Help! PCM "not ready"

[xjalltheway]

Hey guys!

I have a 1998 Explorer 5.0. I had a an exhaust leak and an O2 sensor that was bad, which in turn tripped on the check engine light. I have fixed the O2 and the leak, no biggie. After having the code cleared, i proceeded to the local gas station/shop to have the emmissions test done, but the PCM was not ready. The tech suggested driving it for a couple days since i had just cleared the code. So i did. I took it back only to find that it was still not ready. It has been several weeks and i have been driving in on a regular basis to and from work and all over town, but the PCM is STILL not ready. Is my PCM toast? Do i need a new one? Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks!

 

[budwich]

you need to find out which monitor has not completed / activated by your "driving"... that will then help determine what you have to do (in terms of driving) to get the monitor set.

 

[xjalltheway]

Well as far as driving, i have done city and highway. Basically putzing around town at low speeds as well as highway speeds (65-80) for more than 50 miles at a time.

As for the monitors, how can i go about finding that information? The inspector showed me his scan tool and all it said was "vehilce not ready".

 

[aldive]

Have you reset the PCM?

 

[xjalltheway]

Have you reset the PCM?

Alli did was clear the codes with a scanner. That's it! If that is what you mean by "resetting the PCM", then yes, i have.

 

[aldive]

No, thats not resetting the computer.

To do it you must disconnect the battery for about 30 minutes.

 

[budwich]

Some scanners show the "readiness" of the monitors. You can try the "battery reset"... it might help but there are specific "drive cycles" that you have to do when your PCM has been cleared / reset otherwise, as you have found out, its a "no go" at the test station.... basically, the PCM is holding a P1000 code until those cycles have been completed.

PS. according to the truck cd, "On-Board System Readiness function will be available on all Scan Tools".... that would appear to indicate that the capability is there / everywhere.... but not sure what that means but it seems to refer to the status of each monitor.

PPS. how are you clearing your codes... with a handscanner???? should have the function somewhere??????

 

[97ford50x]

No, thats not resetting the computer.

To do it you must disconnect the battery for about 30 minutes.

yes that is resetting the computerwhen you clear the codes it resets your pcm

 

[budwich]

anyways, he has a "not ready code" which was set from his code clearing and will be set again from "depowering".... it probably isn't going to help that but he should do it anyways which should clear his "runtime data" and it will be "relearned" since he fixed a few things... this will at least help his truck run better with the fixed "hardware". Maybe he will drive different once that happens ... and the monitors will all be set.

 

[97ford50x]

I had a saturn at my shop last month for emmision inspection had the same problem had to do the drive cycle 5 times till it reset the drive cycle is were the problem is i will look it up tommorow and let you know what it is unhooking the battery will just reset the monitors again

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

you need to use a scan tool to find out wich obdII monitor or monitors has not run yet.

a battery reset will set all the monitors to not run

once you know what monitor has not run you can find out what the proper drive cycle pattern that you need to drive is. once you complete that drive cycle the monitor will run its test. once all of them are completed you can go back for inspection.

every code that all of your vehicles computers can trip has a specific set of parameters required to test for them. some of em are just a little more dificult to get to run then others, ie the emissions drive cycles.

 

[xjalltheway]

you need to use a scan tool to find out wich obdII monitor or monitors has not run yet.

a battery reset will set all the monitors to not run

once you know what monitor has not run you can find out what the proper drive cycle pattern that you need to drive is. once you complete that drive cycle the monitor will run its test. once all of them are completed you can go back for inspection.

every code that all of your vehicles computers can trip has a specific set of parameters required to test for them. some of em are just a little more dificult to get to run then others, ie the emissions drive cycles.

I will disconnect the battery for 30 minutes like suggested. Then I am going to take it to the dealer to have them run there scanner on it to check the monitors. I am hoping they can tell me which monitors need to be run. The scan tool that i used does not supply that info. It is a cheapy "read/erase" scanner. Nothing fancy by any means. Thanks everyone for all the info/advice. I am hoping i can get to the dealer today or tomorrow. We will see what happens then.

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

if you disconnect the battery all of them will need to be run.

 

[xjalltheway]

Sooooo.....I won't disconnect the battery! I'll just hit up the dealer for the scanner.

Thanks!

 

[xjalltheway]

So the fellas at the Ford dealer are telling me that they will not be able to determine what monitors still have not been set. All they can do is scan it and if it is not ready, they will not see a code at all. Is this guy jerking my chain, or is he a moron, or what?

 

[budwich]

Well they could be telling you the truth... or maybe not..... were they offering a "free scan" or a "for fee diagnostic"? First off there is no "visible code" for the "not ready". Its true that it is a p1000 but that is not a "displayable code". The status of the monitors is a "word byte" with a binary status for each monitor. There are up to 11 monitors but not all may be used on a vehicle. If I am not mistaken, when I had my vehicle read at a autozone (free), the code reader they used is capable of telling you what the status is of your monitors.

Personnally, I have a EQUUS based reader that does provide the status.... but there are many others and I would think most "good shops" have this capability.

 

[xjalltheway]

They certainly did not offer a free scan. I am just going to go back to Auto Zone and use there scanner again and see if i can find the monitor info myself. I will try it and see what i can find. Thanks again. We will see where it goes from there.

 

[budwich]

if you look at the equus (e.g. 3100) readers, you will see that their displays show the "readiness" as little icons across the top of the screen .... not a code output.

Autozone looks like they carry actron products... some of which have the readiness display capability... hopefully the one you go to will have such a unit available for you to get a display. Good Luck.

 

[NHale623]

If you reset the codes, or disconnect the battery, you will reset the readiness monitors.

Yes, a code reader can tell you if the readiness monitors are set or not.

If you want to know how to set the readiness monitors, google "ford drive cycle".

 

[JohnJ]

One more voice chiming in that many auto parts stores and almost all repair shops can read your readiness monitors. If it comes down to it you might be able to buy a relatively inexpensive OBDII scan tool to read the monitors then resell it on eBay.

Also, assuming you're concerned about the readiness for reasons of a state inspection, find out if your state allows any not-ready flags. Here in NJ a 2001 is allowed 1 not ready, earlier years are allowed 2 but your state will probably have different rules.

If you tell us what monitors haven't flagged as ready yet it's easier to tell you what you need to do.

My general OBDII readiness drive cycle which works for most vehicles is:
1-If EVAP monitor needs to be set: Make sure fuel level is between 1/4 and 3/4 the whole time.
2-From a cold start (car sitting overnight) start engine then let idle in park with climate control off for about 2.5 minutes (or longer if I have coffee.)
3-Drive at low to moderate speeds with gentle acceleration and braking a few miles varying speed between 25MPH and 45MPH.
4-From a stop accelerate in a 'spirited' manner but not full throttle to range of about 50MPH to 55MPH and then maintain steady speed and steady throttle for a couple of minutes.
5-Reduce speed, then use light acceleration uphill from the 50MPH or slower range to the 60-65MPH range.
6-Maintain 60-65MPH for at least 2 minutes if possible, but more than 5 minutes is unnecessary.
7-If a Chrysler vehicle, come to a complete stop remaining in gear for 2 minutes, tap the throttle (with other/wrong foot firmly on brake) then wait another 2 minutes.
8-If EVAP hasn't run and needs to run: park; shut off; do not touch for 8 hours; then repeat 3 and 4.

Overall the Fords and especially the Ford truck are pretty easy and the monitors often go to ready before I even get to the stage where I am trying to get that monitor to ready.