2006 Honda Civic Hybrid OBD II Monitors are Not Ready

2006 Honda Civic Hybrid has failed its 4th smog check within 13 days, and after driving the car another 1000 miles since the first check. No check engine light has come on. Mileage is around 130000.

After taking the car to the Honda dealer and explaining to them that my car had failed the smog check, they recommended driving through a drive cycle (another 150 miles or so) over the few days. We took it back after having driven it over 200 miles.

Their report says:130000 check engine PCM and extracted DTC code P1435 and Oxygen Sensor 2 staying on longer than normal=First stage repair reset DTC Code, Perform Software update MXA 230-MXA 630, Technician suggest to drive vehicle approx. 60-80 miles then take it to the smog test station to confirm readiness. If issue to continue return vehicle for further evaluation.

We did drive the car more miles, and this morning the car failed the test again. The smog report shows the catalyst test result as OBDII Monitors Not Ready.The smog guy told me to tell the Honda service to check the oxygen sensor, and I had mentioned this to the Honda service person. What should I do next? Take it back to the Honda dealer? Take it to a different Honda dealer? Take it to another Smog Station? And what questions do I ask next in terms of what to check? They said that all the updates are completed but I can ask again if you have suggestions. We also own a second 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid, and it passed the smog test but I had taken it to a different smog check station that was more expensive.

I appreciate any suggestions you may have as we need to register this car this month. Thank you!

Answer:

Taking your Honda Civic Hybrid to another smog testing facility will not get your car to pass the smog test. In other words, the smog station will not make the difference. It appears your Civic's OBD II emission monitors are not yet complete, specifically the catalyst monitor. Assuming there are no pending or active trouble codes stored in the ECU (engine control unit), and the check engine light is not on, the solution is to continue driving your Honda through the Honda Civic Hybrid drive cycle until the catalytic converter monitor becomes ready or complete.

The air/fuel sensor (commonly referred to as the oxygen sensor; though works a bit different) can be responsible for holding back the catalyst monitor but if the Honda dealer already inspected the sensors and updated the ECU (software), we have to assume the vehicle stills hasn't completed the drive cycle.

You might want to get a second diagnosis from either another Honda Dealer or smog check certified Honda specialist, but simply getting a smog check from another smog station will not do the trick.

Honda Civic Hybrid Drive Cycle: Using a scan tool ensure there are no hard or pending trouble codes stored in your Civic's engine control computer (ECC). Once verified, continue on to the drive cycle. Making sure your Honda Civic Hybrid has 1/4 to 3/4 tank of gas before you begin the drive cycle.

Park your Honda Civic for overnight to allow it to sufficiently cool down.
Start and idle the engine with the A/C off for 5 minutes.
Stop engine for 2 minutes.
Drive your vehicle in stop-and-go conditions, with periods of steady cruise for 10 minutes.
Repeat steps 3 and 4.

Having followed the Honda Civic Hybrid Drive Cycle above should make ready/complete the required emission monitors. If you feel you may be unable to perform the drive cycle above safely please seek assistance from a certified smog check repair center or a Honda dealer.

posted by SmogTips Support