How To Do BMW Obdii Drive Cycle For Smog Check?

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Put your foot down on the gas pedal and release it. You must not use the clutch or brake or shift. The speed must be progressively reduced to 20 mph by coasting. It might be wise to turn on your hazard warning lights right now to notify vehicles behind you to the situation. They might even high beam you while doing so. For this reason, you must be in the lane on your right.

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  • TL;DR
  • Utilize your existing OBD dongle with OBD Fusion or a comparable app if you currently have one.
  • The catalyst and O2 sensor monitors weren’t ready when I brought my E46 M3 in for a smog check because the battery had recently died. The smog check technician advised me to search for “driving cycle E46 M3” online, and that’s how I discovered this forum and the chart shared by the OP.
  • Several times, I followed the indicated cycle with varied degrees of chart conformity. Driving for 15 minutes between 40 and 60 mph was the hardest part for me. Every time I believed the drive cycle had been successfully completed, I drove the car to the smog shop to read the monitors. They kept saying that the O2 sensor monitors and cat sensor monitors weren’t finished yet. When reading the monitors during my most recent visit, the technician said that he noticed a DTC, and that the DTC might be blocking the monitors from going from ready to active.
  • I scheduled a meeting with an independent BMW repair facility to determine whether the DTC was the root of the issue. I performed further research because I wanted to attempt to solve this myself, and I came across the following thread: Catalyst is not yet ready; I need some knowledge…
  • I purchased OBD Fusion, inserted an LELink dongle in the car, and started collecting data. I could not understand why the monitors were still not ready when the O2 sensor logs appeared to be in good condition to my inexperienced eye.
  • I had three choices at this point: maintain my appointment with the BMW repair; try a new gas brand; or reset the monitoring. Resetting the monitors was my choice. When I used jfoj’s drive cycle the following morning, all of the monitors—aside from the evap systems—were ready in under 15 minutes!
  • I am looking forward to getting the car smogged and registered once again because California does not require the evap system monitor.

How is a drive cycle for smog completed?

Please follow these instructions to prepare all of your OBD2 monitors for your GM (Chevy, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Pontiac, Oldsmobile) vehicle:

  • Starting the car cold is best. When the engine coolant temperature is below 50 degrees F and the car hasn’t been driven in a few hours, it’s time to do this.
  • Idle the engine for a while. On the rear defroster and air conditioning. You’re attempting to load the system with electricity.
  • Up the speed to 55 mph.
  • 3 minutes at a constant pace of 55 mph
  • As soon as the car reaches 20 mph, release the gas pedal. Avoid using the brakes to slow down.
  • Regain your momentum until 60 mph.
  • Continually travel at 60 mph for 5 minutes.
  • Decellerate (coast to slow down).
  • If the battery was recently disconnected, you might need to go through steps 3–8 a few more times.

How can I prepare my BMW for smog?

  • Start cold in step one. During startup, the engine coolant temperature must be above 6°C/11°F of the ambient air temperature and below 50°C/122°F of the engine.
  • Second step: stand still.
  • Step 3: Quicken.
  • Step 4: Keep Your Speed Stable.
  • Step 5: Slow down.
  • Step 6: Pick up the pace again.
  • Step 7: Continue moving at a steady pace.
  • Step 8: Slow down

How is an OBD2 drive cycle performed?

20 minutes of stop-and-go driving with at least four 30-second idle breaks follows 15 minutes of continuous driving on an expressway or motorway. Without starting the engine, let the car sit for at least eight hours. After that, start the engine and finish the previous driving cycle.

What does OBD mean in a smog check?

Your car has an on-board diagnostics system if it was manufactured in 1996 or later (OBD II). This technology is meant to identify pollution issues before they become serious issues.

  • OBD warns you of issues that waste gasoline, reduce engine life, and may require costly repairs.
  • OBD alerts you when your car is spewing out too many pollutants, which contribute to unhealthy air.

A car with the check engine light on won’t pass an emissions test. You may need to drive the car under various situations for up to a week before the problem goes away if the battery has been unplugged or the fault codes have been cleared. Before a test, take any equipment that tracks your driving behaviors out of the equation, and put it back in.

How is an O2 sensor driving cycle completed?

If an OBDII scanner is not available, you can check the MIL to see if your Jeep, Dodge, or Chrysler vehicle is prepared for an emissions test (check engine light). A Star Smog will do a smog precheck using an OBDII scanner.

  • Do not start the engine; instead, set the ignition on ON.
  • The (MIL) check engine light will illuminate for 15 seconds.
  • One of two things will happen after 15 seconds.
  • The OBDII sensors are NOT READY and you must finish the drive cycle if the MIL flashes for 10 seconds before returning to being completely lighted.
  • You are prepared to proceed to the smog station if the MIL does not flash and stays illuminated completely.

