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can't pass smog, O2 sensor reading reset

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by golfmk681, Aug 27, 2023.

  1. golfmk681

    golfmk681 Active Member

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    Ok folks. 2 yrs ago my cat was stolen but it was replaced by an unknown cat (aftermarket, non-Carb approved) just keep me on the road. Check engine light continues to pop every few hundred miles.

    The problem is when attempt to smog my car, it passes everything except the O2 sensor reading. But because I clear the CEL codes periodically they're saying they can't get a reading off the O2 sensor "I need to drive it for a few days" for a reading to register and come back to the shop for the O2 sensor reading. Last Friday I drove the car but the CEL turned on and I did not pass the O2 sensor check.

    Have anyone heard about this and tried to get their prius to pass? It's such a bummer, the car is still strong, 333k miles. Its been to Mexico and Nor Cal just this year but its sucks I may need to junk the car unfortunately.
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    If you're in California they're giving you a really strange explanation for the smog test because everyone in California with non-CARB approved cat gets failed on the visual inspection of the cat soon as they realize its not OEM. So the good news, is their explanation is not what they're legally required to do. So if I were you I'd find out: "how much can I pay you in cash to 'fix' it to get a smog certificate without driving it around for a few days?" Clearly they're hinting at something like this and a wallet full of hundred dollars bill is probably more interesting to them than losing their license to smog cars.
     
  3. golfmk681

    golfmk681 Active Member

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    You know this place is in the middle of town and they look under the hood but they don't look under the car. They just connect the car via obd port and run the test that way. I've been going to them for years and they are a test only center.

    Re-read your post PriusCamper. Ahhhh got it.
     
  4. Old fat fireman

    Old fat fireman New Member

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    My cat was failing, a new one was insane. My friend at the exhaust shop told me pur in a 90⁰ o2 extension, working perfectly for the last 30k. Cost $ 18 . It just removed it out of the direct stream
     
  5. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    It's always about money our society is based on money look at Clarence Thomas all the way down money cream dollar dollar bills y'all. So you just ask the people at the place where you're getting these results in the business what is it I need to do buddy what's up who's going to take my money and make this go away what do we got to make happen here somebody's going to have an answer even if it's what you don't want to hear junk the car but at least you get some sort of an answer there is a way around all this there's no way all these Latino people down in the hood are driving all these old cars with all these compressors and hydraulics and funny business going on and got legal tags so on and so forth so there's a way and you just pay and it gets done Don't care what it is You just have to weigh the cost and is it going to be a yearly thing every 5 years what talk to me I've never had to take a car off the road for smog issues I've always been able to get it refereed or something It's a Toyota for God's sake just by default it meets the standards plug up and exhaust gas analyzer for the year and make it the vehicle and it's well within range even with a header on it so there's that It's all about the cash always no matter what's going on anywhere you are any country it's about the cash.
     
  6. golfmk681

    golfmk681 Active Member

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    ^^ haha got it haha
     
  7. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    There's no wrong way there's just the local way it's done in your town by whoever is the go-to people to get it handled there's a place everywhere and every town and city even in places in California You can get your car more than likely papered up like you need it so you can drive it Is it worth it to you to find the right people and do the stuff to a lot of people know it's not they're just going to go get another car because that's real easy to do. Just write it off or whatever it is you do and you're part of the world some things are more trouble than they're worth that is factual.
     
  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    I have so many Prius titles from the Prius that I have bought over the years when the cars go to junk I remove the VIN numbers off the car and send it to junk It gets sliced and diced and ground up or whatever they do with it I still have the title I have incorrect tags on many cars and until somebody like the law mentions it and says hey that tag doesn't belong on this car so on and so forth which can take 5 years for them to notice and then when they do I just do it all over again I still have insurance on the proper VIN number the tag just doesn't go back to the VIN number that can't pass inspection so what this is the great thing about having many cars of the exact same type of vehicle like generation 2 Prius or Corollas I have 40 titles of each of these two cars sitting right here in the space in my garage they're put up they're hard to find but I have plenty and picking up more every other day it seems like criminal charges for this not even worth discussing $10 fine maybe It's always a mistake All I carried the wrong title down to the privatized DMV franchise down the street these aren't even governmental office anymore. Their franchises those DMV tag offices that you see in the mall yeah that's run like the Gap you know.
     
  9. golfmk681

    golfmk681 Active Member

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    Ok just an update. So my car has been unregistered and parked most days. Anyway, I was researching this issue and one fix is to fool the O2 sensor reading. So I bought a spacer on temu and so far so good. The cel hasn't turned on and I have 200 miles since the last reset. Before it took less than 60 miles before the cel gets triggered. I'm pretty certain o2 sensor is no longer triggering the cel and I can pass smog! crossing finders. Prius lives! (hopefully lets see Tuesday when I have time to smog it).