Don,

Does the old IDS/WDS software have the ability to clear these monitors without doing these crazy drive cycles? While I have managed to clear a couple of the oxygen sensor monitors by following the various drive cycles as described, I have been unable to get the evaporative system monitor to clear thus far. To wit, driving steady between 40 mph and 60 mph for at least 10 minutes, then gently coasting the car to a stop and idling for 2 minutes is fricking impossible around here. I will get plowed from behind if I try that on any of our local highways....

 

To my knowledge, these tests have to pass on their own, there is no override. Have you checked your fuel tank level? It has to be between some and too much. Keep it between 1/4 and 3/4...

 

I am aware of the fuel tank level requirement. It is currently one tick mark under half a tank on the fuel gauge....

 

No, I don't think you can do this in IDS, but do you need the EVAP monitor cleared in NC? If that's the only one left, I think you are okay for NC inspection.

You may want to ask your mechanic, but (slide 35)

http://jim.viehmann.people.cpcc.edu/...esentation.pdf

Note: finally found it in the DMV documents, 1 'not ready' is okay (a ways down in the doc under monitors)

https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/a...ts-information

 

Dale,

I was aware that NC inspections will pass with just one monitor needing to be cleared. Unfortunately, the car now has 3 monitors that need to be cleared. I think the toughest one will continue to be the evaporative system monitor. I tried to do it on Highway 50 North heading to Creedmoor this morning, but not enough stretch of highway before I hit the Creedmoor town limits (25 mph speed limit and the local cops will nail you in a heartbeat). It needs to be a steady 40 mph to 60 mph for at least 10 minutes but I ran out of road in about 8 minutes. Once I hit the town limits I knew I was short but I went ahead and coasted into a bank parking lot. And coasted. And coasted. And coasted. And coasted. I coasted around that bank parking lot at least 20 times but the car never did come to a full stop on its own. I finally just said screw it and hit the brakes. Good thing that bank branch was closed due to Covid-19 or they would have called the cops on me thinking I was casing the joint....

I may try I-85 South towards Hillsborough but as I stated earlier, I am concerned about getting run over from behind. Most folks typically run 75 mph to 80 mph there (including me)....

U.S. 1 South towards Sanford usually carries far less traffic so that may be a better option. But the beginning of that route is at least 25 miles from our house so I have to get there first....

 

Another option, if you get to US1 via the triangle expressway, though you pay the toll, there are few people on it outside of rush hour. Should be no problem to go 50 in the right hand lane until it runs out.

Unlike I-85, where you will almost certainly die...

 

Dale,

Another possible route may be US 15-501 North heading towards Roxboro. Once I get past the North Durham stoplights, that road becomes rural for a good 20 miles or so. At least that is the way I remember it. I have not been up that way in quite a few years. Have you driven it lately? If so, is it still rural with no stoplights until you reach Roxboro?

 

Two weekends ago. Still a fair stretch without lights past Rougemont with four lanes, but a fair amount of traffic, depending on time of day.

 

Thanks for the feedback. That route is considerably closer to me than US 1 South towards Sanford so I may indeed give it a try. Plus, I always enjoy the rolling hills and farmland in that general terrain....

 

Update:

My rural route 501 North drive this morning indeed did the trick on clearing the EVAP system monitor. I had not been up that way in years and was not aware of a couple of new stoplights out past the horse farms - those stoplights were not there 25 years ago when we were lure-coursing our two Greyhounds on the grounds of one of those horse farms. I was very fortunate this morning and caught both of those stoplights while they were still green....

I figured that the rolling hills in that area would allow me to coast the vehicle to a stop if I utilized a long uphill stretch of road. That is exactly what I did and the car coasted to a full stop (as required) after a quarter-mile or so. Traffic was light so the vehicles behind me were able to pass me in the left lane as I coasted in the right lane and finally wound up sitting at the end of a residential driveway. I sat there and idled for a full two minutes (as required) expecting the homeowner to hustle outside and confront me. They never did. So after exactly two minutes of idling, I checked my OBDII scanner and sure enough the EVAP system monitor had finally cleared....

I still need to clear an Oxygen sensor monitor but do not know if it is upstream or downstream, so I will perform both drive cycles. These drive cycles are very different from one another - the upstream procedure requires me to sit idling for 11 minutes after coming to a coasted stop. That will prove to be quite a challenge on a busy highway. The downstream procedure requires another ten-minute drive between 30 mph and 60 mph and then a coast for thirty seconds without having to come to a stop so it will be somewhat easier (and safer) to accomplish....

I also still need to clear the Exhaust Gas Recirculation monitor. That one appears to be the easiest drive cycle to complete....

 

Excellent...

 

In order to clear the remaining monitors that are still in pending status, the applicable drive cycles require that I bring the engine up to 2,500 rpm in 3rd gear and again at between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm in 3rd gear and then "drive at a steady speed and coast to a stop within 30 seconds"....

