Nevermind. I would like to delete this thread. Is it possible to do so? Thank you.

 

A legitimate question... if I make some simple repairs like changing the air filter, getting my oil changed - how long after doing this do I need to wait to get the smog test done? Will it have an immediate effect? I also read that if you've only recently charged the battery, you should wait to get the test and drive for a while. Unfortunately my reg is expired because I need smog, so I can't really drive it around. But the car has been sitting for 6 months and I will be charging the battery. Will this really cause it to fail? Any advice appreciated, thanks!

 

It helps to know the year, make, model and trim of car as well as modifcations if any.

The answer will be different depending on the car and setup.

 

Sorry about that, I had it in the original post but deleted it. It's a 96 Honda Civic cx. No mods. Always passed smog before, suddenly failed (on NO only; the 15 mph test. It got 664...). I read that air filter can contribute to this, to be honest I can't ever remember changing it in 10 years (never knew it was required until today...) Oil hasn't been changed in probably 2 years... I know... I'm awful In fairness I almost never drive the car. For the past 2 years maybe it would go 20 miles a week tops, or more likely just driven once a month for about 30 minutes, and in the last 6 months it has not even been started. (I have a battery tender so battery is OK to start; I finally got some Sta-bil but haven't added it in. It's been sitting on a full tank so hopefully this helps, but wondering if the sitting fuel will make the test fail harder...). My options are just limited since I can't drive the car around much as the reg is expired now (due to the smog situation. I'm paid up, just lacking smog.)

About the smog failure - this failed test was a year ago. I have not had it retested since then.

 

96, means it's Obd2a so part of the smog is plugging into the OBD port and getting ready states.

I'm not sure if driving is required to have all sensor "ready" or if idling can do it. However, if you haven't actually lost power by using a tender, I don't think that will be an issue.

Not changing your oil is just gonna cause accelerated engine wear. Of which could eventually cause failing smog due to ring wear etc. The additive packages in motor oil break down over time once the oil has been run in an engine. That is why it's 3 months or 3000 miles for conventional motor oil. Whichever comes first. Synthetic is a bit hardier but I don't believe you've been spending the cash on synthetic.

Air filter starves the engine of air, not changing it can cause the car to run inefficiently. Could potentially help smog and is cheap to change.

Old gas could also be a factor. Quite possible all these things have added up to cause you to fail.

Also you should be able to get a temporary tag to be able to drive it for a little bit and to take it to smog. I don't know of a state that doesn't have 3 day permit etc. They are needed to be able to drive the car to a repair shop etc.

 

Thanks for the help, man. Really appreciate your answer here.

Interesting to read about the temp tag. Yeah, if I can get that, my options change dramatically, because I can drive the car around, etc. I can even run the gas down and put in fresh at the very least so I can store it with the STA-BIL which would be great.

So a couple of questions - suppose I change the air filter, put in new gas, etc. How much/how long do I need to drive the car around before I try for another smog test?

Want to make sure I understand . Are you saying, that if the lack of oil change is already causing your smog to fail, the damage has been done? (That getting a fresh oil change won't help at that point, and you need to replace the rings?) Sorry if I misunderstood.

I read that if you've just had to jump start or charge your battery, don't do smog right away because the internal test monitors are erased, and that you need to drive it again for a while for them to be ready. Is that what you're referring to here? You're saying that (maybe), just idlying would be sufficient for this? Any thoughts on how long you'd want to let it idle before they'd be ready again? (Again sorry if I misunderstood you here.)

Ah, about the old gas. I think I communicated wrong. My failed smog test was one year back, during that time the car was being driven still (once a month or so). It's only in the last 6 months that it's been sitting, so the bad gas wouldn't be an issue til now. I just figured it's only going to make things worse than what it was before lol

 

Hey, want to say that I just looked this up, and California does indeed allow for a one time 60 day temporary registration, specifically for people in my situation (who have paid the reg but failed smog). WOW, total game changer for me to be honest. Really want to thank you for mentioning that. Guess the 60 day is valid either from date reg ends, or from date you mark the car non-OP so my best bet might be marking it as non-OP then going this route and trying to fix some things like this. Worth a shot I guess.