can you get emissions test with check engine light on

How to Pass Emissions Test Tricks

Last updated on January 16th, 2023 at 06:01 am

If you like to learn how to pass emissions test tricks or maybe you want to know if you can get the emissions test done with the check engine light on?

In this post, we will discuss how to pass emission test with the engine light on and how long to drive after reset the computer to pass the emission test.

If you drive a newer model car, it means that your car comes with an On-Board Diagnostics System (OBD II).

The OBD system is made to catch the emissions issue by preventing them from becoming a major problem in the car, and so it helps you monitor or identify a problem on your car by displaying a check light on the dashboard.

The functions of OBD include:

  1. It informs about your car conditions which waste fuel, shortens your engine life, and then makes you spend excessively on repairs.
  2. It allows you to know if your car is contributing unusual air by emitting excessive pollutants. Check Emission System Honda Civic 2012 2013, 2014 & 2015

What to do for a Check for Emissions Test?

You need to understand that the emissions test determines what air pollutants are emitted from your vehicle’s exhaust.

 Many states indeed require all registered vehicles in their state to be tested. This means once any vehicle fails its emissions testing, then a repair is needed before it can be retested.

But you should be aware that every state determines its specified testing procedures. However, this depends on their testing tools.

Below are what they check during emission testing:

  1. They check the level of hydrocarbons
  2. They check level nitrogen oxide
  3. They check level carbon monoxide
  4. They check level carbon dioxide 
  5. They check level emissions from evaporation.

Their tools will examine your vehicle exhaust system and tells you the level of your Hydrocarbon and Carbon Monoxide through a computer print-out.

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Can you get the emissions test done with check engine light on?

What you should know is that your vehicle can’t pass any emission test  once your check engine light is illuminated. However, once the car battery is removed or you erase the trouble codes, then what is when your car can pass the emission test, you need to drive for at least a week. But you must take away any monitoring device in your car before any test and then put it back once done.

Please you shouldn’t drive your car whenever the check engine light is illuminated. Once you notice the check engine light is on, ensure the light is not ignored.

Identify the issues, because the light simply means there’s an existing issue that may cause potential damage to a serious component of your vehicle if ignored. 

Your gas cap is what you should examine once this light is on. This is because a broken or loose gas cap can make your Check Engine light to illuminate. Note that the light can go off by itself whenever the gas cap is tightened correctly.

Sometimes your vehicle might be looking fine, but there’s an issue that can cause your emission level to increase. Once you see this, your vehicle needs to be taken to a mechanic immediately.

How to pass emission test with engine light on

It is good to note that most states require car emissions testing before they can renew your vehicle registration. What this check is all about is to verify your vehicle isn’t emitting harmful vapours into the air. A lot of states now make use of OBD-II testing just to ensure your vehicle isn’t violating required standards. 

For your vehicle to pass the OBD-II emissions testing, it should have the following:

  1. It should have a working Check Engine light and an OBD port
  2. Your Check Engine light should be put off
  3. It should complete the OBD-II monitoring system successfully which was built-in to the vehicle

Whenever the Check Engine light is cleared or you reset the OBD-II monitoring system immediately before you run an emissions test, it will fail the test because the EVAP and catalyst monitoring system needs enough time to run. Ensure you drive for several days, which will allow any codes more time to recur again. 

Once you use an OBD, it will be easy to monitor how ready your vehicle is for emissions. This will allow you to fix any emission issue and assures you that your vehicle is ready for the test. Below is how to pre-test your vehicle first:

  1. Make a connection to your OBDLink app
  2. Then tap the monitors
  3. Just click the menu icon you will see in the right corner to select your state
  4. You will see a warning with either a Ready or Not Ready check

How long to drive after reset computer to pass emission test

I know you might be thinking about the reason you need your vehicle computer to reset. One reason is common, you want to ensure your car passes the emission test. However, for your car to pass, it has to run some checks without putting off any error code.

I guess the reason you’re wondering how long to drive after resetting the computer to pass the emission test is because you have gone for testing and after connecting their scanning device, your car failed simply because your computer hasn’t reset yet. 

The question remains how do you pass the emission test? How long to drive after reset the computer to pass emission test?

My answer to you depends on how well you drive your car. This is because there are conditions you must meet for your car computer to run on various sensors.

However, for some, it could be ready after 50 miles of drive, while for others, it could be hundreds of miles in some cases. The reason is like this, is because the computer system has to ensure your vehicle is safe via different readiness monitoring.

Although depending on your vehicle model, it might need to perform several readiness monitoring to ensure all vehicle sensors are perfectly working well and the emissions testing was done perfectly.

How to Pass Emissions Test Tricks

For those who want to pass their vehicle emission test, there are some tricks you can use to escape failing the test.

Below are quick tips and tricks you should in have in mind if you need to pass an emissions test:

  1. Make sure to warm your engine beforehand.
  2. Just ensure your vehicle is up-to-date on its service routine
  3. Try fixing any known engine-related issues first
  4. Ensure your vehicle Check Engine light is turned off
  5. Take your vehicle to a smog testing location which can be retest for free

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