the mail.

I had an earlier year 02 camry that had documented a "too strict" cat monitor; one could get it reflashed to be more lenient. I suspect with the car getting up in miles, it's in the never-neverland where it can't decide if it passes or fails.

I'd arrange an overnight cold start with 5/8 of a tank of gas (needed for EVAP, not needed for cat, but you never know) then take it out and hammer it, on the highway, up hills, staying in 3rd until highway speeds, etc etc. The actual test runs at around 45-50 mph under light throttle but all the hammering will get the cat up to a nice temperature.
 
Hirev said:
It may need to get on highway for a bit. If just driving around city streets may not be enough.
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Hm... my father rarely goes on the highway, almost all city driving. So maybe i'll take it out this weekend.
Trav said:
Keeping the fuel level between 1/4 and 3/4 is one of the usual requirements for getting the evap test to run. This may be helpful..

https://smogcheckvacaville.com/toyota-drive-cycle-obdii-readiness-monitors/
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Fuel is almost always around 1/2 tank.

From that link, i think i need to hold it steady at 25mph and 40-70mph.
 
The evap monitors are rarely set as ready on most cars. That is why the will pass with one not ready was instituted. I'm hearing about big problems in CA as they are going to require all monitors ready.
 
Update... After 200 miles over the weekend. All monitors are completed and Emission has been passed. Hopefully i dont run into this issue 2 years from now.

Took his car friday and drove it to work 25 miles each way. Woke up early saturday and makea nice long 50 mile down the highway. Got some breakfast and came back. Notice the gas tank was getting close to 1/4. Scanned the car while at the gas station and it passed. Drove straight to emission place. ;)
 
bowlofturtle said:
Update... After 200 miles over the weekend. All monitors are completed and Emission has been passed. Hopefully i dont run into this issue 2 years from now.
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Use top-tier gas and keep the maintenance up. Check for common issues with that model year so you know what to look out for in advance.
 
Had the same problem when we want to sell a V6 Camry with a worn out cat. It would be "ready" and pass smog if we keep driving it and go straight to smog test right after it pass, but the CEL would come back on after driving only local for a week or so.

Sold it right after it passes to a guy with full disclosure. It was a price just above the air quality district crush value so even after he use it for a year and just crush it he would have gotten a decent deal out of it. Win win.
 
PandaBear said:
Had the same problem when we want to sell a V6 Camry with a worn out cat. It would be "ready" and pass smog if we keep driving it and go straight to smog test right after it pass, but the CEL would come back on after driving only local for a week or so.

Sold it right after it passes to a guy with full disclosure. It was a price just above the air quality district crush value so even after he use it for a year and just crush it he would have gotten a decent deal out of it. Win win.
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Honestly this was my biggest fear, when i saw both not ready. I was thinking best case i need 1 or more oxygen sensors. Worst case i need cats and sensors. Which normally isn't too hard to do but in the rust belt you need the red wrench every time.
 
bowlofturtle said:
Here in the wonderful state of IL, we have "emissions" testing which is simply checking to see if your emission readiness monitors are all "OK". We are allowed to have 1 incomplete. I'm not sure how other states do them or if are even done at all outside of like SMOG in CA.

My father's 2009 V6 camry has no codes set or pending. But has not 2 monitors not completed. One is for the Cat monitor and the other is the O2 sensor testing. The heated element test passed on the car.

Is there a way to force this test to start? I changed his battery like 3 months ago and he has been driving it around locally for maybe 200 miles. I took it and put 100 miles over the weekend. But its still not testing. I just need one to pass but i figure they could be related. Oddly enough the Evap one tested and passed.

I only have a very basic Autel AL619 that does basic data. All 4 oxygen sensors have voltages readings.
Click to expand...
I can hopefully help as I was a certified emissions inspector in Colorado. Some vehicles have really specific and picky emissions sensor reset tests. I found this out when a person came in with their Ford Escape the day before Thanksgiving. I found the reset procedure and it looked like you would need a test lab as it was very specific. Another similar year Honda Accord literally said drive 200 miles to reset.
 
bowlofturtle said:
Here in the wonderful state of IL, we have "emissions" testing which is simply checking to see if your emission readiness monitors are all "OK". We are allowed to have 1 incomplete. I'm not sure how other states do them or if are even done at all outside of like SMOG in CA.

My father's 2009 V6 camry has no codes set or pending. But has not 2 monitors not completed. One is for the Cat monitor and the other is the O2 sensor testing. The heated element test passed on the car.

Is there a way to force this test to start? I changed his battery like 3 months ago and he has been driving it around locally for maybe 200 miles. I took it and put 100 miles over the weekend. But its still not testing. I just need one to pass but i figure they could be related. Oddly enough the Evap one tested and passed.

I only have a very basic Autel AL619 that does basic data. All 4 oxygen sensors have voltages readings.
Click to expand...
this entire post is like a weird mashup of my current situation.

I just bought a 2009 Camry (all it's monitors are ready), but my daily driver MB C400 won't get all the monitors ready no matter how many miles I drive.
 
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