HELP 2013 3.7L PIU not able to pass inspection due to oxygen sensors not ready | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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HELP 2013 3.7L PIU not able to pass inspection due to oxygen sensors not ready

Nibroc99

Active Member
Joined
August 21, 2020
Messages
91
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13
City, State
Rochester, MA
Year, Model & Trim Level
'13 PIU Base
Hi folks. I bought a 2013 Police Interceptor Utility Base 3.7L back in August, and it still hasn't passed inspection. The dealer has had me take it to two different places (no cost to me other than time without a vehicle) and they haven't been able to figure out why this is happening.

It reads that the oxygen sensor and oxygen sensor heater circuits are both not ready for inspection.

The O2 sensors all look like they're brand new. They must've been changed just before he bought the vehicle from auction.

One mechanic has a Ford IDS (I think that's what it's called) and said that they tried a force-ready, but that didn't work. They've also tried doing the driving thing where you have to maintain a certain speed for a certain time etc., Also didn't work. I've put 4,000 miles on the vehicle so far since having bought it and it still won't pass inspection.

I've done a ton of work to this thing... Not technical work, but just work in terms of putting in the backseats, installing lights, brush guard, custom center console, custom aux port, couple of new speakers up front... I feel like returning the vehicle isn't an option for me.

Does anybody have advice or experience with the same problem? The next step if the mechanic that it's at can't figure it out will be needing to take it to a Ford dealer to see if they can fix it, which will be even more time without a vehicle for me but luckily still no cost to me because the dealer is paying for the service.
 



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Check for battery voltage at the sensors, sounds like it's not getting the heater circuit voltage. You may have to check all the wires because for some reason some manufacturers made all the wires the same color.
 






Check for battery voltage at the sensors, sounds like it's not getting the heater circuit voltage. You may have to check all the wires because for some reason some manufacturers made all the wires the same color.

That is how the shop figured out that the heaters aren't getting any voltage and therefore aren't turning on.

I thought I had said that the heaters aren't turning on in my original post, but I apparently missed that point (or maybe I posted this before they figured out that the heaters aren't turning on). Any ideas of why they wouldn't be turning on? The shop said that they checked the connections and all looks good. They're swamped and haven't had much time to troubleshoot since I brought it in. Luckily the dealer is paying for all of the work being done.
 






That is how the shop figured out that the heaters aren't getting any voltage and therefore aren't turning on.

I thought I had said that the heaters aren't turning on in my original post, but I apparently missed that point (or maybe I posted this before they figured out that the heaters aren't turning on). Any ideas of why they wouldn't be turning on? The shop said that they checked the connections and all looks good. They're swamped and haven't had much time to troubleshoot since I brought it in. Luckily the dealer is paying for all of the work being done.
The computer is not getting a good ground or the computer is malfunctioning.
 






Help! O2 sensors still not readying up for inspection

Hi all, the 02 sensors and sensor heaters in my '13 PIU 3.7 as re coming back as incomplete/not ready during Massachusetts inspection. I've had it for nearly 3 months now, it's been to 4 shops, and now the dealer I bought it from wants to buy it back because he can't afford to keep throwing money at it.

All O2 sensors are OEM and have been replaced.

Force ready didn't work.

I can't get a MAC center examption.

I can get live sensor data if that helps. Any ideas, folks?
 






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Here are the sensor readouts. The engine is up to operating temp.
 






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Just to show the problem visually. O2 sensor monitoring incomplete, O2 sensor heater monitoring incomplete. I've put over 5,500 miles on the vehicle since buying it, and I've done the drive cycles over and over again.
 






Could be an exhaust leak. .. When you do the drive cycle u gotta start form cold and get the catylitic converter all the way hot like super hot like 1hr of driving without shutting the car off and try to not idle ugh well anyhow I had the same problem and when it did finally say ready it came with po420 cat below efficiency not saying that's u...voltages look good. Well when u do if u can live stream scanner coolant temp needs 2b within 11 degrees of air intake temp when starting or it won't compete u could get it going by flooring it for a second several times every once in a while going closed/open loop over and over can kickstart that proscess.That's says u have only gone 337 miles since cleared : / and 7 warm ups... U can do this with 1 drive cycle if done correctly and don't clear anything else u need 02 / maf sensor data to be stored preferably... From what I see on the data everything looks good the 02 sensors heater looks iffy...try to get cat up to 1500 degrees the sweet spot for the 02s21 is .045v u were almost there could take just a few minutes under at .045v to fully complete. U could havea weak battery if u haven't manually reset recently that's it. Car needs to stay above 13.8v always when running and 12.? When off or it will reset. Did u check for stored codes and pending? If u have perminant stored codes with no check engine omg can be nearly impossible to clear because the car has to meet those same conditions to set to make sure all clear temp speed ECT... Pending is another story. Totally normal btw with only 7 warm ups...
 






now the dealer I bought it from wants to buy it back because he can't afford to keep throwing money at it.
...if you get all or most of your money back I would consider this a really good deal...
 






