Emissions Issue on a `99 Suburban
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Joined: Nov 2011
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From: Woodstock, GA
Emissions Issue on a `99 Suburban So I bought a `99 Suburban a few months ago and really never drove it until it was time to get emissions. It set 2 codes, a po327 and a po430. Also my birthday passed so I can't legally drive it so as to perform a drive cycle after I make the repairs. Has anyone run into this? The county office says that I have to tow it to the emissions, which of course I won't do because of the lack of readiness.
I may have to cut my losses and sell it super cheap to someone aware of the codes.
I may have to cut my losses and sell it super cheap to someone aware of the codes.
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From: Bossier City, Louisiana
The 327 code is for detecting knock - likely caused by a bad knock sensor or the wiring harness to one of the two knock sensors under the intake manifold. The connectors on the harness get crumbly due to engine heat and trapped water around the sensors. These sensors are impossible to reach without removing the intake manifold if your engine is still a 1999 version of the 5.3 liter LM7. I've got one in my 70 El Camino exactly like it.
The 430 code is for catalyst efficiency. Could be a bad O2 sensor or your catalytic converter is worn out. Or both. I had no idea that Georgia was an emissions testing state.
Rick
The 430 code is for catalyst efficiency. Could be a bad O2 sensor or your catalytic converter is worn out. Or both. I had no idea that Georgia was an emissions testing state.
Rick
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Birthday? How is this connected to emissions testing?
There must be some provision to account for this. If you live in a state that does OBD-scan e-testing, then they are well aware of the fact that driving the vehicle is required in order to achieve readiness status, otherwise the test is impossible to perform and the vehicle will be rejected. That said, in my state you can get a short term waiver (I think it's one or two weeks) to legally drive the vehicle for repairs and the necessary mileage to achieve readiness status. There is no other way that this can be done, the vehicle must be driven to pass the test. And that's going to be true whether you keep it or sell it to someone else - so there must be a way around this somehow.
But I'm still confused about how your birthday ties into all this. Is your driver's license also expired, and is that somehow tied to e-testing in your state? Many years ago, something similar used to be true in my state (lack of e-test compliance would lead to a suspended DL), but they stopped doing that long ago and now you simply can't renew your plates until the test is complete or a wavier is obtained. Lack of emissions compliance no longer has any impact on DL status here. But if this IS regarding your driver's license rather than just the vehicle plates, then you could simply have a shop do the repairs and complete the drive cycle, after which you could get it towed to the e-test center (or, have someone else with a valid DL drive the car after you make repairs).
But I'm still confused about how your birthday ties into all this. Is your driver's license also expired, and is that somehow tied to e-testing in your state? Many years ago, something similar used to be true in my state (lack of e-test compliance would lead to a suspended DL), but they stopped doing that long ago and now you simply can't renew your plates until the test is complete or a wavier is obtained. Lack of emissions compliance no longer has any impact on DL status here. But if this IS regarding your driver's license rather than just the vehicle plates, then you could simply have a shop do the repairs and complete the drive cycle, after which you could get it towed to the e-test center (or, have someone else with a valid DL drive the car after you make repairs).
Here in Ohio, a few counties require emission testing, vehicle re-registration is based on birthday. Registration is every year, emission testing is every other year. Test failure allows to be able to obtain a 30 day temporary tag to work out the problem for retesting. A printout of the failure is required to get a 30 day tag. Depending upon how 'lax/unlax' the registration office is, sometimes a 30 day tag would be issued without the failure documentation. Repair shops have 'plates' acquired for the purpose of being able to drive a car that has 'expired' for repair purposes or just to put drive cycles on for testing.
I'm retired and worked at a Tuffy automotive repair facility part time in the mornings. I was the drive cycle person. Slap on the plate and drive it, come back and read codes, others would do the repair and I would drive cycle again. When everything was OK I would drive it to the testing facility to obtain the 'pass' documentation for the owner to be able to get registration. Worst case I ever had was a Ford Escort that took over a dozen drive cycles to set the monitors to OK/ready.
I'm retired and worked at a Tuffy automotive repair facility part time in the mornings. I was the drive cycle person. Slap on the plate and drive it, come back and read codes, others would do the repair and I would drive cycle again. When everything was OK I would drive it to the testing facility to obtain the 'pass' documentation for the owner to be able to get registration. Worst case I ever had was a Ford Escort that took over a dozen drive cycles to set the monitors to OK/ready.
Thread Starter
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From: Woodstock, GA
In the state of Georgia, we have to register our vehicles by our birthday. So as of July 4th, this vehicle is no longer legal to drive to achieve readiness. I am looking into getting a short term waiver. I want to be able to drive it legally for emissions readiness as well as getting it to the test location.
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Anyway, as FirstYrLS1Z mentioned above, if all else fails and you can't get some sort of waiver yourself, just get a shop involved. They will be able to drive the vehicle and/or obtain whatever permission is necessary to do so in your state because this is the only possible way that it could be prepared for testing.
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Nov 2011
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From: Woodstock, GA
Wow, it's so interesting how different these processes can be from one state to the next. Here in IL, the only driving/vehicle-related thing connected to one's birthday is driver's license expiration. Plates/registration expiration is tied to the month you bought the vehicle (or, more specifically, the month you originally bought a given set of plates - since they retain the same expiration month if you later transfer them to a different vehicle). I had no idea that some states tie this to an individual's birthday (which seems difficult to account for since you might buy a vehicle 1 day or 300+ days prior to your next birthday).
Anyway, as FirstYrLS1Z mentioned above, if all else fails and you can't get some sort of waiver yourself, just get a shop involved. They will be able to drive the vehicle and/or obtain whatever permission is necessary to do so in your state because this is the only possible way that it could be prepared for testing.
Anyway, as FirstYrLS1Z mentioned above, if all else fails and you can't get some sort of waiver yourself, just get a shop involved. They will be able to drive the vehicle and/or obtain whatever permission is necessary to do so in your state because this is the only possible way that it could be prepared for testing.
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