XPost: alt.home.repair, ca.driving   
   From: dannyb@panix.com   
      
   [snip]   
      
   Given that you're in a State that mandates emission inspections...   
      
   Step 1:  use your scanner to _clear_ the error code.   
   If you're very lucky, it won't show back up.   
      
   Alternatively, if it shows up again every 500 miles,   
   just live with it [a].   
      
   If it comes right back after 30 nominal miles (that   
   is, once the system decides to do the rechecks), then   
   you've got to figure out what's wrong   
      
   In my case, with a different car and a slighrly different   
   OBD code, it turned out (we discovered after _lots_ of   
   misdirection) that the EGR was pouring plenty of garbage   
   into the exhaust, coating the catalytic converter, and   
   messing things up.   
      
   Once we replaced the EGR this went from getting the   
   error light/message 20 miles after reset to.. the   
   aforemention very roughly every 500 miles.   
      
   Presumption was/is that there's caked on gunk which   
   is interfering with the converter, but... it's not   
   enough to set it off right away.   
      
   And, alas in my case, no easy way to pull the   
   converter and clean it.  (That's an option   
   with some other cars).   
      
   [a] So what I did was check the OBD readings   
   fifty miles before my last inspection [b], make   
   sure it was ok, head to the inspection station,   
   stop outside, double check the reading, and   
   bring it in.   
      
   [b] the OBD ssytem needs to monitor the car for   
   thirty or so miles after a reset, so I couldn't   
   just clear it at the curb.   
      
   For good measure, which might or might not have   
   made a difference but which made me feel better, I   
      
   1: filled the last couple of tanks with ethanol_free   
   gasoline (which was also higher octane)   
      and   
   2: poured in Luke Oil cleanser into the tank.   
      
   good luck   
      
   --   
   _____________________________________________________   
   Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key   
   		     dannyb@panix.com   
   [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)