I took my 2003 XK8 to get emissions testing today, and the fella at the testing center told me that the ECU was reset recently and so they couldn't test it (that was done about a week ago to clear an apparently faulty fuel pressure error signal).

He just told me to "drive it more" then it bring it back, but he didn't have any specific info to give me. I assume that the ECU stores info from the last X miles or X start/stop cycles, which is probably what they're looking for.

Does anyone know what I need to do to satisfy whatever it is they're looking for using the OBD scanner? Drive the car 100 miles? Start and stop the engine several dozen times? Drive it X distance Y times?

 

Did they give you a printout saying which tests had 'not ready' status?

 

No, his suggestion was to look in my owner's manual (which doesn't address this at all). I suppose a dealer should be able to tell me.

 

My son had a GMC that didn't pass the emision test here in IL. He took the car in to have a coil replaced and they reset the computer. He took it over to get it tested and he was told the same thing. After a few days on driving he took it back and passed with no problem. Sounds like the same issue.

 

Drive cycles are described in pages 4 through 8 of the attachment.

Some OBDII readers will give you the emissions status and tell you which ones you need to do.

You can also just drive for a few days, and most of the test will run anyway, like they told you.

If you want to verify first, you need to hook up an OBDII reader and see if you have a P1111 code...then you are good to go. If you have a P1000 code, it is not ready yet.

 

The last time a mechanic told me that he said about 100 miles should do it. No clue about Jags specifically though, sorry.

 

Where are you at in Ohio, that you need emissons tested? I am right in the middle of it and have never had to test my anything

 

@WhiteXKR: thanks. I suppose that I should get an OBDII scanner sometime soon, but if you and he both tell me to just drive it, I suppose I can do that

@Mish_Mish: I'm roughly 30 miles west of Cleveland. There are only a few counties within Ohio which require emissions testing.

 

Your XK is newer than mine, but I had the same issue with incomplete emissions monitors when I first bought my car. Some of the monitors, such as upstream and downstream O2 sensor monitors, have a very specific drive cycle that must be followed to complete. Other monitors, such as the O2 sensor heater, require that the engine idle at operating temperature for 3 minutes to complete, which could certainly take place in daily driving. You will need the OBD II scanner to know which monitors are incomplete. It helps to have an open stretch of road and a passenger who can keep track of elapsed time, speed, traffic etc..