Hi there Fit Freaks,

I have a 2007 Honda Fit Sport with 107,XXX miles. I'm in California and my smog check is due this month. I took it in last week and 4 of my monitors passed but the CAT monitor gave a reading of "not ready." I have driven it 130 miles since then, mostly highway 60+ mph, but when I returned to the smog station today the reading is still "not ready." The guy at the smog station and my mechanic were both stumped and advised me to drive around some more. Does anyone have any advice on how I can get the CAT monitor to actually pass the test?

Some more background: Purchased second hand in Oct 2012, clean title. About 6 months after I purchased it the check engine light came on. Took it to a mechanic and the code was P0420--catalytic converter efficiency below threshold. However, the car has always handled normally. I didn't do anything about it and the check engine light went off by itself. The light has continued coming on and off since then, but it did pass the smog test in 2014.

The check engine light had been on for about 6 months when I got my oil changed in early February 2016. They shut off the check engine light at that time and it hasn't come on since.

Really appreciate any advice as without passing the smog test, I am going to have expired tags in 2 weeks!

 

Mine was doing that when I bought it, I put a tank of top tier 87 octane in and half a can of seafoam. Took it about 100 miles but then I could reset the codes and it took another 20 is start stop drive cycles to get all the sensors ready. Then it passed. Soon as the tank with the sea-foam was gone, the code P0420 came back. The are a low emission car so the cat has to be almost perfect to get a good reading. So if you want it fixed you need a front and rear O2 + a Cat. Rock Auto has the best deals.

I'm considering buying a new cat, and just swapping to pass the test, according to my analyzer I'm only about 1/2 of a percent out of spec and it chaps me I have to buy all this crap for a test, only to improve the emissions by a unmeasurable amount.

 

Many CEL readiness codes depend on a certain number of Drive Cycles, not just mileage.

I'd say give it a five more cycles.

It would help if we knew which parameter is 'not ready'. Might be an evap code rather than the Cat monitor? Some code readers reset EVERYTHING.

PS, try and notice the green blinking key icon when you start the car. If it goes off, all monitors are 'READY'. If it blinks several times, they aren't.

 

On mine the "P0420--catalytic converter efficiency below threshold." ties to a System Not ready status. When I clear mine I can clear just the engine codes.. Or others in the menus.. I'm kinda lazy so I typically blow them away, Mine takes about 200 miles and about 20 drive cycles to clear the not ready status.

 

Readiness indicators are not set because you reset the the Check engine light. There is a specific list of things the car must go through before all of the readiness indicators are set. That list of item varies by year. I have never had to go through this on a Fit but I have on many other vehicles. Google readiness indicator for you years Fit and see if you can find the list. Then determine exactly what indicator is not set. Hopefully the list you find will also tell you exactly how you have to drive the car to get it set correctly.

This might also help:
Emissions Testing :: Information :: Honda Fit 2007-2016 Owners Manual :: Second generation (2007–2016) - HoFit.org

Please note that readiness will not be set if it is too cold outside.

 

Let me try this a little different angle,,, On mine, (2007 sport AT)if I reset all engine codes, the 6 or 8 "ready-nes" tests immediately go to not ready or pending,,,, depending on the test some just take 1 start to go ready some take a mile or two, the cat ready doesn't turn ready for a couple days and about the 200 miles I mentioned.. They also all go to pending or not ready if I leave the battery disconnected for a while.

 

That sounds about right. Failure to set the readiness codes are not an emission error. Failure to set the codes simply says that you have not met the criterion to set the readiness since the last reset of the SES or Check engine light. This was designed so someone could not simply reset their light and then immediately drive it into the emission station and get a clean test result.

I just played that game on a V-6 Ford Sport Track. Twice I cleared the Check Engine light and stored codes and twice I drove it until the readiness codes were all OK. Unfortunately the Check engine light set again before I could get it through emissions inspection. On the third try, all readiness codes were OK and I immediately got it through the emissions inspection before a Check Engine light set again. I'm going to have to fix this problem before it goes through inspection again two years from now. It is a right bank failure that I believe is a leaking exhaust gasket.

 

Yep leaky manifold to header pipe doughnut will raise hell ..

 

On the OP's car the post cat O2 sensor most likely is shot! period! If cat is bad the monitor will be ready and above mentioned code will appear. I would inspect sensor wires for damage and try a different sensor.

 

The spec on the low emission vehicle sensor is extremely tight Way too tight for a narrow band sensor in my opinion. The cat will drop out of the programed tune at the drop of a hat, water in the fuel, too much ethanol, old fuel.. etc. I treat the O2 sensors as a service item on most of my cars, I just change them t 80 to 100 K miles and forget them.. You can even get a small does of lead in your fuel depending on the tank farm you get fuel from.

