New Etests

[smerchly]

While I was at Can.Tire today , I asked if they were set up to do the new computer testing . They no longer have the tail pipe test machine there & they weren't busy , so I took my F150 truck in & it passed the test ....$35 for them and $4.55 for the government . I then asked if I could bring in my 1990 Van in tomorrow & they said they can only do from 97 up , but I can take it to Welland where they can do the test . Technology is wonderful ?

[smerchly]

I was told that vehicles 5 yrs.old or less do not need to be tested . My old van will be tested using the tail pipe emissions as always . I guess the Welland C.T. store has the old system there . Here 's the new rules in place as of the new year ........

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/category/drive_clean/STDPROD_102286.html

[jessek]

I heard they are a pain in the butt to pass. I not looking forward.

[Jason15]

Yes it is a huge pain if you have an engine light on make sure it is cleared a while before the test any signs of the light on or drive cycle not being complet is an automatic fail. There are lots of places doing both tests still I believe minute auto in St.Catherines is doing them.

[DaveC]

The whole drive clean program is a waste of money.. I have passed an E-Test with the Engine check light on. The light on does not always indicate something that causes you to fail the emmisions test. You could have a fuel tank vent pipe leak as small as a pin hole...and you,ll show a code " check engine". I work with transit buses that spew more emmisions into the air then you can believe....and there's ways to have them pass. Maybe they should be running emmision tests on all the polluting factories out there....its just a plain money grab, and in fact most vehicles pass the test. It should be scrapped...........plain and simple

[smerchly]

My 2002 F150 , 4.6 lt V/8 passed the computer test at C.T.

The 1990 Chevy van , 5.7lt. passed the exhaust pipe test at Minit Auto .

I got the new stickers at Service Ontario at hwy 20 (no waiting) .

All is well for another 2 years .....and yes this is another government ripoff !

[Snags]

Smart Smerch. Found that out for a drivers license before ... Went to NOTL/Virgil location, walked in and walked out in 2 minutes. Better than st Catharine's where it's wait wait wait

[smerchly]

I hate waiting in line for service we pay taxes for....I have left a shopping cart full of groceries when the lineup was long with only one or two cashiers on the tills . We won't have those problems in the future when there will be no cashiers or bank tellers etc .when machines take all those jobs . A woman at C.T. tried to sign me up for a new card & said I can save $$$ on gas with the points . I told her I used to buy their gas but I don't like getting out of my nice warm truck to pump 120 liters of gas in a snow storm . ....so I buy my gas where they have full service . She said , well it's nice in the summer.....ahahha .....Too hot for me ! I'll drive 100km if I can get better service Snags .

[coyotehunter]

curmudgeon (plural curmudgeons)

1. (archaic) A miser.
2. An ill-tempered (and frequently old) person full of stubborn ideas or opinions

Smerch I like your attitude and appreciate the fact that that I share many of the same tendencies. The only thing is that you should not hold things back and say what you really feel. LOL

[smerchly]

Haha .....When you are my age , time becomes more important . Young people don't seem to mind buying a piece of furniture at Walmart (made in China) and spending 2 hours assembling 200 nuts , bolts & brackets ! I would rather pay them another $10-$20 to put it together (if it isn't too large) . I will soon be 70 and I don't buy green bananas ! As one gets older , our patience fuse is shorter ......thus , I am .....Grump #1

and still crazy after all these years.......

[jesse]

This is B.S,I am currently going through a situation of a failed attempt.I have a newer car with no noticable issues at all.I have replaced the catylitic converter(not cheap) & it did nothing.Now they tell tell me SORRY must be a 02 sensor,well they can't say which one it is & i have 4 of them.It appears this might get it to pass but not forsure?I could get a conditional pass once i spend enough but then i can't sell it as planned.W.T.F????

[DaveC]

This is B.S,I am currently going through a situation of a failed attempt.I have a newer car with no noticable issues at all.I have replaced the catylitic converter(not cheap) & it did nothing.Now they tell tell me SORRY must be a 02 sensor,well they can't say which one it is & i have 4 of them.It appears this might get it to pass but not forsure?I could get a conditional pass once i spend enough but then i can't sell it as planned.W.T.F????

Are you showing any codes? Whats your readings? might be able to help you...What kind of vehicle? Common things to look for...Air filter, plugs, EGR valve/ ports, 02 sensors.

As a future investment....buy yourself a cheap OBD II scanner. You can diagnois most problems yourself....you could get a live reading on your O2s and know for sure.

Another option is to google your failure reading and Vehicle model for ideas......some cars are prone to certain typical failure problems. I had a mercury mystique ( I mean MISTAKE ) lol. That car along Ford contour, Mazda MPV always failed e-test for plugged egr port on the throttle body. A dealer can find the failure right away usually....but its going to cost. Try the search for you car first...and your fail reading.

Good Luck.

[Zeeke]

I would check all the conections on all the O2 sensors first. Had a vehicle with 4 and took it to a Chev dealer & he wanted to replaced all 4 and when I talked to him he said the conetor was wet on one. Dried it out, used dialectig grease. wrapped in a finger off of a rubber kitchen glove and electricall tape. Worked great. The vehicle should be showing an engine code though if the O2 is faulty. Good Luck.

