I'm a smog tech, and I'll tell you what the rules are and you can determine if he fucked up or not. If he fucked up get a free retest, if he wants you to pay call BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair).
I'm not going to list the full details until I know what year/car this is for.
Visual Check Engine Light test
1. Vehicle is off
2. Turn the key to the "ON" position in the ignition
3. You should see the check engine light turn on (no other lights matter)
4. Start the car, you should see the check engine light turn off
(This test does vary depending on the year/make of the vehicle but if your car does passes this then it's passes the visual. If it fails this, you may still pass depending on the car). Let me know what make/year it is I'll let you know if it passes anyway.
Functional Check Engine Light Test
1. Only applies to 1996 or newer vehicles (some 04 models exempt, 05+ generally get exempt for now) Only like 10 cars from 02-03 are exempt.
2. The smog machine hooks up the the cars OBDII port (car's cpu) and checks for any codes
3. If any codes are present, BUT the check engine light is off while running you will pass this test. So if the Check Engine Light is off while running you will pass this part and pass visual.
4. The second part to this test is the monitor check, there are monitors that communicate with the car's main computer and notifies the computer if it sees any problems. If the monitors see a problem it flags the main computer and the main computer turns on the check engine light.
5. If you turn off the check engine light by scanner or disconnect the battery, you basically resetting the monitors. If you try to smog the car and the monitors are NOT set, the machine will fail your car.
6.To set these monitors you must drive X miles, usually around 50 to be safe.
7. After you have driven X miles if the light does not come back on your good to go. (ask the smog tech to check your monitors before the test, they will generally do this for you) 1996-00 you can have 2 monitors NOT set, 01+ can have only 1.
So overall if your light is off while running but works in the "ON" position, it will pass this test. If it doesn't these are a few reasons why he may have failed the car.
Worse case scenario there is a way around this test IF you car is 1996-2000. If it's 2001+ I think this trick may not work but it might (I haven't tried it). I know it works for 1996-2000.
First find a technician that will test your car if you left it running. Ie: when you park in their lot you don't turn off the car. He hops in the car and doesnt shut it off until the CEL functional test. If he's willing to do that, then this will work.
If you don't have a scanner then just simply disconnect the negetive terminal on the battery for 20 secs and re-connect. This will reset your check engine light. Drive X miles (usually 50) but the more the better, what you want to do is have the monitors SET. While your driving do NOT shut off the car at all no matter what. Just do your mileage and go straight to the smog shop. Leave it running and have him test it, only shutting the car off when he does the CEL visual and functional. The reason behind this is, the monitors usually need to see the same problem 2 times in a row in different drive cycles. Meaning if you never shut the car off your still on the first drive cycle so the check engine light should never come on. once you shut the car off the car may consider it to be a new drive cycle so once you start driving again the light may come on. But it will not come on if he just starts it back up only when you start driving, remember this is because the monitors don't run at idle that's why you need to drive X miles.
If the car is 76-1995 then you dont need to worry about the functional check engine light test, only need to worry about the visual.
The rule for 76-1995 is
1.turn key to ON, CEL should come on.
2. start car, if the light goes off for a split second at all then it's a pass. (loophole in the law book). Meaning once you start the car, if the CEL turns off for 1/2 a second and comes back on thats still considered a pass. If it stays on the entire time without turning off at all then it's a fail.
3. Obviously if you start the car and the light goes off and stays off then you pass.
4. That's all there is to it.
if you need more info let me know, but that's the general idea behind that part of the test.
I'm not going to list the full details until I know what year/car this is for.
Visual Check Engine Light test
1. Vehicle is off
2. Turn the key to the "ON" position in the ignition
3. You should see the check engine light turn on (no other lights matter)
4. Start the car, you should see the check engine light turn off
(This test does vary depending on the year/make of the vehicle but if your car does passes this then it's passes the visual. If it fails this, you may still pass depending on the car). Let me know what make/year it is I'll let you know if it passes anyway.
Functional Check Engine Light Test
1. Only applies to 1996 or newer vehicles (some 04 models exempt, 05+ generally get exempt for now) Only like 10 cars from 02-03 are exempt.
2. The smog machine hooks up the the cars OBDII port (car's cpu) and checks for any codes
3. If any codes are present, BUT the check engine light is off while running you will pass this test. So if the Check Engine Light is off while running you will pass this part and pass visual.
4. The second part to this test is the monitor check, there are monitors that communicate with the car's main computer and notifies the computer if it sees any problems. If the monitors see a problem it flags the main computer and the main computer turns on the check engine light.
5. If you turn off the check engine light by scanner or disconnect the battery, you basically resetting the monitors. If you try to smog the car and the monitors are NOT set, the machine will fail your car.
6.To set these monitors you must drive X miles, usually around 50 to be safe.
7. After you have driven X miles if the light does not come back on your good to go. (ask the smog tech to check your monitors before the test, they will generally do this for you) 1996-00 you can have 2 monitors NOT set, 01+ can have only 1.
So overall if your light is off while running but works in the "ON" position, it will pass this test. If it doesn't these are a few reasons why he may have failed the car.
Worse case scenario there is a way around this test IF you car is 1996-2000. If it's 2001+ I think this trick may not work but it might (I haven't tried it). I know it works for 1996-2000.
First find a technician that will test your car if you left it running. Ie: when you park in their lot you don't turn off the car. He hops in the car and doesnt shut it off until the CEL functional test. If he's willing to do that, then this will work.
If you don't have a scanner then just simply disconnect the negetive terminal on the battery for 20 secs and re-connect. This will reset your check engine light. Drive X miles (usually 50) but the more the better, what you want to do is have the monitors SET. While your driving do NOT shut off the car at all no matter what. Just do your mileage and go straight to the smog shop. Leave it running and have him test it, only shutting the car off when he does the CEL visual and functional. The reason behind this is, the monitors usually need to see the same problem 2 times in a row in different drive cycles. Meaning if you never shut the car off your still on the first drive cycle so the check engine light should never come on. once you shut the car off the car may consider it to be a new drive cycle so once you start driving again the light may come on. But it will not come on if he just starts it back up only when you start driving, remember this is because the monitors don't run at idle that's why you need to drive X miles.
If the car is 76-1995 then you dont need to worry about the functional check engine light test, only need to worry about the visual.
The rule for 76-1995 is
1.turn key to ON, CEL should come on.
2. start car, if the light goes off for a split second at all then it's a pass. (loophole in the law book). Meaning once you start the car, if the CEL turns off for 1/2 a second and comes back on thats still considered a pass. If it stays on the entire time without turning off at all then it's a fail.
3. Obviously if you start the car and the light goes off and stays off then you pass.
4. That's all there is to it.
if you need more info let me know, but that's the general idea behind that part of the test.
