The Lotus Cars Community banner
  • Hi there! Why not register as a user to enjoy all of the benefits of the site? You may register here. When you register, please pick a username that is non-commercial. If you use a name that appears on any search engine commercially, you must pick another name, whether it applies to you or not. Commercial usernames are for supporting vendor use only. If you want to become a supporting vendor and grow your business, please follow this link. Thanks!

V8 OBDII readiness monitors

6K views 31 replies 11 participants last post by  jtrealty 
#1 ·
I have been driving my 2002 v8 for the better part of a week after a ECU reset, trying to get the readiness monitors to set. The ECU chip reads as Race02 with a date of 2002 on the software, which best I can tell is a Johan chip. I have reached out to Johan with no response.

Using the OBDII_Esprit software and checking the monitors, only 4 are set as ready.

Set are Misfire, Fuel System, Components, and Oxygen sensor.

Not Set / blank on the Vehicle Test window are:

Reserved, Catalyst, Heated Catalyst, Evaporative System, Secondary Air System, Oxygen Sensor Heater, EGR System.

I have been trying all the tricks mentioned here and on TLF regarding getting the monitors to set as ready / Complete.

So my question is, when the tests run is it a pass / fail system, or some other way of letting me know the test actually ran? Will it throw a code if the test runs and fails?

I am guessing the race mapping disables some of the systems, and may disable the tests as well, but the Evap for example I imagine should still get tested. All systems are still installed on the car, only exception is I removed the EGR pipe, but left all actuators and sensors in place. Secondary air is still installed. I can pass emission if one test is incomplete, but I need the rest to set.

Thanks

Jon
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Don't know exactly how a Johan chip works. Even with a stock chip it is not easy getting every test to "set". The HTU firmware was supposed to help set the monitors quicker but I can't imagine how a Johan chip affects any of it. Because you disconnected the EGR the Johan chip may not care but of course it won't set the monitor for it either. Could be the same problem for the other emissions related monitors. If you need them all to set you may have to go back to a stock chip.
David Teitelbaum
 
#3 ·
I am having a problem getting my 04 to pass smog in Cali, I spoke to a smog referee and he said as you mentioned th test shows the obd blocks out greys out the egr, evap, catalyst etc, he said he has never seen this unless lotus had an exemption from the epa, very frustrating anyone have any suggestions, further he said I would need a letter from lotus showing its the original software for my vin in order to send to the review board, any help is greatly appreciated
 
#4 ·
An '04 Final Edition SHOULD have the most 'compliant' Lotus OBDII software already installed. That's the HTU (High Torque Upgrade) with the enhanced readiness code setting capabilities.

If your battery condition ever has produced a low voltage condition (not totally flat or disconnected) then some of the values could be corrupt. Verify that you have a good/fresh battery; disconnect the negative lead for 30 minutes or so; then drive the car to reset the readiness. (The procedures are in various Topics here and The Lotus Forums.)

I think the key hangup to setting the codes for most, is that you need to run the warmed-up engine at a low RPM for a certain length of time; Don't remember if this needs to be in a certain gear. Another V8 owner will chime in I'm sure.
 
#5 ·
An '04 *should* have the latest and greatest firmware including the HTU BUT! You need to verify the ECU has NOT been swapped out and you have one from an older car that does not have the latest HTU firmware. That being said, you also need to verify your ECU has not been modified and maybe you have a chip in it, either a red race chip or a Johan chip. If you see sockets and signs of resoldering you can figure someone modified your ECU. To do this you will have to remove the ECU from the car, examine the case markings and possibly open the case up. Was this car always a California car?
David Teitelbaum
 
#7 ·
Car came from Florida, the car has been looked over by lotus of West Covina and they checked the ecu, The air filters in the car were black I just finished replacing them and fixing the dry and cracked air boxes that were separating, what a difference that one thing made when firing the car up
 
#8 ·
So the car never has been through the California testing before. It is possible the car was chipped and the Florida testing is nowhere near as strict as California. When you say the ECU was checked exactly what does that mean? It could be all they did was check for error codes. If the air filters were neglected you have to wonder what else has been neglected. All of the service should be checked and brought up to date. The ECU can only be properly checked by removing it from the car. Not that big a deal but it does take some effort. You cannot see all of the sides of the case when it is in the car. And you can't tell if it has been chipped unless there are markings on the case saying so or you have to open the case to see. As far as I know only Lotus USA can tell what is in the ECU if there are no markings on the case. To remove the ECU requires no special tools, in fact, all you need is a Phillips head screwdriver and some patience. Disconnect the battery first. If you do have the Johan chip you probably can't pass Cali testing. Don't despair, you may be able to trade your ECU with someone who isn't in California and would want it.
David Teitelbaum
 
#9 ·
No never been smogged in California or I think period was an east coast car that made its way down to Florida, I'll remove the panel and take some pics and post here, any idea how long it takes for the O2 sensors to set, or,is that something. That should be setting right away, that is the one item that has a red x mark as not ready either at smog or when I put it on my obd reader and driving the car thanks in advance
 
