1996 Saturn Fails NY Inspection

Try some injector cleaner for a tank-full. Replace plugs, wires. Check spark intensity (if it has a distributor - cap and rotor) Anything mechanically loose will look like a knock and retard the spark. I had a loose A/C compressor that was triggering the knock sense. A worn engine mount can do this too. Listen and feel closely for anything that doesn't sound right. Check the torque on the knock sensor mount. This sets the sensitivity.

No idea what causes the P0733 code obd2 codes decipher P=powertrain, next number is 0 for generic codes and 1 for manufacturer specific codes. The shop manual should explain what code P1406 is. Alldata had something that referenced the EGR valve.

96-T-31 JUN 96 Engine Controls - Revised DTC P1406 Diagnosis, EGR Good idea to pull the EGR and check that it is not stuck or otherwise defective. A leaking EGR will cause a bad idle and possibly give your problems.

Check out these hits on Google

They really check the trouble codes in NY?

I wonder why he passed in previous years, then. Not to be too cynical, but here in Hawaii when that sort of thing happens we look for a different state inspector. ;-)

Just started this year. Statewide, too...

Prior years, upstate NY didn't have any emissions, downstate didn't ODBII check. Now, the OBDII code scan is a statewide thing.

Repair shops upstate just LOVED having to buy the $$$$ state mandated code scanner machine / state computer hookup, just to check a couple of cars a month. I'm sure motorists love it too...

Started 4/1 of this year for any vehicle '96 and newer. Older vehicles still have to have emisions checked on the dyno as done previously (at least downstate). Basicly, it's a pretty fool proof way for NY to inspect the vehicle. In the past, you could shove the emmisions probe in teh tailpipe of another car, or find other tricks to fool the emisions machine. Now, they basiclly use the on board computer to check how your vehicle is performing. You can't fool it because the onboard computer has the car information (VIN, etc) and the inspector has to scan the bar code on the registration sticker in the window. If they don't match, it fails. The other thing is that the onboard computer keeps a list of trouble codes in a que of some kind, so even if you've fixed the problem, you have to drive the car for about 30 minutes in normal traffic before it'll clear out. In addition, if the mechanic resets the onboard computer, you again have to drive it for about 30 minutes before it'll start "recording" anything. If you try to inspect the car before the 30 minutes, it'll come up as a failure. Techinially, on a good car, Inspection time goes a lot quicker. They just do the safety, and plug in the computer and off you go. But if you have a code issue, they could be chasing the problem around for hours or days. My suggestion for all NY'ers is to get your car inspected at least

3-4 weeks before it's due if it's a older car and if you've have the service light come on at all.

here in Hawaii when

Thank you for the very informative posts. We had the pleasure of learning all of this yesterday. At first, the car had a number of diagnostic codes set, as I originally posted - these were determined by the testing center. Autozone did a reset, so we could eliminate the 'symptoms' and find what was wrong. Turned out to be the knock sensor, a $22 part on the Saturn. However, "P0733 Gear 3 Incorrect Ratio" is a problem with the transmission, which the owner knows of but hasn't repaired yet, as he is waiting for it to completely fail (the car has almost 250,000 miles on it!). New York state requires that no codes be set at all, (ie. Service engine soon light = off) I believe, so to fix the car requires a new transmission. This I can't understand... would it really have that much of an impact on the environment? I am all for protecting our environment, but this seems more like bureaucracy to me. Fortunately, there is a week left in the month, plus a few weeks extra extension, I believe, so that the car to be brought into line with the standard.

After the car was reset, it did take about 5-10 minutes of driving for the service light to come back on.

The system does indeed seem quite cheat proof for the moment. But should we really be testing to make sure everyone's transmissions are operating perfectly?

Regarding the 0733 code and incorrect gear ratio, I am guessing there may be a defective or failed transmission solenoid so the transmission is not shifting to the proper gear as the computer would like. I posted a procedure for measuring the solenoid resistance about a month back. It only requires removal of the connector which is held on by a 7mm? bolt and a basic ohm meter. It would take no more than 5 minutes to check these resistances. there are 5 solenoids and 10 pins in the connector. Each solenoid uses adjacent pins and all should measure 4-6 ohms when cold. If you find one, like I did with a higher or lower resistance (mine was 1600 ohms) it has opened or shorted so needs to be replaced. The procedure was not too difficult and parts cost was about $80 for the solenoid and trans cover gasket. I'd suggest they do the diagnostic to see if a solenoid is not working so would leave the trans in the wrong gear...given the lack of other symptoms, it is likely this is the overdrive (4th) gear.

Bob

Good luck!

Have you tried driving it with the transmission only in 2? You only gotta do it for 30 minutes after the reset, as I understand the rules. Driving in 2 is not a major (only minor!) PITA as long as you don't have to go at highway speeds.

Tim.