I took my 1999 S70 to the Connecticut Emissions Testing center for the bi-annual inspection, and it failed due to OBD readiness monitors failures.

The following readiness monitors came up as "Not Ready" to be read:
Catalyst
Evaporative System
Oxygen Sensor

The guy asked if I had disconnected the battery lately. I told him I had, about 1500 miles previous. He said that should have been plenty of time for the sensors to reset themselves, but maybe it just needed to be driven more. I drove for another 2500 miles and brought it to another testing center and got the exact same result.

The car is a 1999 S-70 with the 2.4L non-turbo engine. I had the ECU replaced and programmed by a Volvo dealership around 155,000 miles. The car presently has 213,000 miles and seems to run fine. When I hook my OBD2 reader up it says all systems normal and all sensors ready to read.

The techs/mechanics at both Emissions Testing facilities (in CT they are regular garages/mechanics, not special state-run facilities) had no idea what would cause this. They also said (not surprisingly), "it's a Volvo. I can't do anything with it. You need to take it to a dealer."

Anybody have any ideas before I break down and bring her to a dealership?

Thanks!

 

Most OBD2 readers will also tell you if the readiness monitors are clear or not. Ck the manual for your reader. If your's says they're clear but others don't, then maybe try another test station? Sorry, that's all i got..

 

There are know issues with the '98 S70's not meeting emissions obd2 READY output. The problem is so bad that several states have the '98 car exempt from the test. Most are on the east coast so you should Google or call a dealer to check. The '99 may also be included. You may also want to Google "Volvo S70 drive cycle".

 

Thanks! My OBD sensor reads all clear. I reset the ECU this weekend, so I'll drive it for a 1000 miles or so and check again. I'll also see if the car is exempt because of the problems, although this has never been a problem in the past (and it has passed emissions since the new ECU was installed).

 

I ended up calling the State of Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles to see if there was an exemption.

The guy I spoke to said this is a known issue with 1998 & 1999 S70s but there is no exemption.

I asked what my options were? He called up the emissions record for the car (I didn't know they kept them all!) and the results of the two emissions tests the car just failed.

He said my problem was that the engine wasn't hot enough. The engine must be at least 190 degrees for the test, and the first time the car went through the engine temp was 163, and the second time it was 118 (not surprising since I only had to drive a mile to the testing station).

I ended up letting the car idle for 30 minutes and had it restested, and it passed with no problems!

 

Nice, thanks for the update. Is your thermostat good? These cars warm up pretty fast.