In nearly 9 years of ownership, we have never utilized the J-Gate feature in this vehicle. What is the process for using the J-Gate to obtain the required engine rpm range for the required period of time without causing any damage to the ZF 6HP26 transmission? There is absolutely no description of how to properly use the J-Gate in our owners manual....

 

Tis my understanding that the j-gate setting will be roundly ignored by the car if it thinks you have done something that is ‘less than optimal’ (I.e. put the j-gate in 2 when going 100 mph).

So, put it in whatever gear you’d like without fear.

 

Thanks Dale. I have essentially come to the same conclusion....

 

Update:

I took the car out again this morning with the goal of clearing the EGR monitor. A relatively easy task compared to what I had to do yesterday in order to clear the EVAP system monitor....

As required, I brought the engine up to normal operating temperature, drove the car in 3rd gear (using the J-Gate) at 2,500 rpm, maintained a steady speed for 1 minute, then lifted my foot completely off the accelerator pedal and coasted for a minimum of 10 seconds. That specific drive cycle is supposed to clear the EGR monitor....

Not only did it NOT clear the EGR monitor, but now the EVAP system monitor I cleared yesterday is showing "incomplete" again....

Don, if you are out there today, why is this happening? If anyone else has any ideas, please chime in here as well....


Also, please remove "RESOLVED" from my thread title. While the specific cause of the initial issue (a broken ground wire to the canister close valve) was found and repaired, the overall issue is far from resolved due to these ridiculous monitors refusing to clear....

 

Hi Jon,

Sorry to hear your update!

Have you scanned again for codes? What are your fuel trims like at idle, 1,500 rpm, and 2,500 rpm? If the trims suggest lean running, I would suggest a thorough inspection of your intake, crankcase breathing and EGR plumbing with a smoke machine.

Also, if you can see oil seeping anywhere, such as around your VVT solenoid gaskets or oil filler cap, air can be sucked in at those points.

Don

 

With 3 on the J-gate selected, the transmission is limited to no gear higher than 3rd. I think the transmission will still shift 1-2-3 from a stop, but it won't shift past 3rd.

 

Don,

I have scanned / cleared the OBDII codes multiple times today. The only code that continues to show is the one expected, which is P1000. I know I will not get the beloved P1111 code until all the monitors have finally cleared....

No oil seepage at all at the VVT O-ring seals. They are relatively new (and at least the third pair I have installed on this car since we purchased it in February 2012)....

No oil seepage at the oil filler cap....

I have the Mina Gallery aluminum air intake kit, much better than the OEM black plastic air intake that fails at the accordion section....

I have not checked the fuel trims. Not sure that either my generic Harbor Freight scanner or my flaky iCarsoft i930 will do that. Any advice on how to do so?

Thanks....

 

If either of your scanners has a Live Data option, under engine parameters you are looking for Short Term Fuel Trim (STFT) and Long Term Fuel Trim (LTFT) for each bank.

Positive numbers, such as +10, indicate the ECM is adding fuel (by lengthening the injector pulses/increasing the injector duty cycle) to try to maintain the desired air-fuel ratio (AFR). Negative numbers, such as -10, indicate the ECM is subtracting fuel. High positive numbers (lean running) are often caused by unmetered air entering the system after the MAFS, typically somewhere between the MAFS and the intake manifold, or in the crankcase breathing system or EGR system.

High negative numbers (rich running) are caused by an obstructed air filter, leaking fuel injector(s) or EVAP purge valve, excessive fuel pressure, dirty throttle body, clogged crankcase breating system, etc. Since the ECM determines fuel trims based on various sensor signals, especially the MAFS and O2S, it is worth studying the signals from those sensors to confirm that the Bank 1 and Bank 2 upstream sensors' behavior is similar, and the downstream sensors' behavior is similar.

Fuel trims in excess of +25 or -25 with trigger lean or rich diagnostic trouble codes (P0171, P0172, P0174, P0175), so I'll be surprised if your trims are that high.

At idle, the MAFS will read about 0.01 pound-per-second, or 4 to 5 grams/second. As you press the accelerator pedal, the signal should climb smoothly. You may see readings like 0.06 lb/sec or 30 g/sec at medium rpm.

Let us know what you see.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks Don. I will take a look at my iCarsoft i930 in an effort to see if it has the capability to read the fuel trims. As I said, it has always been flaky. Sometimes it will connect with and read the various modules on the car and sometimes it refuses to do so. I have had it since February 2016 and it has been flaky from day one. The box it came in states that it can read live data streams but I have never attempted to utilize that feature....

My $39 generic scanner from Harbor Freight has no such capabilities....


Because no DTCs are being thrown (specifically P0171 and P0174 which I saw a few years ago when that particular pair of VVT O-ring seals was leaking), I do not suspect having any air leaks....