#10 ·
It can take a while till everything sets because to get everything set the car must be driven a certain way and it can take a lot of driving if, for instance, you don't get onto a highway and get it over a certain speed for a long enough time. There is a procedure to drive the car to get everything set faster. I don't have it handy but if you search you should be able to find it. If you do indeed have Johan's chip you may never be able to set all of the monitors so IMHO you will have to get the ECU back to stock or get another ECU somehow if only to pass the test. To get the ECU out there are 4 wood screws and the one big plug after you remove the R/H cover.
David Teitelbaum
 
#12 ·
Setting the O2 readiness is a serious pain in the behind. Ask me how I know. Don't ever let the car run low on power, or reset the ECU, you'll have to go through this again.

I tried forever getting it to set and I could not. I spoke with Dave @ Lotus and took the car to O'Gara in La Jolla. It's a couple hours south of you in San Diego.

If West Covina can't get the O2 sensor to set, Christian at O'Gara CAN. He got mine to set.

Here's their contact info in case you have no other option:

Address: 11455 Sorrento Valley Rd, San Diego, CA 92121
Phone: (858) 350-1393

If I remember correctly, Christian had to drive my car on the 805\5 freeway at a slow speed (can't remember the exact procedure now, been too long) - for a while. People were honking at him and giving him the finger. Glad I did not have to go through that! But he DID get the O2 set finally.

Then again, my ECU is not a Red Race ECU, as it sounds like yours is. When I was researching this ECU (years ago), if I remember correctly, you will never be able to get it to pass CA smog with that ECU, and that's why I decided to leave my ECU alone. But hopefully I'm wrong about that!

As far as the 2004 is concerned, I think they're all 2003.5's, they just call them 04's, so I wouldn't worry about that, they had to do that because they didn't have the funds to meet the new standards ;).

I am not one of the experts on here though so this is just what I've read and from personal experience with my own O2 =o)
 
#13 ·
I think the problem is that the Esprit won't meet 2004 CA emissions... So if you go to get it tested, and they test it as a 2004...

The Lotus Esprit Fact File - Model Information

The last production of 33 Federal Esprits was know as the "Esprit Final Run Edition". In all states except California, this car was be labeled as a 2004MY. In California, the car was sold as a 2003-1/2MY car. This was done to avoid some of the more stringent environmental regulations which went into effect for that state for 2004 and newer cars. These regulations would have involved further development of the ECM software code at a great expense to Lotus. Since this was the last year of production, it was decided it would be more sensible to simply refer to those cars as 2003-1/2 cars instead.

The 2004MY Esprit Final Run Edition has a few modifications to distinguish it from previous models.

Bilstein Dampers with stiffened settings and adjustable spring platforms
Uprated Eibach Springs
Smart Tire system monitors temperature and pressure of each tire individually
New unpainted Stainless steel mesh grills
Esprit decal in rear quarter windows has an etched finish
Stainless steel plaque with the engine builders name on the plenum
All mesh grilles on the front valence and engine compartment are stainless steel in silver finish rather than black.
The tow how is silver in most models (although I did see some with back tow hooks)
Stainless steel perforated rear valance ("cheesgrater") with new rounded slots and a satin finish
The quilted stitching on the seat backs and perforated leather on the seat bottoms and door panels
Passenger side airbag cover is embossed with the Lotus roundel
Elise style climate control knobs with a brushed aluminum finish
New style shorter gear knob is finished in brushed aluminum and topped with a Lotus Badge
The list price for the 2004MY is 94,125.00US.
 
#14 ·
While all that may be true it won't pass under any conditions if many of the monitors aren't set. Some States do not require EVERY monitor to set, some only require most. Depends on how strict any particular State is and we all know CA is about the strictest one there is! With the race chip or the Johan chip some of the monitors are ignored so you can do away with the catalytic converters and not get error codes. That ain't gonna fly in California! If you do have a chipped ECU you will have to get the car back to stock and get all of the monitors to set. You are going to have to get the year straightened out too. If the car is actually an '04 and '04's were never allowed in CA you may never be able to pass smog in CA. I don't know if it is possible to change the Title from an '04 to an '03 1/2. First order of business is to verify if the ECU is chipped.
David Teitelbaum
 
#15 ·
Agree that the readiness flags will have to be set regardless.

I do wonder, he's only mentioned that the Emissions place's computer was showing grey blocks. he hasn't verified with another OBDII scan tool to see if the readiness flags are set or not.

Could it be related to the NY and CA emissions software problems where their systems couldn't communicate properly with the ECU?

Read this.
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f164/v8-failed-emissions-but-all-monitors-set-no-dtc-223025/
@Mtschebaum you'll need to check the ECU with another OBDII reader that is known to work with the Esprit V8 ECU to see whether the readiness flags are set, or not.
 
