Question about re-taking smog test

Superking · Feb 7, 2020

So I sadly failed a smog check the other day. It failed cause the check engine light turned on, and some other issue that i'm not really clear on. i went to some different smog check/repair place and they reset the engine light and told me to drive 30 miles to see if it lights up again. if it doesn't, will i be able to pass this time? the guy at the shop wasn't really clear about it.

ColdSun · Feb 7, 2020

Yes, if the light is reset, and you drive it to pass the regular initialization stuff and it doesn't turn on (nor during the test), you're fine.

Ashhong · Feb 7, 2020

Oblivion said:
So I sadly failed a smog check the other day. It failed cause the check engine light turned on, and some other issue that i'm not really clear on. i went to some different smog check/repair place and they reset the engine light and told me to drive 30 miles to see if it lights up again. if it doesn't, will i be able to pass this time? the guy at the shop wasn't really clear about it.

Did the light only turn on during the test? I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens again in that case. You didn't really provide much detail with the issue so it's impossible to give a complete answer. But yes, drive it around to see if it doesn't come back on before even attempting. No guarantee though.

Superking · Feb 7, 2020

Ashhong said:
Did the light only turn on during the test? I wouldn't be surprised if the same happens again in that case. You didn't really provide much detail with the issue so it's impossible to give a complete answer. But yes, drive it around to see if it doesn't come back on before even attempting. No guarantee though.

yeah, the light was off before i took it in, but turned on while the test was being done. to be clear though, the light has been on for weeks and there was a brief period between sunday and monday where it turned off, which is why i decided to take it in.

Ashhong · Feb 7, 2020

Oblivion said:
yeah, the light was off before i took it in, but turned on while the test was being done. to be clear though, the light has been on for weeks and there was a brief period between sunday and monday where it turned off, which is why i decided to take it in.

Are you paying money with every retest? I wouldn't be surprised if it came back on during the test. Those lights come on for a reason (most of the time). If you are paying for the retest I would find out what the issue is. You can get it scanned for free at a local parts store like AutoZone if you have one

Superking · Feb 7, 2020

Ashhong said:
Are you paying money with every retest? I wouldn't be surprised if it came back on during the test. Those lights come on for a reason (most of the time). If you are paying for the retest I would find out what the issue is. You can get it scanned for free at a local parts store like AutoZone if you have one

no, the re-test is free.

Ashhong · Feb 7, 2020

Oblivion said:
no, the re-test is free.

Go for it after 30 miles. I don't know why the original place didn't reset it for you though. If it fails again get more information. Don't just "not be clear on it". Get the OBD code or any information they can give you and google it

Superking · Feb 7, 2020

Ashhong said:
Go for it after 30 miles. I don't know why the original place didn't reset it for you though. If it fails again get more information. Don't just "not be clear on it". Get the OBD code or any information they can give you and google it

Well they did write it up on the printout, i just down know what it means. it says something like "lean bank 1".

Ashhong · Feb 7, 2020

Oblivion said:
Well they did write it up on the printout, i just down know what it means. it says something like "lean bank 1".

That's a pretty common error that can't really be fixed over the internet. Could be a number of issues. Not sure if you want to fix it yourself or not but basically there's too much oxygen being detected. Could be a leak, could be a faulty part, etc. You may get lucky and pass the smog but I would still try to fix that issue soon after.

brawndolicious · Feb 7, 2020

Ashhong said:
That's a pretty common error that can't really be fixed over the internet. Could be a number of issues. Not sure if you want to fix it yourself or not but basically there's too much oxygen being detected. Could be a leak, could be a faulty part, etc. You may get lucky and pass the smog but I would still try to fix that issue soon after.

Yeah a car running lean is kind of annoying because it could be any number of hoses or sensors. Once a car gets to about 10 years old, rubber components like hoses start cracking.

It could also be something as simple as the MAF sensor needing to be cleaned which somebody with no mechanical skill could do in 3 minutes. Make sure you use the correct spray or else you'll damage the sensor.

SupremeWu · Feb 7, 2020

The light can also be something really simple like a loose/damaged gas cap, that's the first thing I tell people to check and I have probably a 50 percent success rate. If the gas cap looks old or cracked, buy a replacement for a couple bux, it's the cheapest and easiest thing to try.

grang · Feb 7, 2020

FWIW I had a similar issue where my check engine light was on for emissions reasons and I failed an inspection. Got one of these: https://www.amazon.com/OBD2-Scan-To...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=Q4P9TQWH3H2VQDF8TP6N

Before taking it in I tried it a few times, cleared the code and saw it took a little while for the light to come back on. Went to take it for the inspection, cleared the code right before, and it passed just fine. YMMV

Superking · Feb 13, 2020

Welp, good news. Passed my smog test! Thanks, gentlemen.

Question about re-taking smog test

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