Pentastar 3.6 L v6 engine. Very cool. I love this engine. 170k miles and after head replacement at 65k no major issues. Air conditioner needs service and there is a rattle when engine hits certain frequency. Probably loose fender or body panel. My wife drives her but my wife refuses to wear glasses. I just live with the dents at this point.

We took the Routan in for inspection and failed because 2 sensors were not ready; the evap and the oxygen sensors. We tried a complete reset of PCM sensor inputs and drove at least a hundred miles. The Routan had a recent problem with a failed thermostat located in engine block which controls water flow to radiator. Drove it a lot after but still sensors are reading not ready. Also, the car battery failed about 3 weeks back and had to be replaced. Battery lasted 8 years so we can’t complain.

Our mechanic is a Porsche enthusiast and normally works on imports like VW, Volvo and Mercedes. All his test equipment is useless on the Routan Powertrain though. It’s all Chrysler, as you likely know. He is a really good mechanic and we have been going to him for a long time now. Still, he will charge me to chase this down.

From my reading I have learned that test sequences can be blocked by previous tests. Also, a failed O2 sensor may not register.

I could really use some advice. Thank you in advance!

 

Are you reporting that the CEL is on and why it failed OR that the IM monitors for those 2 systems have not reset to ready and pass inspection in your state(which one)?
170k miles, a lot can be going on...worn out O2 sensors or failed heat ed section in them(replace the O2 sensors) And for EVAP...a smoke test is the quickest and easiest way to pinpoint why EVAP is having trouble.
To be a Porsche enthusiast... this should be "old hat" easy intensity level diagnostics for him. At least get the computer scanned and report any P_ _ _ _ codes that are found if you seek further help from here.

 

Thanks Rebel! There are no CEL failure codes. Since the reset the IMs are saying their not ready. Mechanic did offer to do a smoke test on EVAP system but said he wanted to wait for fuel level to go down and see if EVAP IM comes on.

I did overstate the mileage. It’s actually 126k. Also, we are in New York. Our mechanic says we can have one IM to the PCM not ready but not two. He’s puzzled though. At the very least the O2 should be ready.

I’m thinking it has something to do with temperature sensor test failing and breaking the PCM scan test loop before it gets to the O2 and EVAP IMs.

Thanks for your help!

Best, Eddie

 

Thank you for the confirmation of being the IM readiness....Yes EVAP is the most difficult to reset and many times even by the NYS DOT published procedure for monitor reset does not seem to work well in FCA(MOPAR) vehicles..I know being a NY'er from the Buffalo end of the state. IF you had an EVAP code (CEL), the computer will test the system MULTIPLE times before passing the IM readiness, and in my area is usually the one to let slide for NYSI. As for the O2 monitor, that depends on what code(s) it threw initially and what was done to repair the problem.If just one sensor was replaced at your corrected mileage, the remaining ones are pretty tired also and may need to be replaced to get more accurate readings back to the computer. I will agree with your Porsche friend that it is ODD that that monitor has not reset yet, that one is usually pretty quick to reset that monitor.

 

Service Manual includes four pages of PCM codes. Comprehensive and specific to vehicle which eliminates guessing. Thank you Chilton!

 

Some mystery has unraveled since my last post. I had some theories about what was happening which are useless unless proven. So here are my findings. Just as my mechanic Tommy the Porsche enthusiast had hoped, the EVAP system came online, IM ready status, when the gauge reached a half tank. Thank you Rebel for giving me the patience to wait!


This is the first time my gascap warning was met with jubilation. Gascap is an aftermarket and requires some finesse at times. Good news, warning cleared with a little tweak.

What I found after some reading was if there is a CEL alert present the PCM doesn’t cycle through its IM enabling check. Which explained why, after I replaced the battery, the IMs were still not ready when I took the minivan in for inspection. The reason being the bad thermostat causing a CEL indication. I changed the thermostat 2 days before the inspection which left enough time for the CEL to clear but not enough drive cycle to ready the IMs. Lesson learned! You should not drive around with a CEL even if you know what’s causing it. Cars without a PCM don’t give you much trouble, even if you take the thermostat out. New cars with PCMs with a CEL alert will not function properly. Clear the cell as earliest as possible. (Makes no sense but that’s how it works.)

Here’s what I learned about the O2 IM readiness cycle. It’s complicated!

O2 sensor drive cycle.

I looked at this and thought with driving we do this could take a year. I thought about it a little harder and there was one house my wife visit’s that mimics this drive cycle. I went over it with her so she could follow it and she did just that and it worked. Still this drive cycle is complicated and if not set it will lead to poor performance and a hit to the pocketbook.

Anyway, good news! Ready for inspection.


Diagnosis results for IMs

PS: The cost of code readers has reduced drastically so I purchased one. This one works great and I was able to test my O2 sensors and see that they were working graphically. That eliminated any worry of drive cycle not working to enable O2 IM.

Best, Eddie