Sanity draining Smog 'Readiness' indicators [98 850] Topic is solved

[ToriWhite]

Constant highway driving should maintain your temperature within 84-122, unless you have a fault in the cooling system. It's possible your ECT is reading out of spec.

It's not abt driving in that range, but the engine has to start in that range for the ECU to bother checking readiness at all.. I was under the assumption that it would always start range from overnight with the mild temps here: but thinking about it, probably wrong. Last nights low was 56.. the engine block is sitting in the shade of the hood.. barring a heat wave why would it be anything more than the ambient temps of low 60's?
Read on brickboard that it can be brought to temp "by starting and idling until the needle just begins to move(...) turning it off, and restarting"

*sigh* Not only do you need a good obd reader to put up with this smog nonsense.. but an IR Gun! And in some cases, a smoke machine... you guys are right, this does just seem like money grab- everyone's grabbing for my money at least!

[ToriWhite]

Finished another round of flywheel adaptations, if 12 cycles plus all the In-gear coasting doesn't do it- then nothing will. Filled up to a wee under 3/4, and going to check on the temp in 30 min w/ IR to see if it's in range.. then it's off to the races!

For anyone reading this in the future- here's a copy of the drive Cycle I've been using- abbreviated for faster on-the-side-of-the-road navigation (I cut all the non-850 and obvious stuff out)

...

VOLVO Readiness Procedure

960 - S/V 90/850/S70/V70/C70
1996-1998

A monitor remaining 'NOT READY' only indicates that the driving conditions for the diagnostic to run have not yet been met. There are several reasons the monitor status may be 'NOT READY', such as;
1. The battery has been disconnected for service and the ECM memory is erased.
2. A DTC has been erased from the ECM, resulting in readiness is re-set to 'NOT READY'
3. The driver may not normally drive far enough or in a pattern that readiness is completed during the drive.

General Instructions
1. No Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) should be present in the ECM or TCM.

2. Fly wheel adaptation must be completed before diagnostics can run (Refer to Driving to change the flywheel status to "Ready").

3. Connect Volvo Systems Tester (VST). Enter the DIAGNOSTIC CHECK menu to verify if a trip has been completed as shown. Please Note: If using a scan tool other than the VST, different terms for reporting the same status may be displayed. 'READY' may be displayed as 'COMPLETE' and, 'NOT READY' may be displayed as INCOMPLETE'.

4. In order to insure EVAP leakage detection completion, the fuel level in the car should be above 1/4 and below 3/4 tank.

5. Air conditioning (A/C) must be off during idle periods. A/C compressor activation during the EVAP diagnostic may interrupt the EVAP test.

6. Select a suitable route where it is possible to achieve necessary speed and load conditions and occasionally stop at the side of the road safely. This needs to be done while obeying all traffic regulations and posted speed limits.

7. Important: Keep as steady a throttle pedal as possible when driving.

8. Engine temperature at start must be between + 29°C (84°F) to + 49°C (122°F). If engine temperature is below + 29°C, start engine to warm up over + 29°and then shut off. Restart engine when coolant temperature is between + 29°C and + 49°C.

Driving Sequence
1. Drive a normal urban driving cycle for 6 minutes. Accelerate gently where necessary keeping the throttle as steady as possible. Moving the throttle and changing loads may interrupt individual diagnostics requiring a longer drive time.

2. Safely stop the vehicle and allow the engine to idle for 1-1/2 minutes. Fuel trim adaptations should be checked during this stop, DTC/EFI 231 and 232.

3. Drive a normal urban driving cycle for 6 minutes. Accelerate gently where necessary keeping the throttle as steady as possible.

4. Safely stop the vehicle and allow the engine to idle for 2-3 minutes. Secondary air system should be checked at this stop, DTC/EFI 442, 445 and 448.