...if you get all or most of your money back I would consider this a really good deal...
But I've put so much money into it. How would all of this wasted time, money, and effort be a good deal for me in the end? I'd end up having lost days of my time and nearly two thousand dollars for a car that I end up not even getting to keep. Selling the car back to the dealer I bought it from, at least in my mind, is not an option...
 






Could be an exhaust leak. .. When you do the drive cycle u gotta start form cold and get the catylitic converter all the way hot like super hot like 1hr of driving without shutting the car off and try to not idle ugh well anyhow I had the same problem and when it did finally say ready it came with po420 cat below efficiency not saying that's u...voltages look good. Well when u do if u can live stream scanner coolant temp needs 2b within 11 degrees of air intake temp when starting or it won't compete u could get it going by flooring it for a second several times every once in a while going closed/open loop over and over can kickstart that proscess.That's says u have only gone 337 miles since cleared : / and 7 warm ups... U can do this with 1 drive cycle if done correctly and don't clear anything else u need 02 / maf sensor data to be stored preferably... From what I see on the data everything looks good the 02 sensors heater looks iffy...try to get cat up to 1500 degrees the sweet spot for the 02s21 is .045v u were almost there could take just a few minutes under at .045v to fully complete. U could havea weak battery if u haven't manually reset recently that's it. Car needs to stay above 13.8v always when running and 12.? When off or it will reset. Did u check for stored codes and pending? If u have perminant stored codes with no check engine omg can be nearly impossible to clear because the car has to meet those same conditions to set to make sure all clear temp speed ECT... Pending is another story. Totally normal btw with only 7 warm ups...

To clarify, what you're seeing is the data since last time I had the battery disconnected, which was when the shop replaced the O2 sensors. Since then, I've run countless drive cycles, and obviously 7 warm ups here. But since purchasing, I've driven it almost 6,000 miles. That is PLENTY of time to ready up... Something is wrong, more than the amount of warm ups It's had. Battery is a brand new Duralast Gold, size 65 with 850 CCA's. Alternator is healthy, puts out between 13.8 and 14.8 volts (higher while driving of course). Battery is a constant 12.6-12.8 volts when vehicle is off. (I have a phone charger that has an accurate digital display voltage readout, I have checked it against a multimeter and it's accurate). I definitely floor it a lot getting onto the highway, not gonna lie haha... I like the feeling of acceleration this thing has, really plants you in your sest for a heavy SUV!
Over the course of me owning it the past 3 months, absolutely ZERO DTCs have come up. None stored or pending. I check often because of the problem. My Autel has an IM readiness checker and the only two things coming up as Incomplete/not ready are the O2 sensors and O2 sensor heaters.
I've done several 3-4 hour drives across massachusetts (and another 3-4 hours back) doing 70-95mph the whole way... Yeah, I do drive fast haha, but I've definitely given it an opportunity to get the cats extremely hot. Especially flooring it on the highway. I've also tried babying it, driving only up to 65 using cruise control for the drive cycles, very gently getting on the highway and slowly accelerating. Also did the thing where you speed up to 65, stay there for a few minutes and then you coast to a stop... That was not easy to do on public roads, but I did it at night each time with no cars around on a long straight state highway called Route 88, no cars around. But anyway, I managed to do that, and all that that seemed to accomplish was teaching me that route 88 is very quiet at night LOL. Each time I did the drive cycles, I would always start from cold. Again, trust me, I've done the drive cycles over and over again, three different shops have done the drive cycles too, two of which put the car in force-ready mode, all to no avail.
 






