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Thanks Mike. I hope that you don't think that I was trying to bait you or anyone else into some sort of argument. Your credentials are impressive, and I would appreciate your input on matters such as these. I'm willing to learn.

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I used to fail MILs that came at any time during an inspection other than bulb check, because, well, it's indicating a malfunction. I was told by more than one update instructor to concentrate on the activity of the MIL during the functional phase of the test ONLY, and to basically ignore it any other time. The functional phase of the MIL test for this vehicle involves finishing the emissions portion, turning the ignition off long enough for the PCM to sleep (15 seconds is usually adequate, in my experience), check for MIL on KOEO, check for MIL extinguish KOER, and proceed. Passing a MIL-during-emissions test goes against my instincts, but I have been complying with my instructors' directives for several years now.

Of course, I have worked in a poor neighborhood for over a decade, so I have seen nearly every possible permutation of MIL activity. A question that I asked one of my instructors was "How long should the MIL extinguish KOER before judging it as a pass?" His answer was "30 seconds should be long enough." Since that time, I have literally counted the seconds before MIL illumination, and passed those which made it to 30 seconds. There have been numerous close calls, both ways.

Of course, this is all hearsay, but it wouldn't have to be if SCIP was just written in a more complete and specific manner. You may have already been subjected to my wordy letter to the STAR program, but I'm attaching it here for your entertainment and enjoyment. I do my best to address the issues that were chewing at me last winter, but I may have gone a little bit overboard on the word count. My problems with SCIP 1.5.1 appear on page 6. [CA STAR Program Critique]

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Oh, it was definitely OBD II. I have made my share of mistakes, but nothing as glaring as that, at least to the best of my knowledge.

I know that you are probably a busy man, but if you are willing to spend the time to educate me on the errors in my logic, I am more than willing to listen. Who knows, I might not be the only one out here scratching my head over this mess, and you could be helping others as well!

Respectfully and sincerely,

Michael Barry
Technician
Quick Stop Smog & More
Sacramento, California, USA

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