OBD II "not ready"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:51 pm

We moved up to NY and my old tags finally ran out so I had to register Kristen ('96 3100 SFI) in NY. The NYS emissions test is kind of weird because they don't have a tailpipe sniffer. They hook into the OBD II port and let the system self diagnose and it dumps the data to the DMV in Albany. Anyway I've put posts up in the past about my P1870 that's been coming on since I drove to CA back in 2003. I knew that would make me fail so I cleared everything out and drove about 60 miles before I took it for inspection. She failed for the computer saying she was "not ready".

I think the issue was that I wasn't in OD, just drive. If I drive in OD long enough I'll pop the P1870 on a grade or at highway speeds (65+). I toggled back and forth between drive and OD and got her to pass emissions. But I'm trying to figure out the criteria so I don't have to guess on what to do next year.

I think the 3 areas are: O2, catalyist, and EGR but I don't understand what the criteria for making the system "ready" is. The L body manual talks a little about 2 20 mile drive cycles but never mentioned overdrive vs drive. I'll need to tailor my driving so I can pass after I clear it out next year but I need ideas. Specifically I wondered if toggling from OD to drive would interrupt the drive cycle she needs to complete. Any thoughts?

Decipha · Post by **Decipha** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 6:48 pm

first of all your looking in the wrong direction!

P1870 code means a trany component is slipping

replace the tcc relay if that dont work then drop
the trany pan and check the valves for scoring
make sure all the valves are nice and tight
if any seem to be loose or have scoring on them
your going to have to get a reamer tool to make
the bore bigger, after you bore it out of course
your going to have to get a bigger valve, a
new sping, and a new sleeve. If more than 1 valve
is scorn your probably going to have to replace the
whole valve body... make sure when your done you
flush the tranny fluid, you'll need about 2 cases
pull the bottom trany line off the radiator (where the
trany fluid returns back to the trany
make sure you have a funnel ready
start the car and dump in 14-16 quarts
when your done let the trany pump a few seconds
then turn off the car and hook the line back up

make sure you get your level right before you take it
for a spin

1988GTU · Post by **1988GTU** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:40 pm

I have seen a few trans with trans codes, and the ending/fix is to have it rebuilt. Sometimes it's not the case, but from what I have experienced... Not a good sign.

If I'm right about one thing, next year your car should not need to be tested...?? It will be past ten years old! Might wanna look into that?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 11:13 am

I agree that the problem is most likely in the valve body and I could fix it with a Sonnax kit if it became a serious issue. It started at 125K on a cross country drive and has been on and off ever since. I have 164K on her now and the only thing I have to do is change the fluid more frequently (every 10-15K) because it's absorbing a lot of heat. I guess the worst case is I drop the tranny but I think that's in the distant future. From a drivability standpoint it doesn't really cause an issue.

The NYS testing procedure is more of an issue. For every vehicle '96 and newer they plug into the OBD II port and, if Albany detects a system ready and no codes, they'll issue a sitcker. As far as I know there is no waiver based on age as long as the system is OBD II. I was able to outsmart them based on my driving habits this year but it was more of a lucky/educated guess. If I knew all the parameters required to make the system go to ready after I cleared the code it would help out greatly. I'm keeping an eye out for a low mileage 4T60-E that I can pull and keep as a spare but they're tough to find in the Pick-N-Pull.

NewNann · Post by **NewNann** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 4:33 pm

This is straight from the NY DMV website, its an adobe page so be ready to wait. Go down to the last page. DMV

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:33 pm

That link was actually pretty helpful. I've never seen that DMV brochure before. It will give me something else to try next year. Nice Z-26 by the way. Same color as my '96 base...cayenne pepper metallic.

NewNann · Post by **NewNann** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:49 pm

Thanks, I definitely love this color with the metallic. Its almost like 3 different colors, depending on if its direct sunlight, cloudy day, or night. Good luck with inspection next year, like the brochure says:
"The correct drive cycle for your vehicle can vary greatly, depending on the vehicle model and the monitors that need to be reset. When a specific drive cycle is not known, or drive cycle information is not available from an owner's manual,"
So I would just go with what you have in your manual.

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