2001 Tacoma V6 Catalyst Not Ready

I was wondering if anyone has run into this issue and resolved it. I just bought the truck and I drove it 200 miles already. I drove a combination of local roads as well as 150 miles of interstate freeways. There is no check engine and all fluids have been replaced by me. What do I need to do in order to make the catalyst ready so that I can get a smog check. Thanks for any help.

 

Leave California and move to a state that doesn't require emissions testing...?

Seriously though, did it actually fail a smog test or are you just worried it won't pass?

 

It failed smog check. Is there a drive cycle that I need to complete. I feel like after 200 miles, all drive cycles should already be complete.

 

I'm so glad I don't live in California; I don't know what the exact mileage is, but I have heard that "cycling" the vehicle by driving it helps reset the system.

What did the smog check person tell you? Was the truck putting out too many pollutants or something? In Pennsylvania, you're pretty much much guaranteed to pass the yearly emissions test as long as your check engine light isn't on. I watched my mechanic do it last year; He hooked this wireless thing up to the OBDII port to check for faults. My truck passed with flying colors.

 

I would also like to point out that this is exactly why emissions testing is such a load of BS; I agree 100% with safety inspections (which California surprisingly does not have) as they keep shitboxes off the road. However, emissions testing is pointless nowadays because as stated above most states will pass you as long as (A) the emissions control equipment hasn't been tampered with or removed, and (B) the check engine light is on.

It sounds like the OP's truck is running just fine and is in good condition, and simply failed the smog check because the machine they used to sensed something it didn't like. All vehicles are going to pollute; It's just a matter of maintaining your vehicle properly so it doesn't pollute more than intended!

 

There are no engine codes. He also hooked it up to a machine and all was within spec and operating within normal range. All sensors passed. The only thing that did not pass was the Catalyst is Not Ready. I don’t know the drive cycle to make it ready.

 

Do you mean the catalytic converter?

Also, is your truck originally from California? I know that earlier 1st Gens sold new in California had a different exhaust system than those sold in the other 49 states; I don't know if this is the case for 2001-2004 models.

Again, this is why emissions testing is such hooey; No CEL, no codes, and yet it failed because the "Catalyst was not ready"?

Your truck would pass with flying colors in Pennsylvania!

 

Also, another stupid thing about California is that the ability to register a vehicle 1976 or newer is tied to passing smog; Do you get some sort of permit that allows you to keep driving the truck until you pass smog?

 

All the hardware seems to be fine. The car is from CA. The guy at the smog center told me everything was perfect. In fact, he said the car was maintained very well and it seems the previous owner took really good care of it. The previous owner passed smog and it was already registered. Now, I need to pass smog in order to register and change the title to my name.

 

I found this information. It looks like I was driving too fast, LOL.

Preconditions
The monitor will not run unless:
S MIL is OFF.
S ECT (Coolant Temp) is 176_F (80_C) or greater. S IAT (Intake Air) is 14_F (–10_C) or greater.*
* For 2002 MY and later vehicles: The readiness test can be completed in cold ambient conditions (less than 14_F / –10_C), if the drive pattern is repeated a second time after cycling the ignition OFF.
Drive Pattern Procedure
Connect the OBDII Scantool to DLC3 to check monitor status and preconditions.
Note the IAT (Intake Air) value during engine startup. The driving time must be adjusted during step “a” based upon IAT (Intake Air) value at startup.
a. Drive the vehicle at 40 – 55 mph (64 – 88 km/h) for the time described below: S If IAT (Intake Air) was less than 50_F (10_C) when the engine was started,
drive for 7 minutes.
S If IAT (Intake Air) was greater than 50_F (10_C) when the engine was started,
drive for 3 minutes.
b. Drive the vehicle allowing speed to fluctuate between 35 – 45 mph (56 – 72 km/h)
for about 16 minutes.
If readiness status does not switch to “complete,” ensure preconditions are met, turn the ignition OFF, then repeat steps “a” and “b.”
NOTE:
S Drive with smooth throttle operation.
S Avoid sudden acceleration.
S Avoid sudden deceleration as much as possible with the throttle fully closed.
NOTE:
The readiness status may not switch to “complete” after the first drive pattern trip if a Pending Code has been set (first trip for a two–trip DTC).
S Pending Codes are available from the DTC Info Menu in Enhanced OBDII.
S Pending Codes indicate a POTENTIAL problem was detected. A second trip is
needed to confirm the DTC prior to diagnosis.
S Once a second trip is completed, a current DTC will be stored.

 

I had the same issue. For me, I had to drive at ~45mph for 7+ minutes and that was enough to complete that particular cycle.

 

Did they put your truck on the tread mill for the test and hook up sensor to the tail pipe?

 

No, they just scanned the engine for any codes and hooked up a smog detector to the tail pipe. The code scanner showed that the catalyst was not ready.

 

I have never been able to confirm or disprove the following... I am not 100% sure that the programming in the PCM is sophisticated enough to "only" run the monitors that arent completed. I think that the PCM has to start from the beginning everytime and run the checks and if it finds that something isnt right does it stop right there and not proceed to the the next monitor? Having said that I dont take any chances... I prep the vehicle so that it will run all monitors. I start off with a fuel tank between 1/4 and 3/4 full, this is mandatory for the evap monitors to run. The second is some of these monitors have to be run 2 times from a cold start with an 8 hour wait period in between checks. Toyota is similar to Nissan to Ford to Chevrolet etc. etc. in that a normal drive pattern should set and check the monitors. I have found that with a stubborn CAT monitor that if I decend a long hill that that part throttle constant RPM seems to do the trick, at least for me.