P.S. There diagnostic tool should be able to show which sensor is faulty.

[NiftyFishinCap]

I'm in the auto trade and the whole industry is having a hell of a time with the new tests. The problem we are running into is getting the vehicle to complete what is called a drive cycle. Which is a series of test that evalualte the engine management system. In order for these tests to be completed, certain perameters must be met ie, o2 htrs, catt efficiency, evap sys. if these arent completed then the vehicle will fail. One car in particular needs an ambient air temp of 20 degrees. But last i checked its mid winter and we live in Ontario, if anyone can help me find this balmy weather in these parts please help me out. Best advice i can give is if you are due for a test and your engine lite is on, dont wait till the last minute to get your vehicle serviced. make the repairs well in advance. and imrove your chances of a pass. Also having a dead or disconnected battery or clearing a code just before going to the test facility will ensure a fail. As your vehicle needs to complete the drive cycle before going for the test.

[DaveC]

I'm in the auto trade and the whole industry is having a hell of a time with the new tests. The problem we are running into is getting the vehicle to complete what is called a drive cycle. Which is a series of test that evalualte the engine management system. In order for these tests to be completed, certain perameters must be met ie, o2 htrs, catt efficiency, evap sys. if these arent completed then the vehicle will fail. One car in particular needs an ambient air temp of 20 degrees. But last i checked its mid winter and we live in Ontario, if anyone can help me find this balmy weather in these parts please help me out. Best advice i can give is if you are due for a test and your engine lite is on, dont wait till the last minute to get your vehicle serviced. make the repairs well in advance. and imrove your chances of a pass. Also having a dead or disconnected battery or clearing a code just before going to the test facility will ensure a fail. As your vehicle needs to complete the drive cycle before going for the test.

I have to agree about not waiting until the last minute. Mine is always due in Feb....to cold to be working on problems then. I will pick a nice day well in advance and check and replace the common things. E-Test is every second year, so what I usually do is clean the throttle body really good with a spray cleaner.....and dump in a bottle of injector cleaner in the fuel tank. Drive the car for a day or two. Then I replace the spark plugs ( makes sense every two years anyway ) Replace the engine oil and filter. Then I replace the air filter and top up the tank with premium ( because its higher octane ) and give the car a real good drive to get the engine really warmed up. Take it in and run the test. At least the obvious things are out of the way. Your E-test is good for 6 months, so if you pass your done. Keep the pass copy and wait for your renewal. If it fails, well at least you have plenty of time to further diagnois possible problems. Most people dont even bother with the obvious things...which will also contribute to you getting better gas mileage and keep your car running clean. If your cat is gone, and its an older vehicle concider the after market option....much much cheaper then buying from the dealer and will get a pass and give you 2 more years to worry about it.

[smerchly]

I didn't do anything to my 2002 F150 since I had a new EGR replaced last November , just gave it a good 20k drive before the test . My old 22 yr.old van still has the original converter , plugs are about 5 yrs.old (idles smooth & clean exhaust) , so I only replaced the air filter ($5.75) & bought an extra one for next test in 2015 . I took the old girl for a long run at 120km right before my Etest appointment which I believe helps burn up some of the grunge from a lot of city (fishing) driving .

Normally , I do an oil-filter change but it wasn't needed at this time ( I do my own changes ). Maybe using synthetic oil is better for the exhaust type Etests ? I'll do my plugs & wires this summer ....probably needed , & a new exhaust system .

I guess the old Etests weren't making enough money for the government , so the new tests will make them more HST money in new parts & labour costs .

[rickyy33]

I learned a trick for my 03 dodge ram, to get codes. turn the key forward as if to start but don't start, do it 3 times so forward back forward back forward leave it, where the odometer reading is, it'll blink a series of number, Google that number and voilà error code.

Niftyfishincap is right, if you just erase the code, the code is still in the memory of the computer and it will pop back up.

[rickyy33]

If my vehicle has more then one code, it will blink that # right after the first code blinks. Whenever I type the code into google it always brings up one answer, and the correct one. You really have to love the Internet these days, with YouTube and forums and list goes on, it makes do it yourself repairs a lot easier, if you are capable of course.

[darin1082]

Hey guys and gals found a great place to get tested in Fonthill on highway 20 called D&S Auto they can test new and older cars and any heavy vehicle that runs on gas (motorhomes) with no appointment. Just show up and get tested they are right accross from pleasant view cemetary in and out in 5 minutes.

[scapulataf]

Higher octane does not make it run cleaner. Its meant for engines that are old and knocking under load, high compression engines and cars with turbos or superchargers.

If your owners manual says 87 is recommended, use 87 unless you are experiencing knock (which you should not hear, but feel in lack of performance as the computer pulls back the timing to prevent engine damage; ie: blown head gasket).

This is correct. Higher octane fuel is more resistant to ignition, thus why higher performance (higher compression) engines require it. If it makes your car run better when it would normally run fine on regular, then you've got problems. Likely carbon build up in the combustion chambers. Seafoam is supposed to be the doo-doo for these sorts of things. Dump a can of it in your fuel tank. Or, if you don't mind smoking out the neighbourhood (hate your neighbours?) feed a can of it through the throttlebody (slowly) for a more immediate effect.