Note: Although there is a repair available at a dealer, original 1996 Chrysler automobiles do not preserve OBD2 readiness after engine shutdown.

Check that your fuel level is between 50% and 85% full for Trace 1: Standard Type.

After five minutes of idle time, turn off the engine and let the car sit for ten minutes.

Can you pass a smog test with an unready catalyst?

I discovered that if all but one monitor are finished, I can still smog. Can the incomplete catalyst monitor exist? I don’t have a check engine light on.

Answer:

Depending on how old your car is, the catalyst monitor can be left unfinished and the smog inspection will still pass. The current limit for gasoline-powered vehicles is one incomplete monitor. If the check engine light was not recently activated due to a misfire detection AND you did not go through and fail a smog test as a result of it, this might be any monitor, including the catalytic converter (catalyst) monitor.

One incomplete monitor is still permitted for all gasoline-powered cars manufactured in 2000 and later, but it must be the EVAP monitor. All other monitors must be finished or ready.

Can I pass the smog test even with a defective EVAP monitor?

A car won’t pass a smog inspection if it: Gas-powered and hybrid vehicles made in 2000 and later have an incomplete system monitor for the evaporative system. Diesel-powered vehicles: 1998 to 2006 with any incomplete monitors, or 2007 and newer with more than two incomplete monitors.

How may a drive cycle be completed without driving?

Start the car and let it idle in park or neutral for two to three minutes. Turn on the headlights, heater/defroster, and rear defroster while the engine is running for a three to five minute warm-up period. Allow the idle speed to stabilize at a speed close to the norm.

Can one monitor be unready and yet pass the smog test?

On Board Diagnostics II monitors are on board computers found in the majority of automobiles built in 1996 and later (OBDII). OBDII has data that is utilized to do smog checks and assess smog test preparedness. OBDII offers 8 to 11 monitors on average, and all of these monitors need to be ready for a smog test to be conducted. Your readiness monitors may need to be reset if you have replaced your car battery or unplugged the power to your vehicle. This implies that in order to “exercise” the OBDII system and prepare the monitors, you must drive your automobile in a range of situations. The smog inspection cannot be performed if your car is not ready.

California has slightly stricter rules than the US EPA. Two monitors in cars from 1996 to 1999 may not be ready. The United States EPA permits one monitor to be in a not ready state for vehicles manufactured in 2000 and later.

Within California:

  • Fuel-Powered Vehicles
  • Gasoline vehicles from 1996 to 1999 may have one unprepared monitor.
  • All monitors, with the exception of the EVAP monitor, must be operational in gas cars manufactured in 2000 or after.
  • Diesel automobiles
  • Diesel vehicles built between 1996 and 2006 may have one monitor that is not yet ready.
  • 2007 or later These automobiles are capable of having two OBD2 monitors that are inactive.
  • Battery removed or changed. For instance, it’s possible that the information on the display has been reset if you recently jump-started your car because the battery was weak.
  • upgrades to the vehicle’s computer or the need for updates
  • an issue that the check engine light is either already reporting or will shortly report.
  • utilizing a scan tool to clean the OBDII monitors.

You must operate your car in a variety of circumstances in order to prepare it. If your battery has never had a problem and your car is in perfect working order, this will normally happen over time. However, if you want to be sure or you know you need to perform a drive cycle, adhere to these guidelines. Please be aware that specific actions must be taken to have all the monitors ready, depending on the model, manufacture, and year of the car. You can follow the basic guidelines or see below for the directions for your particular vehicle.

How long must I drive until the OBD is reset?

How many miles should I drive after resetting the check engine light for examination if I’m trying to turn off a check engine light? While there are many factors that can affect this, there is a rough distance that you need travel in the car before you can determine whether the light will go out.

Of course, various factors may affect how many miles you must travel. These may consist of:

  • The car’s overall dimensions
  • The state in which it is
  • The number of miles per gallon

Next, we’ll go through each of these so you can get a better idea of what your specific vehicle might need to turn off the check engine light. The distance you must travel to observe what is happening might be affected by all of these factors and more.

Typically, you must travel 50 to 100 miles after clearing the computer in your automobile. Hopefully, this will permanently turn off the check engine light. If it doesn’t, a more serious factor may be making this item switch on. To determine what the actual issue is, you might need to take it to a professional.

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How long does a drive cycle take to complete?

A basic drive cycle exam should take about 30 minutes to complete, with roughly 20 minutes of real driving. However, preparation for it will take eight hours. Making ensuring your car is in good general shape will help it run smoothly and endure a long time. A regular checkup will save you time and money in the long term, so pay attention to your dashboard notifications.