Going over the data again I'm seeing actually negative 02 sensor reading I didnt catch that at first.... So deff a problem 02 sensor reads oxygen levels inside AND outside the exhaust they suck up 02 around the wires from tiny pores on the outside by the wires.... Any how the greater the difference in oxygen the HIGHER voltage will be.... This indicates the air inside the exhaust is more "Oxygen rich" than on the outside....impossible....02 needs to give positive .02v to .08 not negative. Sensor bad idk how the techs didn't see that....without the negative it would be OK to pass...inspect the outside of all 02 sensor wired at the base for grease or blockage... Wiggle the wires really well the small pores on the base is blocked... They need microscopic amount of air to breathe at least...Or faulty I'm guessing deff downstream. I'm guessing u got data once hot and cold maybe either way negative is deff a problem... It would help me to know more data full shot with stft short term fuel trim...lmk if it's upstream if anything other than 0....or 1.....get all the data when got only.
 






Also forced ready mode sounds like the best way to blow a pcm yet.... No such thing unless they hooked it up to a tuner to make it say please no codes basically or when something comes up No error reported. If they did that it will never ever EVER read ready. Only they can tell the computer to not mil indicator when throwing a code.... It wont even come up.. If they did force it like that take it back and say take off the force ready.... It's just continuously test mode...big nightmare out here in California I've heard of endless ways to pass smog force ready isn't a thing...or anywhere
 






I can get live sensor data if that helps. Any ideas, folks?
U did kinda woul like to see cat temp along with 02s1 02s2 maybe with stft and if possible evap purge command data cold and hot.
 






. How would all of this wasted time, money, and effort be a good deal for me in the end? I'd end up having lost days of my time and nearly two thousand dollars for a car that I end up not even getting to keep. Selling the car back to the dealer I bought it from, at least in my mind, is not an option...
I have a 2002 crown vic police interceptor I wouldn't ever sell it so I feel your pain.

Is there any perminant codes u can read?
 






The computer is not getting a good ground or the computer is malfunctioning.
Hmmm... I'll have to check and clean the grounds around the engine bay then. The engine bay is remarkably clean and rust-free, so I have my doubts that I'll find a bad ground, but who knows haha. I'll be getting the vehicle back from the mechanic for the weekend and then bringing it back on Tuesday. I really hope that the computer isn't malfunctioning. At the very least, I don't have to pay for any of it if it means that it'll make it pass inspection. The dealer is luckily paying for the repairs so that it'll pass inspection per MA state law.

Thanks for the input!
 






Hmmm... I'll have to check and clean the grounds around the engine bay then. The engine bay is remarkably clean and rust-free, so I have my doubts that I'll find a bad ground, but who knows haha. I'll be getting the vehicle back from the mechanic for the weekend and then bringing it back on Tuesday. I really hope that the computer isn't malfunctioning. At the very least, I don't have to pay for any of it if it means that it'll make it pass inspection. The dealer is luckily paying for the repairs so that it'll pass inspection per MA state law.

Thanks for the input!
Did you ever get a resolution to this?
 






Did you ever get a resolution to this?
Hah, not yet. However, I've tried a lot more, and there are a couple things I'm still going to try. Right now I'm waiting for my appointment at ford on January 13th to have the computer reflashed to comply with california emissions. Under the hood there is a sticker that says "not for sale in states that have california emissions," and the state that the previous owner (the police department) lived in, New Hampshire, does not have california emissions standards. Massachusetts, where I live, DOES have california emissions. So we are hoping that the reflash will be the solution! I will post here if that worked or not.
 






Well that's a marvelously convoluted potential solution. I've driven MA registered vehicles most of my life so I know how prickly they are. Really odd about the CA standards.

We never did talk more about getting together to use my IDS. Could do the PCM flash in all of 5 minutes and check the other modules. Maybe see if there's other stuff happening. Just sayin
 



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Well that's a marvelously convoluted potential solution. I've driven MA registered vehicles most of my life so I know how prickly they are. Really odd about the CA standards.

We never did talk more about getting together to use my IDS. Could do the PCM flash in all of 5 minutes and check the other modules. Maybe see if there's other stuff happening. Just sayin
If you'd be willing to get together and have a peek, that would be awesome. I'll go through with the California emissions reflash at the dealer first because it won't cost me anything, but if that doesn't end up working I'd be down to meet up halfway with you - I'm in southeast MA and I see that you're somewhere in NH so I wouldn't mind driving a while (I love to drive haha) to try out the IDS and see if you find anything. I'll have to remember to get in touch with you if this doesn't end up working, but I will also be sure to post on here whether or not that CA emissions reflash ends up being the fix. :)
 






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