Posted on 01/22/2020 5:27:02 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder
I'm about to have to abandon my 2000 Toyota Avalon v6 3.0 (all Avalons have this and only this engine) with 78K miles because I can't get rid of a diagnostic "Cat not ready" message. Everything else passes fine. Car runs fine, rather better after changing the sensors. If I can't pass CA smog, I can't register the car and thus can't legally drive it.
I have: changed both upstream 02 sensors. Changed downstream post-CAT) sensor. I have gone through the following reco'ed drive cycle.
1. Make Sure the Engine Light is Off 2. Check if your Vehicle has a Coolant Temperature The drive cycle starts with a cold start. 3. Let the Engine be Idle for 2 Minutes The next step is to start the engine and keep it idle for two and half minutes, keeping >>rear defroster and AC on.<< 4. Drive the vehicle at a Steady Speed of 55 MPH Now, switch the rear defroster and ac off and keep the speed of your vehicle at 90 km/hr (55MPH) nearly for 3 minutes. During this period, the purge and Fuel monitor diagnostics will take place. 5. Decelerate your Vehicle’s Speed at 20 MPH Make the speed of your vehicle fall gradually up to 32 km/hr (20 MPH). Avoid touching/shifting of clutch or brake. 6. Again Speed Up Drive your vehicle back to 55MPH (90 km/hr) at 3/4 throttle for nearly five minutes. The catalyst monitor diagnostics will take place during this period. If the battery is detached or the catalyst is not ready, it might take five complete driving cycles to decide the status of the catalyst. 7. Stop the Vehicle Now, make your vehicle slow down and allow it to sit idle for 2 minutes.
Have done all of this. I have researched the drive cycle (and there are about four different versions all over the 'net) and done most of them several times.
Really at the end of my frickin rope.
Anyone? Yeah, I know it's a 20 damn year old car.
That is one of the few good things Governor Graham did in Florida. He promised to get rid of the vehicle inspection and he did.
Drive across the state line and get inspected there (if there is a border state that still inspects).
You on RDP too?
What are the OBDII code(s) you are getting?
“Catalyst not ready” is a system readiness parameter.
If you’re near Santa Ana, I know a really good smog and repair place. They performed magic on my car when there was a light on and I was trying to get it smogged. They were very reasonable also.
“Have you checked the fuses for the O2 sensors (if it has fuses)?”
Have not done that, but changing the sensors DID get rid of the associated error codes. I’ll check that, thank you!
The problem isn’t your car, it’s your location.
Have you searched YouTube? It’s helped me out of a jam a few times.
Cars 1976 and older in stupidfornia. Used to be 25 years or older.....we have cleaner air but feces and typhus on the streets and hpv on the sex organs and HIV in the blood.
This might not help but!! I had a problem with a 2006 outback. There’s a fuse not in the fuse box to the PCM box and it was blown. It’s not in my chiltons or the drawings. Fixed it ran like a champ. Good luck. Wish I had my little 1972 Toyota pickup. Sometimes old is good.
What grade of sensor did you put in it, were they OEM or an inexpensive aftermarket?
What’s the number of the code? (Ex:P0303)
Began with P071 [now gone] and (going from memory) P1035 and P1150 all of which are gone. Oh yeah, also changed MAF sensor. ALL numerical codes are clear (and native-clear, not just a batt disconnect > reconnect)
I NEVER got a P420 or P430 so I don’t think the CAT itself is bad.
““Catalyst not ready” is a system readiness parameter.”
Yes; it relates to how the cars computer has learned CAT performance (that’s my understanding) but just like a numerical error code, no pass, no smog cert.
Aftermarket.
I agree. I’ve rummaged through YT for hours and hours.
Get in contact with Scottie Kilmer. You can find him on YouTube. He has nearly fifty years experience as a mechanic. Perhaps he has done this repair and has a video about it on YT. Worth a try. He really knows his stuff.
Welcome to the CA bull sh*t bureaucratic nightmare. Wait till ya get codes where they tell you to drive your car in circles for 500 miles to reset the GD thing. No joke.
For the fully grasping at straws stage unplug and re-connect any connectors between the sensors and the computer - sometimes contacts corrode.
For the fully grasping at straws stage unplug and re-connect any connectors between the sensors and the computer - sometimes contacts corrode.
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