5. Accelerate normally to a road speed over 45 MPH and try to keep the engine between 1800-2200 RPM. With an automatic transmission select 3rd or 4th gear. It is most important to keep the throttle pedal as steady as possible. It is better to let the road speed or RPM fluctuate slightly and keep the pedal steady. Drive for 5-6 minutes.

6. Safely stop the vehicle and allow the engine to idle for 2-3 minutes. Leakage diagnostics should be checked and at this time, DTC/EFI 611 and 612.

7. Accelerate normally to a road speed over 45 MPH and try to keep the engine between 1800-2200 RPM. With an automatic transmission select 3rd or 4th gear. It is most important to keep the throttle pedal as steady as possible. It is better to let the road speed or RPM fluctuate slightly and keep the pedal steady. Drive for 5 minutes.

8. Safely stop the vehicle and allow the engine to idle for 1-1/2 minutes.

9. Accelerate the vehicle normally to 1800-2000 RPM and then slow back down to a stop, repeat this step 4 times to set the cycle flag for idle air adaptation. The ECM needs 7 idle phases total to adapt. These four and the three previous stops will complete this check.

10. Stop car but do not shut off the engine. Using the VST check the trip/readiness status. If the trip is not 'COMPLETE', use the enter function on the VST to see the DTCs that remain 'NOT TESTED'. Use the detailed information following to meet the conditions necessary to allow the specific DTCs to be checked. If trip is 'COMPLETE' but readiness is 'NO', a second trip will be needed to establish readiness.

all diagnostic functions are NOT completed:

Note the codes that are NOT TESTED. For codes not tested it is possible to run only that portion of the TRIP. Listed below are the specifics on how individual codes can be addressed:
^ DTC/EFI 233 - Adaptive Idle Air trim. After completing the trip and the function is not set, idle the engine for 60 seconds, press the accelerator and rev up the engine above 1500 RPM for a few seconds, return to idle for 60 seconds. Continue this until EFI 233 is completed.

^ DTC/EFI 425/436 - Rear oxygen sensor, Accelerate to at least 45 mph, drive for 5 minutes at 1800-2200 RPM.

^ DTC/EFI 611/612 - Fuel tank system. Run the quick test in VST for leakage detection monitoring. (ACTIVATION -> ACTIVATE DIAG -> LEAKAGE DIAGNOSIS)

^ DTC/EFI 442/445/448 - Pulsed Secondary Air Injection system. Run the Quick Test in VST for the Pulsed Secondary Air system monitoring (ACTIVATION -> ACTIVATE DIAG -> SAS DIAGNOSIS).

^ DTC/EFI 435 - Front heated oxygen sensor, slow response. Drive the car with an Engine speed between approximately 2200 to 2800 RPM and a load value between 1.1 to 1.8 ms (LOAD - TL in VST Monitor Test). If equipped with an automatic gearbox select a lower gear if necessary.

- Drive for 2 minutes at 1800-2200 RPM, manual gear box equipped gear selection dependent on vehicle speed.

- Accelerate directly to 3000 - 3500 rpm for 30 seconds, manual gear box equipped use third gear

- Reduce rpm to 1800 - 2200 for 2 minutes, manual gear box equipped use fifth gear

- Accelerate directly to 3000 - 3500 rpm for 30 seconds, manual gear box equipped use third gear

- Reduce rpm to 2300 - 2500 for 2 minutes, manual gear box equipped use fourth gear

Flywheel Adaptation

- Drive the car in second or third gear (2500 - 3500 rpm) and decelerate without using the brake (a long downhill is helpful for this but not necessary). The flywheel adaptive values should begin to change.

- Repeat the decelerations until the adaptive values stop changing. At that time, the Flywheel Status changes to 'READY'.

- Let the engine temperature cool down to between 29°C 49°C so you can begin the 'TRIP'

Motronic 4.3

Flywheel adaptation needs to be "ready" before a trip can be completed, on Motronic 4.3 the VST cannot read the flywheel adaptation status, therefore we should assume the adaptations are not set and follow the "Flywheel Adaptation Procedure" before continuing with the first trip.

