[AT] Tractor hauler question.

[Don Bowen]

> If you have problems with your car and just unhook
> the battery to clear codes right before you pull up to the inspection
> station, you will have a large number of monitors that have not had a
> chance to run.  Thus, for a successful emissions inspection, ALL
> monitors must have been run, and ALL must be successful.

I went though that this spring.  I went in for a smog check and found a bad
cat.  The check engine light had been on but I though it was a leaking
exhaust and had that fixed.  The light went out so went in for the test but
it failed because of a bad cat.  

I had a shop replace the cat and it was completely empty inside.  I cleared
the codes with a code reader I have then went for a smog test.  It passed in
all the numbers, all well within limits but failed because two IM monitors
were not set.  I drove around using up $50 worth of gas and went in to a
test and it still failed.  I decided to wait and see if a cold start would
help so started it the next morning and checked, still not set.  I drove it
a little ways, checked and the monitors were set, ran in for the smog test
and passed.

On some vehicles there is a very carefully defined drive sequence to get the
monitors set.  On some is it a certain number of miles and a cold start.  

The cat was completely blown out and most of that stuff was in the muffler
so that had to be replaced.  My mileage improved a bit after that.

The pickup is a '98 Dodge with almost 180,000 miles on it.  During the last
several years I have towed a 7500# travel trailer from SoCal to NC up to the
Portland, IN show, over to Mt Pleasant, IA, back to NC, back to SoCal, up to
Chico,CA to Hollister, CA back to SoCal, to Austin, TX, Houston, TX, back to
Austin, up to the Missouri Ozarks, to Kansas City, MO, Mt Pleasant, IA, back
to So Cal then to Stockton, CA, to Hollister, CA, SoCal, Spokane, WA, back
to SoCal, to Hollister, CA, to Los Angles, then to here in the Missouri
Ozarks.  It will be towing the trailer from here to NC and back in a month
or so.  It will make the trip back to Socal in November, more than likely
leaving the trailer here in Missouri.

Don Bowen  KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html