 

Thanks for all the advice. Here's the (successful) update: I bought a can of Seafoam, drove it about 100 miles including some highway driving. The green key was not blinking so I thought it would be ready but alas, when I took it in last Friday, CAT monitor still not ready. So Saturday morning I went into the garage, turned it on, waited 20 seconds, and then hit the accelerator for 3 minutes to 2000 rpm while in park. Drove it for 3 hours round trip, mostly highway at 60 mph. On Monday the monitor was ready and the car passed no problem. 4th time's a charm!

 

Yep drive cycles are the key, the engine has to cool off enough to turn on the cold engine indicator or it doesn't count.. (Based on my playing around with it and nothing more scientific than that..

 

So I'm having this CAT monitor not ready on my 2011 Fit and failed my CA smog test.
I'm planning to do the "drive cycle" this weekend and hopefully it will be ready. I know that if the MIL indicator blinks 5 times, it means its not ready yet. So if I successfully do the drive cycle, then the MIL should not blink 5 times correct? I just want to make sure that it is ready before I bring it to smog test again.

Thanks.

 

Reset the monitors with Innova scanner. All monitors should be ready within 1 week provided no sensors are disconnected after reset and the car is driven at least 150 miles in one week

 

I have this problem on my 07 fit. Driven 300 miles and the catalyst monitor is not set. Its been a month, I need to go for a smog very, very soon! Again, I drive the car everyday and I"ve put over 300 miles. Driven it from cold, at least twice daily.
Is there anything else I can do??

 

The following was taken from the Honda-tech web site:

If the testing facility determines that
the readiness codes are not set, you
will be requested to return at a later
date to complete the test. If you must
get the vehicle retested within the
next two or three days, you can
condition the vehicle for retesting by
doing the following.


Make sure the gas tank is nearly,
but not completely, full (around
3/4).

Make sure the vehicle has been
parked with the engine off for 6
hours or more.

Make sure the ambient
temperature is between 40° and
95°F.

Without touching the accelerator
pedal, start the engine, and let it
idle for 20 seconds.

Keep the vehicle in Park
(automatic transmission) or
neutral (manual transmission).
Increase the engine speed to 2,000
rpm, and hold it there until the
temperature gauge rises to at least
1/4 of the scale (about 3minutes).

Select a nearby lightly traveled
major highway where you can
maintain a speed of 50 to 60 mph
(80 to 97 km/h) for at least 20
minutes. Drive on the highway in
D (A/T) or 5th (M/T). Do not use
the cruise control. When traffic
allows, drive for 90 seconds
without moving the accelerator
pedal. (Vehicle speed may vary
slightly; this is okay.) If you cannot
do this for a continuous 90
seconds because of traffic
conditions, drive for at least 30
seconds, then repeat it two more
times (for a total of 90 seconds).

Then drive in city/suburban
traffic for at least 10 minutes.
When traffic conditions allow, let
the vehicle coast for several
seconds without using the
accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal.

Stop the vehicle, turn off the
ignition switch, and leave it off for
30 minutes.

If the testing facility determines the
readiness codes are still not set, see
your dealer.



Cat and Evap readiness are the most difficult to set to ready. Fuel tank needs to be between 1/4 and 3/4 and the ambient temp needs to be above 40F.

Give it a try.

 

I successfully cleared the Catalyst Not Ready monitor on my car by following this. I did drive my car on stop and go condition above 25mph with occasional
steady cruise as stated in this procedure.
But since I dont have any scanner with me, I wouldn't know if my car is already set. So after driving on the side street, I followed also the one in the manual which is driving it at 50-60mph on the freeway. So pretty much I combined both of these procedures and when I got home after driving around 60 miles and turned the car off for an hour, the MIL indicator just turned off and was not blinking 5 times anymore.



Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Indication (In relation to Readiness Codes)

The vehicle has certain readiness codes that are part of the on-board diagnostics for the emissions systems. If the vehicle's battery has been disconnected or gone dead, if the DTCs have been cleared, or if the ECM/PCM has been reset, these readiness codes are reset to incomplete. In some states, part of the emissions testing is to make sure these codes are set to complete. If all of them are not set to complete, the vehicle may fail the emission test, or the test cannot be finished.

To check if the readiness codes are set to complete, turn the ignition switch ON (II), but do not start the engine. The MIL will come on for 15пјЌ20 seconds. If it then goes off, the readiness codes are set to complete. If it flashes five times, one or more readiness codes are not set to complete. To set readiness codes from incomplete to complete, do the procedure for the appropriate code.

