ECU/sensor problem, cant smog car

[96stillen_max]

for the past year now i have not been able to smog my car. i can pass the emissions part just fine, but when they hook their computer up to my ecu, i fail. i have 3 or 4 monitors that are reading as not ready.

i know the normal fix for this is to just drive. well ive pout over 1000 miles on my car and they still wont come on. i even left my car at the dealer for almost 2 weeks and they couldnt tell me the problem, instead they gave me some bull**** answer that my headder pipe was flowing too much air

anyone know what i can do about this? would swapping an ecu help?

[s13sr20chris]

if your system readiness test does not complete there is a problem. if you are not setting a code and still no srt i am leaning towards an ecm. still it could be a coolant temp sensor or something like that causing the ecm to never start system readiness testing.

[96stillen_max]

how can i tell if my coolant temp sensor is bad? i am not throwing any codes, so i will have to take it out and physically examine it right? or can i test it while it is still in place with a multimeter.

also. i think i have been burning some coolant because i find myself having to constantly fill up my reservoir. could this also be caused by a faulty coolant temp sensor? i have heard that it can, but am not sure.

ont last thing. if it turns out that its a problem with my ECU, would i be able to swap it with a friends ( he has an identical car as mine) to test?

[DAEDALUS]

Check the FSM. Most times they'll have ohm values for at least a couple temps. Disconnect the sensor and measure the resistance. Unfortunately temp-ohm curves are not linear.

[NISTECH]

96 and 97 maxi's have a hell of a time clearing moniters, I have dealt with this with some of my customers here in the sacramento area. Nissan actually came up with an updated ECU that has a wider parameter range for the test conditions to be satisfied. Not that I am saying run out and buy one as there is nothing really wrong with the one you have in the car now. If the numbers on your freinds match the ones on yours and he wil let you borrow it for a couple weeks I say go that route as his might conduct the tests easier. Which tests is it not completeing? I know EVAP is one of them but what are the others? You only need to have all but 2 completed to pass the OBDII readiness part of the smog inspection. You dont need all of them to be complete.

[NISTECH]

This is how the test is performed by the ECM , these conditions must be met exactly for the tests to run. If you even slip for a second your done. The tests wont attempt to run till the next time the car is driven from cold start up.

[NISTECH]

and page 2 explaining it.

[NISTECH]

DO NOT use any of the terminal refrences from this to test your car as they are not for your car but the road test map and the conditions on pg2 are the same for all nissans that yr.

[96stillen_max]

The Evap is not comming on, and i think the other 2 were i think cat sensor, and i cant remember any more. ill have ot look around for that paper.

as for that road test on page 2. ive tried that already too. when i took it to nissan, that what they tried, (or said they tried) also.

[NISTECH]

I have tried unsuccesfully many times because the standards to meet the test are so tight, like I said if you even hickup out of the range, the test is over.

[96stillen_max]

well im going to try and test my friends ecu. if that doesnt work. do i have any options? im thinking of just selling it as a parts car in a few months, or parting it out myself.

i have not been able to smog it since i bought the car a year ago, so i still have the old pink slip, i dont have my own. so i cant legally sell it, except as just a parts car. is there anything i can do to get a pink slip? can i register it as a show car maybe? or sell it to someone in a state that does not have smog laws like the nazzi state of cali?

[NISTECH]

you still have the bill of sale? if so just go down and pay the fees and you will get the pink slip, You could have payed the fees and got the transfer of ownership done with out the smog, the problem is you cant register it for driving with out it passing smog, and technically the seller was responsable for the smog unless the car was a salvage.

Now on another note if you are serious about selling the car how much do you want for it, as a whole?

[96stillen_max]

i will be serious about selling it in about 2-3 months, i dont wnat to say much now, but ill be looking to get about 3k-3.5k

i have gone down to the dmv and paid the fees and given them the bill of sale, but then they just give it back to me and say, come back when you have your smog.

[NISTECH]

you are required by the law to report your bill of sale with in 10 days And pay the taxes on the sale. If you fail to do that then you wil have to pay penalties when you do finally pay it. The smog does not have to be done at that point as it is electronically transmitten to dmv from the smog machine that tests your car.

BTW the seller is responsable for the smog not the buyer.

[96stillen_max]

i did report the the bill of sale the day after buying the car, but the DMV keeps telling me to come back when i have the smog. they wont take it.

[NISTECH]

did you receive that in writting? If not when it comes time to pay the taxes and registration your gonna get a heafty fine.

[96stillen_max]

no no. i did pay the taxes and registration on time, but then they just gave me a temp slip and one of thoes temp operating permits, and told me to keep the bill of sale until the get my smog.

[NISTECH]

ooooooh ok I misunderstood you. Take your car and drive out to the valley and try to get it to clear moniters, the roads are flatter and you wont risk knocking it out of the tolorances. when you do this though you need to let it sit for a few hours to completely cool down to start the test. That is the only peice of advise i could give ya that might help. being in the city makes it really hard to stay with in the tolorences due to the hills.

[96stillen_max]

k, thanks for all the help.

[s13sr20chris]

gosh i love virginiasorry to be of so little help

[NISTECH]

Yea yea ok Chris..lolI am about 2 hrs from him. Where he lives its either up or down nearly no flat roads in the city unless your on the pier . I can't see where that car would ever get the change to run the moniters since the first part of the test has such tight tolorances on the injector pulse widths and the rpm range is so tight. He would have to exceed both on the hills or be below both on the decents. . That why I told him to come out this way and try it. it is like the mid west here in the valley.

[s13sr20chris]

its quite rare that i ever see a car with tests incomplete. in fact i only really see it when something is broke.

[NISTECH]

We see it out here quite regularly. We get countless smog failures because of it. especially in the 96 to 98 range.