#16 ·
I am guessing the blocks are greyed out because of the chip. If he has the HTU upgrade (and he should if it is the original ECU, all of the '04's came with the HTU upgrade) all of the communication problems were patched with the HTU. Yes, it *could* be his scanner. Some codes are not generic and a generic scanner cannot read Lotus specific codes. The ultimate would be to find someone with a Tech 1. I offered a way to tell if the car is chipped without any special equipment and if so, he is not going to pass till he can get a stock ECU into the car. Because the car was a Florida car it could have been chipped and still pass there. Different story in CA.
David Teitelbaum
 
#19 ·
Ok then that's actually good news. You have a stock ECU and the O2 just needs setting. See if West Covina or another Lotus specialist in your area can get it to set. If they can't for some reason, make an appointment with O'Gara Coach in La Jolla in San Diego, specifically with Christian Reichner, and he can get your O2 set. There is a Shell gas station just up the road where I took mine to afterward to do the smog. It's just North of there right off the freeway, corner of 5 and the 56 freeways. Tell them O'Gara sent you and you should be fine :up:

And post back here what had to be done to get it to set. It's basically driving at a certain slow speed in a certain gear, sort of lugging the engine, until the stupid monitor goes green. Helps if you've got a laptop\scanner in the passenger seat so you can monitor it while you're driving, that's what Christian did...
 
#20 ·
I drove around in 5th gear at 35-45 for about 20 minutes on a back road, and tried to stay as easy on the throttle as possible to get my O2 monitor to set.

Now if I could just get some of those other ones to set, I would be in the clear. Chances are I will be running a dealer plate on the car though as I am losing hope that the chip in my car will allow the monitors to set.
 
#22 ·
The O2 monitor can be difficult to set. May take a few tries, but the procedure I have used is with the engine warm, find a long straight hill with a modest slope. Hold 35 mph in fifth gear (almost lugging) going uphill. Seems to need at least 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. Not sure if the O2 monitor is effected, but the general recommendation is to perform the drive cycles with at least half a tank of fuel or more. As mentioned, easier if you have the lap top software available and can keep it plugged in while driving, rather than shutting the car off to check if the monitor has set.

Is it just the O2 monitor that is not setting? Sorry, sort of lost the plot.

The other one I find difficult is EGR. I believe it is supposed to set with engine speed above 1500 and light acceleration for over 10 seconds.

I think the other monitors typically set by leaving the car to idle for a while and by driving gently between about 35 and 55 mph.

HTH

Stu
 
#23 ·
I have two ECU's a federal compliant and a modified Eurosport 350 ECU. Every two years I go through the drill re-installing the Federal ECU and resetting the readiness flags, in California. The O2 is a bitch, but I can get it to set each time on my special road! The drive cycle: 35 MPH (max) in 5th gear up a long straight moderate incline, NO throttle movement for at least 60-90 seconds (a long incline)and the flag sets.
 
#24 ·
Well good news, I went to get an emissions inspection and passed. I had all but one readiness monitor set, that darned O2 sensor monitor. It was weird, in the Esprit OBD software, it said the 02 sensor monitor was set, and the 02 sensor heater monitor was not set. When plugging in with a regular OBDII software, it was opposite, saying the O2 sensors were not set, and the O2 heater was set. Whatever the case, our local inspection laws state the for a car of this age one monitor can not be set, and the car will pass.

Now for the other monitors, with the generic OBDII software, they were grayed out, and marked as not supported. This includes Evap, Secondary Air, EGR, Catalyst, Heated Catalyst, and perhaps another. Apparently the state's computer reads it the same way.

This is a chip identified as RACE02 in the Esprit OBD software. Best I can tell it is a very early Johan's chip, programmed in 02 or 03.
 
#25 ·
...

This is a chip identified as RACE02 in the Esprit OBD software. Best I can tell it is a very early Johan's chip, programmed in 02 or 03.
Sounds like my ECU. Interesting bit about the monitor mismatch
 
#26 ·
Most States do not require EVERY monitor to be set. The # varies State to State and also which ones MUST be set. As you can see some things are manufacturer specific and not all software can read every code. Now that you have been through your State's inspection process you know what you need to do it again. I guess your State is not that strict if you passed with Johan's chip.
David Teitelbaum
 
#27 ·
After all this monitor talk, I decided to check mine. Sure enough o2 was incomplete.

Drove the car at a 55mph for 5min, drove it a 50 for 5min, drove it at 45 for 2min, drove at 40 for 2 min, drove at 35 for 2 min. None of that worked.

The shorter runs were done on a road with a slight but insconsistant incline. So it was difficult to maintain steady throttle.

So I searched for another road with a constant incline and found one

I let the car idle from cold with the AC off till the fans came on then fans off. Drove out to said road. Drove at 35mph in 5th gear, lugging the engine, for 2min with AC off.

Results:



Johan's ECU will pass smog as long as your monitors are set.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top