To check the status of a specific DTC system, check the OBD status in the DTC MENU with the HDS. This screen displays the code, the current data list of the enable criteria, and the status of the readiness testing.

Catalytic Converter Monitor and Readiness Code

NOTE:

Do not turn the ignition switch to ACCESSORY (I) or to LOCK (0) during the procedure.

All readiness codes are cleared when the battery is disconnected, if the DTCs have been cleared, or if the ECM/PCM is reset with the HDS.

Low ambient temperatures or excessive stop-and-go traffic may increase the drive time needed to switch the readiness code from incomplete to complete.

The readiness code will not switch to complete until all the enable criteria are met.

If a fault in the secondary HO2S system caused the MIL to come on, the readiness code cannot be set to complete until you correct the fault.

Enable Criteria

ECT SENSOR 1 at 158 В°F (70 В°C) or more.

IAT SENSOR at 20 В°F (пјЌ7 В°C) or more.

VEHICLE SPEED above 25 mph (40 km/h).

Procedure

Connect the HDS to the vehicle's data link connector (DLC), and bring up the READINESS CODEs screen for Catalyst in the DTCs MENU.

Start the engine.

Test-drive the vehicle under stop-and-go conditions with short periods of steady cruise. After about 5 miles(8 km), the readiness code should switch to complete.

If the readiness code is still not set to complete, check for a Pending DTC with the HDS. If there is no DTC, one or more of the enable criteria were probably not met; repeat the procedure.


How to Set Readiness Codes :: Engine Control :: Internal Combustion Powertrain Control :: Powertrain :: Honda Fit 2007-2017 Repair Manual :: Second generation (2007-2017) - HoFit.org

 

The cat monitor is based on information from secondary (downstream) O2 sensor
If scanner with live data is available:
read catalyst temperature (has to be at least 300 degrees C after 10 mile trip)
secondary O2 B1S2 voltage with engine on (idle, closed loop, ECT @ 80 degrees C): 0.5 to 1.1 volts)

 

My smog saga started with 3 monitors not ready, EVAP, Oxygen, and one other (not CAT). I had been disconnecting my battery due to seldom driving. The CAT was one of the ready monitors after reconnecting the battery and driving just the ~2-3 mile surface street trip to the smog place.

In anticipation of having to drive a lot to fix this problem, I stupidly refueled my car well past full. The EVAP will never be ready at this rate! On top of this, I didn't click the gas cap the full 3 clicks. After several weeks of driving around, I was left with EVAP and oxygen not ready, and then a check engine warning for check fuel cap P0455 code (large evap leak). I was very worried that I had gotten some sand during a wind storm into my EVAP system. I bought a new fuel cap, made sure it clicked fully closed, and then had to reset my codes and hence erase all that warmup driving history. =(

After about 5 days of some surface street driving and idling the car a long time with rear defroster and AC on, then holding the 2000 rpm for 3 min. as instructed in the drivers' manual, all monitors were ready except EVAP and CAT! The check engine warning never reappeared. Evap is not a problem in CA as one can still pass with it not ready.

I was confounded why the CAT became ready after one short drive after reconnecting the battery, but now it wouldn't turn ready even after I replicated that short drive. Perhaps the speeds and stops weren't 100% identical, but still, it was way more driving than that first time. I knew I wasn't hitting the 55 mph+ speeds mentioned in the driver's manual, though, so there was no choice but to go on the freeway during non-busy hours so that I could fiddle around with the speed. After about a 28 mile round trip (of which maybe 2/3 was freeway), CAT was finally ready! I was driving 55-70 mph during the freeway portion.

These forums have been so helpful. Thank you!

 

Another 2007 (133K miles) that won't set the Cat Monitor ready after 1000+ miles, and also doing the idle and 2K rpms procedure. I guess it has to go to the dealer for diagnosis. Perhaps I should disconnect the battery, and try again from scratch. Did another 60 miles today with no luck. (How stupid ... burning gallons of gas trying to make an emissions computer happy.)

Edit: I did a code reset, which made 5 of the monitors not ready, and now I'm back down to just the Cat monitor not ready again. I guess it's one of the sensors or the cat. Will try a bottle of Cataclean first.

Edit 2: I took my car out in the cold rain and floored the crap out of it on the freeway over and over, and when I got home, the tool said Cat monitor was ready and green! Car passed smog check. That was after trying the various drive cycles each day for like a week, with no success each evening. PITA and a waste of gasoline and waste of time. I bought the Cataclean but it fixed itself before I got to try it.