QuestionI am trying to have my car inspected but I was told that the computer seems to be stuck in a loop and the inspection computer cannot complete the inspection cycle.I was asked if the battery was disconnected at any time, I told them no, however they found the battery to be low in voltage. The service station put in a new battery, but now I'm told the car has to be driven a certain # of miles before the computer resets itself. Any ideas would be appreciated.
AnswerHello Maureen,
I don't live where any inspection is needed, so I don't know what they are even looking for.
It would seem to me that if the car started itself, the battery should not have been a problem, but I just don't know what they are checking.
There is a code that gets stored when the battery is disconnected, but it doesn't cause any operating problems, and shouldn't even turn on the light.
Start it and drive it a few times....won't hurt anything, but I normally clear any codes with a scan tool, and then see if they reset, and go from there.
I don't even know where you live, but I am curious about the inspection, and if they had that equipment connected, why they didn't erase the codes.
Loop, which I assume means "open loop" is normally caused by a stored code, and that is where you need to start. Next time, ask them if there are stored codes, and more importantly, what the codes are.
Keep in mind, if they say an oxygen sensor code is being stored, that doesn't mean the oxygen sensor itself is bad necessarily.
If there is something causing a rich condition, such as fouled spark plugs, or a lean condition, such as a vacuum leak, it will store a code that says the oxygen sensor is rich or lean. Hey...that is what it is supposed to say. So don't just replace the sensor. You just need to use that information to point you in the right direction.
So see if it fails again, and ask if they can give you the codes.
Van
