Emissions Inspection via OBDII Connector

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paulo57509

paulo57509

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I just read in the newspaper that CA is thinking of going to emissions inspections via the OBDII connector on '96 and newer vehicles.

Any issues with you folks that live in states that already use this form of inspection?
 
kinda funny, around here they excuse any car 1995 or older - the ones most likely to be out of tune, have a problem, and pollute. for me its a huge inconvenience, as I have 8 different cars that I rotate in and out of storage depending on the season - and I have most of them stored out of state. if I miss an inspection, no plate renewal. but actually problems with the scan process, no.
 
Originally Posted By: paulo57509
I just read in the newspaper that CA is thinking of going to emissions inspections via the OBDII connector on '96 and newer vehicles.
They already do on OBD-II cars.
 
Originally Posted By: nthach
They already do on OBD-II cars.


Not on all of them, apparently. I just got our 99 Suburban smogged and the used the tailpipe sniffer (I'm sure they also checked the readiness codes). No dyno test here in SLO county though.
 
Can always buy a code scanner that has emissions functions check. My Innova 3130 has that function...red, yellow, green light to let you know if anything is a potential problem.





Not that I really care, don't do emissions testing down here...:D
 
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Had a stuck open thermostat block my getting inspected once. (no CEL, just I/M monitors incomplete.) This was on a car coming out of storage so I had no current sticker to legally drive around on. The state law is so poorly written they do not give you an "out" to legally drive around for a few days to reset the I/M monitors once you fix things... if you've gone beyond your sticker expiration.

The law was written for one county which had a certain overage of "bad air days" in the 80s/90s to satisfy an EPA mandate and keep federal highway funds. It's possible in the few years taken to see if "it worked" some coincidental change in something upwind cleaned things up. Yet we can't touch our emissions testing law AT ALL without undergoing all sorts of feasibility studies etc to satisfy EPA... which we're too broke to do.
 
NYTimes article said that garages were hooking up the state test equipment to a "test pass simulator machine". Wow, does somebody make and sell test pass simulator machine to repair shops? Is Snap-On supplier for these simulator? Reputable shops only purchase from Snap-On :-_

- Vikas
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
NYTimes article said that garages were hooking up the state test equipment to a "test pass simulator machine". Wow, does somebody make and sell test pass simulator machine to repair shops? Is Snap-On supplier for these simulator? Reputable shops only purchase from Snap-On :-_

- Vikas


I always pictured (for someone's hot rod) a "fake" OBDII connector available that hid under the dash and ran on +12v key on. There are certainly modules that fake the computer into thinking via the rear o2 signal that the cats are still there...

Mixed feelings on cali getting rid of the sniffer/treadmill on a number of shops, meaning the ones remaining will specialize in 1995 and prior. IDK if that concentrating effect will lead to greater or lesser competence and honesty...
 
Originally Posted By: BlownF150
Can always buy a code scanner that has emissions functions check. My Innova 3130 has that function...red, yellow, green light to let you know if anything is a potential problem.





Not that I really care, don't do emissions testing down here...:D

2004 and newer Hondas have a cool little easter egg in them - turn the key to ON but don't start the engine - KOEO. Wait 20 seconds or so and watch the CEL. If it goes out, readiness codes have been set. If the CEL blinks 5 times and it does not turn back on with the engine running, that means readiness codes are not set and it's probably a good time to take the car for a stroll to run at least 1 of the monitors.
 
Originally Posted By: nthach
Originally Posted By: BlownF150
Can always buy a code scanner that has emissions functions check. My Innova 3130 has that function...red, yellow, green light to let you know if anything is a potential problem.





Not that I really care, don't do emissions testing down here...:D

2004 and newer Hondas have a cool little easter egg in them - turn the key to ON but don't start the engine - KOEO. Wait 20 seconds or so and watch the CEL. If it goes out, readiness codes have been set. If the CEL blinks 5 times and it does not turn back on with the engine running, that means readiness codes are not set and it's probably a good time to take the car for a stroll to run at least 1 of the monitors.


That is cool. Saw an infomercial for something called CarMD that reads codes (but doesn't erase them) and does the LED red yellow green thing. They were going on and on about how you can check used cars out with this.

1) dealer could have put a new battery in or let the old one run dead
2) doesn't check the undercarriage (DUH!)
3) many states you need a fresh smog/inspection anyway, or the car is guaranteed to pass within a few days.
 
Come on Eljifino,

The law here works just fine in MAine. No need for stupid dyno testing, or the old static whiffer test. I left that non-sense back in MA which was a total PITA.

Plus you can clear codes by disconnecting the battery and turning the ignition to on for 30 seconds for many cars.

The port to check the functionality of the emissions should be the Fed std. On most cars you can do the key dance and get the codes anyway, no need even for a scanner:)
 
My father (lives in an Enhanced Test County = dyno test) took his vehicle to the test station in the neighborhood.

They just put the sniffer in the tailpipe, ran the tests (static - which it passed) and gave him the certificate.

My father holds a current emissions test license and thought this was highly irregular that the shop didn't even have a dyno to run a vehicle on.
 
Maryland has been doing obd check only for 1996+ cars for years....1995 and older get the tailpipe sniff/treadmill.


Seems like a total waste of money{on 1996+ cars} to drive in only to tell you what you already know if your "check engine' light is not illuminated.
 
Originally Posted By: paulo57509
My father (lives in an Enhanced Test County = dyno test) took his vehicle to the test station in the neighborhood.

They just put the sniffer in the tailpipe, ran the tests (static - which it passed) and gave him the certificate.

My father holds a current emissions test license and thought this was highly irregular that the shop didn't even have a dyno to run a vehicle on.


what kind of vehicle is it? AWD vehicles are exempt from the dyno test until CA makes every smog shop buy an AWD dyno.
 
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