I have an 01 Jaguar xk8 that I am having problems trying to pass California Emissions. All monitors are ready except the catalyst. A smog shop I went to told me keep driving the car and it will eventually set. Although, I have driven the car over 850 miles (mixture of freeway and stop/ go traffic) now and it still has not completed the catalyst. I am starting to believe there may be an issue. The car has no check engine light or stored codes, other than p1000 which I was told is a jaguar only code meaning the drive cycle is not complete. Where should I look next?

Thank you in advance.

 

Are you able to see what the O2 sensors are seeing with some kind of an OBD 20$ reader?

When was the last time, if ever, you reset everything,,, "cleared" the (non existent) codes?

Was the 850miles continuous-ish. Like one day of a looong drive, or were there days in between?

I hate to say this, but this is what I would do. Reset all the emissions testing stuff, a full tank of high octane, and drive MORE. But that's just me.

I'm sure folks are going to chime in and provide a very complicated drive cycle exercise that I personally can't even imagine performing (maybe because I live in NYC where that kind of thing is near impossible) in real life.

I know the frustration. Best of luck.
Also, go into the Hood. At least here in NYC, you can often find a way to weasel a sticker, if ya talk to the right guy. Sometimes ONE readiness can be incomplete (at least here) and the tester can bypass a single check.

Just throwing things out there at ya!

 

If it is just the catalyst monitor, then maybe you only need do this one portion of the drive cycle.

4. CATALYST EFFICIENCY MONITOR DRIVE CYCLE
1. Start engine and bring to normal operating temperature > 82 °C (180 °F).
2. Drive vehicle steadily between 1700 – 2500 rpm for 5 minutes.

But like Jay alluded, I think the drive cycle thing was really designed to be done on a dyno/rolling road as sort of the last step at the factory where there's no chance of being interrupted. You may have to head out of town and find a long stretch of country highway. Maybe go real early on a Sunday morning or middle of the night if you can stay awake, because if some farm truck pulls out in front of you at 4 minutes and 50 seconds and you lift off the gas, you gotta start over. Hope that works for you and there's nothing actually broke.

 

Heading out to the local rural roads very early in the morning to perform the specific drive cycles is indeed what allowed me to complete the emissions monitor resets several times back in late 2020 / early 2021. Once I memorized each specific procedure required for the specific monitor I was attempting to clear, I was able to completely reset all monitors in less than 30 miles of driving and idling. Having essentially empty roads ahead of me was the key....

 

+1

The monitoring will complete EVENTUALLY with normal driving BUT it can take a LOT of miles. As Jon says, following the 'drive cycle' procedure allows each one to be completed in minimum time and miles.

Graham

 

I love what you say, but I have done this 19 times and can't get it to clear. Is there anything about the end of the 5 minutes? Like should I coast to a stop, then let it Idle for 3 minutes, 11 minutes? Should I drive all in gear like 3rd to keep the RPMs constant? Does putting a brake on in the middle of the 5 minutes cause a failure? Can I use cruise control for the steady speed?

 

Are you able to read out the short and long term fuel trims? STFT /LTFT are a good indication if your assumption regarding a problem with air fuel adaptation is correct.

Fritz

 

Is this a response to my question about the end steps of the Cat Drive Cycle? If so, I have no ability to make these read outs.

 

Sorry, i didnt realize that you refered to an older thread.
Fritz

 

I would do a hard reset. This is coming up for me as well...

Hard hard reset. Like no battery in the car, clip the two battery leads together and leave it for a year. Key in the ON position. Charge battery in the mean time.

Turn key to off position, pop the battery in POS term first (I think that's right), start the car, let it warm up some, then go for a good long drive with highways miles involved. Then, try the drive cycle craziness or keep driving it WITH AN OBD connected to the car and phone. Watch your trims and other things settle in and hope for the best. Lots of regular driving with highways whenever possible.

I've gotten a mechanic that would put a sticker on a go cart if I asked him. He basically knows the challenges I face with my cars, NYC, rules and regs. It's a less than fancy shop in a less than fancy area of the island .

Good luck, to you and me both 😂

 

My Jag is a 99 XK8, 8 cyl, 4 L. I am trying to find the correct drive cycle for the Cat Converter to clear it. I have found conflicting ones. 1) it says to get the car to normal operating temperature, then drive at 1700-2500 rpm for 5 minutes; 2) says drive at varied speed for 3 minutes, then 30-38 mph (1100-1475 RPM) for >25 seconds; then 3) says bring the engine to normal operating temperature, then with the gear in park or neutral, hold the engine speed at 2500 RPM for 5 minutes. Then drive the vehicle with speeds exceeding 10 MPH and engine speeds exceeding 1500 RPM (assume for 3-5 minutes).

I can't tell which one is the correct one because none calls out that it covers the '99 XK8.

In mid December, the car cleared all codes, passed all smog tests, but in the final 5 minutes of the test, the fuel pump died. So I failed the CA test. After being replaced (with a ded battery as the tow truck driver left the key on overnight), everything has cleared except the Cat Converter.

I have about 10 days left of driving time before by license extension expires. What test do I go for?

Bruce
'99 Jag XK8 coupe, 4L, 8 cyl. ragtop

 

Note that for all of the EVAP system drive cycles in these cars, the gas tank must be between 75% and 30% full.

 

the fuel level doesn’t affect the Cat Drive Cyle, correct?

 

My notes from October 2020 do not mention what the level of the gas tank needs to be for that procedure to successfully complete. But I would still do that drive cycle with a 30% to 75% full gas tank....

For the Catalyst Efficiency Drive Cycle, my October 2020 notes say:
- Start engine and bring up to normal operating temperature.
- With transmission in Park or Neutral, hold the engine speed at 2,500 rpm for 5 minutes.
- Drive vehicle ensuring speed exceeds 10 mph and engine speed exceeds 1,500 rpm for 5 minutes.
- Stop and check for any temporary OBDII codes.

 

Looks like I am using the wrong drive cycle!

Thanks, I will run and run your successful test!

Bruce
99 Jag XK8 4L Coupe

 

Note that my wife's vehicle is a 2006 XK8 with the 4.2 engine. The Catalyst Efficiency Drive Cycle steps I posted from my October 2020 notes successfully cleared and reset that particular monitor on her car. I do not know if it will also work on the 4.0 cars. It is indeed worth trying, so keep us posted....

 

Here in North Carolina, a vehicle can pass our annual emissions test as long as it has no more than ONE monitor still incomplete....

Will California only pass a vehicle when ALL monitors are complete?

 

Jon89,

thanks for clarifying the age of the car. I will keep you posted on what works.

California allows 1 cycle to not be cleared. Besides the Cat code, my Evap is also not cleared. From what I hear, that one “never” clears…so I am forced to make the Cat work.

 

As long as all involved components are functioning properly, all of the monitors should eventually clear....

 

Everything was good 2 months ago and I completed the smog test, so everything should be fine component-wise. But I just did 5 Cat Drive Cycles back to back, turning off the Jag after each one, and running for 6 minutes…..

I think I will try the “varied speed for 3 minutes test” 5 times now….

Bruce Jag 99 XK8, 4L, Coupe, 8 cyl