S1aristo

hey fellas, need some help. my 01 GS300 had the dreaded P0171 & P0174 codes. I cleaned the MAF sensor and the codes went away. I thought I was good and tried to get it smogged but the tech said that the readiness indicator for the cat was showing as "not ready". I drove it around for almost 300 miles and it's still not cleared. I read about a series of steps on here to try and clear this; get the car up to operating temp, stop and then accelerate a couple of times.. but that didn't work.

does anyone know how to get that cat readiness indicator to clear? Would a new O2 sensor help? Any help would be appreciated..thanks

01 GS300 with 180k miles

SpectraBlu

iTrader: (1)

I have to play this game every year with my GS400 to pass ny inspection because I have a aftermarket valve body in my transmission. If you google Toyota drive cycle, you'll find the sequence. It's more than just accelerating and stopping. You gotta find a place where you can drive between 35 and 45 for 7min without slowing down, and a few other sequences. It's pretty annoying, but like I said if u google Toyota drive cycle you'll find what your looking for. Good luck

Mr Jokster

iTrader: (8)

Throw a large piece of cardboard over your radiator so the engine can get hot (obviously keep an eye on it and dont let it actually overheat) Yes this is not a joke, I've done this on 2 cars for the same reason.

SpectraBlu

iTrader: (1)

I'll have to try this next year, especially since it seems like the monitor for the cat is always the last one to be ready.

GSTim

iTrader: (1)

As a former california smog tech, the car would pass smog inspection with 1 incomplete monitor.

lexo98

iTrader: (2)

I had to do this on my bros Celica not too long ago. I also googled the drive cycle and got what I needed from that. There is even a point where you need to remove and reinstall the gas cap. At that time I also used an app from my phone (OBD Fusion) and I believe a blue tooth elm327 code reader. Paid about $20 for both. The app will tell you when it's ready for the smog check

S1aristo

I'll google the drive cycle and see how that goes. Might even try the cardboard route..seems like an interesting option LOL. I have a code reader already so I'm constantly checking the monitor.
GSTim - I looked at CA smog site and it says that for 00+ cars, only the evap monitor is allowed to be on. All others must be cleared.

Thanks for the input guys!!

SpectraBlu

iTrader: (1)

Lol, I forgot about the gas cap part. I'm surprised there's no up,up,down,down,left,right,left,right,b,a,start sequence

S1aristo

I googled it and didn't see anything about the gas cap part:

The catalyst drive cycle from a Toyota bulletin;
Drive Pattern Procedure
Connect the OBDII Scantool to DLC3 to check monitor status and preconditions.
Note the IAT (Intake Air) value during engine startup. The driving time must be adjusted
during step “a” based upon IAT (Intake Air) value at startup.
a. Drive the vehicle at 40 – 55 mph (64 – 88 km/h) for the time described below:
If IAT (Intake Air) was less than 50F (10C) when the engine was started,
drive for 7 minutes.
If IAT (Intake Air) was greater than 50F (10C) when the engine was started,
drive for 3 minutes.
b. Drive the vehicle at 35 – 45 mph (56 – 72 km/h) for approximately 7 minutes.

NOTE:
Drive with smooth throttle operation.
Avoid sudden acceleration.
Avoid sudden deceleration as much as possible with the throttle fully closed.
If readiness status does not switch to “complete,” ensure preconditions are met, turn the
ignition OFF, then repeat steps “a” and “b.”

link: www.thingsthatgo.ca/toyota-drive-cycle.html


Is this the correct procedure?

they really don't make this easy for the regular joe huh?! LOL

SpectraBlu

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I believe that's it. I think you also need to let the car sit for a cold soak( sit overnight) or whatever the proper term is,lol. Let it sit after u do all the other silly s*** it says to do. Depending on where you live it can be hard to find a safe place to drive steady at those speeds without slowing down. Also don't use cruise control for any of this. If I remember correctly it was easier to do this in manual shift mode, but that just might be my case cause I baby my throttle to keep the shift solenoid code from triggering the check engine light.

SpectraBlu

iTrader: (1)

Also, take the gas cap off and put it back on. I was just joking around and quoting a code from an old video game as far as the up,up,down,down stuff goes

S1aristo

Didn't see anything about the gas cap.. when in the procedure should the gas cap be taken off?
and Contra is one of my fav games as a kid... any guy who grew up in the 80s/90s and doesn't know that by heart should be shot!

lexo98

iTrader: (2)

I tried the up down up down left right and shot a fireball out of my exhaust. Haha

NoShowNoGo

I am in OR passed DEQ with CAT and EVAP unready, but O2 was ready.

SpectraBlu

iTrader: (1)

Try this, this is what I used. I'm having trouble posting a link, but the site is Totalcardiagnostics.com. They tell you what to do for each monitor. I was wondering if anyone would know what that code was from lol. That game was the s***.