My 1998 S70 needs to get a "smog test" (I live in California) and before I could get the test done I had to have the car serviced so that the "Check engine" indicator did not light up as it has been doing. (A car with the "Check engine" light on will automatically fail the smog test, which runs close to $60 US to have performed!)

My mechanic, to my relief, was able to fix the problem and now the "Check engine" light isoff as it's supposed to be.

However, I have been advised that I can't just go to the smog test shop to have the test done first I have to drive the car about 150 miles (!) to allow the computer in the car to run a full self-test.

Besides the cost of having to drive the car for that distance (gas around here is pushing $4.80/gallon) at this time I (a teacher on summer break) really wasn't planning to do much driving until I return to work next month.

Is it true that the car has to be driven for about150 miles for the self-test to complete?

For anyone in California, in particular, is what my mechanic said about the necessity of this self-test completing before the car is "smogged" even accurate?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

Yes that is correct. Sadly sometimes it will take more than 150 miles for it to reset.
It is such a pain I have heard of some states exempting the ODBII test from the inspection.
I have seen people have to drive up to about 500 miles to reset it.

 

Or sometimes much less, it depends on the individual car.

There's a specific drive cycle that sometimes can get the car to "ready" status in less than 40 miles.
(Sorry don't have those drive cycle notes here)

 

I usually take mine for a trip to Charlotte, which is 15 miles to highway, then 55 miles on the highway, then back. Every single cel I have experienced on my vehicle would return on this particular trip. That was a neat trip trying to fix an EVAP problem that took 4 trips. lol

 

How would you know if the self-test is complete, if the light doesn't come back on (since the problem was cured)?


Woulda scanner be able to tell you that?

 

Some scanners will tell you if the readiness is complete or not.

 

ive got a parameter list somwhere whole test can be done in under a hour will post when i find it