When interrogated using a generic OBD II scan tool the MY 1996 Volvo 850 equipped with Bosch Motronic 4.3 Engine Management System, may experience all of the Readiness Codes changing from 'COMPLETE' to 'INCOMPLETE' when the ignition key is cycled. This behavior applies to all 1996 M 4.3 850s and cannot be corrected. DO NOT turn the engine off until after the Enhanced Inspection/Maintenance OBD II check has been completed.

Readiness status cannot be read from a vehicle equipped with Motronic 4.3 using the VST, but the completion of two 'TRIPS' will establish readiness.

[ZionXIX]

Finished another round of flywheel adaptations, if 12 cycles plus all the In-gear coasting doesn't do it- then nothing will. Filled up to a wee under 3/4, and going to check on the temp in 30 min w/ IR to see if it's in range.. then it's off to the races!

For anyone reading this in the future- here's a copy of the drive Cycle I've been using- abbreviated for faster on-the-side-of-the-road navigation (I cut all the non-850 and obvious stuff out)

This is the abbreviated version?

[ToriWhite]

Update:
Tested my OBDII against friends.. same readout. My chinsy obd reader isn't the problem, at least.
Tried to go for "Just barely warm enough to nudge the thermostat" approach on my 3(!) drive cycles today (mind you, that's a 50 minute wait between each..!) .. NO DICE
Going to reborrow friends OBD and check what real number corresponds to that spot on the gauge to see if I've even been in the right temp today.. I hope it reveals I wasn't, just for the sake that there may be an easy fix at the end of all this..
otherwise.. what's left to do? What else can I change? I'm scared to resort to going into a smog place and asking them to fix it, lest they come back a week later with a $X,000 bill for driving it in circles at a $20/hr rate..
Any advice, please!

[ToriWhite]

Here's a ref of the readiness codes if anyone's curious.. if this pattern of unreadiness is indicative of anything, please let me know!

Scan from better OBD

[abscate]

Are you sure those are readiness indicators?

If the continuous monitored things aren’t going ready almost immediately, you have major issues in the ECM or wiring

[erikv11]

Look at the image, the continuously monitored are the three that are showing ready.

Is this car a turbo or non-turbo?

[ToriWhite]

Is this car a turbo or non-turbo?

96(?) 850 N/A Base ; new O2 sensors 2-3 years ago

Followup to whoever mentioned I buy some additives to "clean" my O2 sensors, I've been told the regulations surrounding additives around emissions are so tight, all the stuff is different colored ethanol, a snake oil scheme for the desperate. *** At least in CA
Going to check the engine temps against the needle position I started at yesterday, hopefully starting temp should be a lot higher than ive been working with and I was out of range this whole time...

[ToriWhite]

Are you sure those are readiness indicators?

If the continuous monitored things aren’t going ready almost immediately, you have major issues in the ECM or wiring

I read about this: readiness monitors are either 'Continuous' or not. 'Continuous' monitors are constantly being checked as part of normal operation, whereas the other monitors need specific conditions to be tested.. a "Drive Cycle"

(I'm not trying to be snarky here, I want to be as clear as possible for whatever poor soul later is in my shoes and has to reread this thread)

[ToriWhite]

There's still hope!

Just finished checking the temp gauge against the OBDII Temp readout.. turns out I've been starting all of my 'TRIP's around 130-145, and before that- at a cold ~60.
Still.. after 600-700 miles of otherwise perfect driving conditions, I can't imagine the system would be so picky that 10 degrees would actually make a difference.. cautiously hopeful...
Going to go out.. AGAIN, at the perfect temperature, and execute the perfect drive Cycle, sit on the beach for an Hour for it to cool off and execute another drive Cycle at temp.. if that doesn't do it.. I'll just call it a day and have a heart attack from the stress