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1996 Honda Civic Will Not Pass Smog Test with New O2 Sensor

Hello I own a 1996 Honda Civic. I went to get a smog test and the guy hooked up his scan tool and told me there was something wrong with the catalytic converter and 2 sensors, so I changed the CAT and oxygen sensors, then took it back but he said his scan tool still read the same problem and if he smog tested it, my Honda Civic would fail. I don't understand the catalytic converter was $200+ dollars and the sensors were $100. What more can I do?

Answer:

We recommend you ask the smog technician if he is referring to "trouble codes" or "emission monitors" in regards to your Honda Civic not being able to pass the smog inspection. If the problem with your Honda Civic is that the Emission Monitors (internal self-tests) are not or have not yet completed (Not in Ready status), the fix simply requires that your drive your Honda for at least 200-300 miles in order to allow the ECU (computer) time to run through the self-tests. This is referred to as a Drive-Cycle. Once the vehicle has completed one or two drive cycles, and the check engine light is not ON, it will be ready to have the smog test administered. If on the contrary the smog technician is indicating your Honda Civic has emission Trouble Codes which show a problem with the CAT and/or the oxygen sensors, then the repairs you performed might not have resolved the trouble code problem(s) and further diagnosis and repair is required. It is always best to obtain an expert hands-on-diagnosis of a vehicle's smog check failure prior to spending money repairing emission components which have not been inspected. Without a hands-on-diagnosis no smog test technician can be certain of the specific reason a vehicle has failed its smog check. posted by SmogTips Support

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