My car (TL SH-AWD 2009) failed NJ emissions test due to OBD not ready. The dealer said there is nothing wrong with it, I just have to drive it more.

Would appreciate if someone familiar with how to get the OBD to ready state shares their knowledge. Specifically I am trying to follow the procedure in the owner's manual (page 626) and a couple of points baffle me:

Cold start procedure says - Make sure the ambient temperature is between 40° and 95°F (4° and 35°C). So, if ambient temperatures do not fall in this range, the OBD will never get ready?

Then it asks to drive between 50 and 60 mph for at least 20 minutes.

Are these really that specific? What if my regular driving never gets into these ranges as specified?

Thanks.

 

The above procedure is a prerequisite for the OBD system to carry out it's emission system internal test.

Otherwise, the OBD system will never start the emission test and will therefore never go to the "ready" state.

 

Thanks for the reply.

A few quick follow up questions: does the procedure need to be performed exactly in sequence as described? Can I split up the different steps into different days?

Thanks.

 

To trigger the non-continuous tests, after a few minutes of highway driving at a steady speed, take an exit and decelerate for as long as you can with your foot off the gas and in-gear let the car slow down itself without touching the brakes. Then shut down the engine, let it cool down for 5-10 minutes and get on the highway again at steady speed. Driving it a bit hard, revving up 2nd and 3rd gears also sets some codes and triggers some tests to set the codes. Thats pretty much standard in all J engines. Codes (good or bad) are set after 2 drive cycles. A drive cycle is logged when the engine cools down, below its normal operating temp. You don't need to drive 20 minutes or so, 4-5 minutes at fully warmed up will do it, as long as you decelerate for 10-20 seconds with gear-in and without touching the brakes, during 2 drive cycles.

All that assuming you can do this safely without causing an accident!

 

Responding to your question concerning ambient temperature, you may be able to reach those temps inside a garage, even if the outside temps are lower (or higher).

A GM specific drive cycle can be completed in less than 15 minutes. It should not be that different from what is required for your TL.
http://www.obdii.com/drivecycle.html

And, if that does not work, here are some specific suggestions, for an OBD-II drive cycle for any brand vehicle:
http://repairpal.com/Drive-Cycle-Issues

I found both of the above easier to understand than what is printed in my Acura RDX manual. Plus, the RDX manual states an easy way to determine if the OBD system is *ready*, so you can check yourself, before driving to the dealer - I do not know if that works for a TL of your year - check your OM.