Need help figuring out this car once and for all. 96 neon SOHC, auto trans. PCM states monitors are not ready. EGR, O2 and catalyst.

last year had the same problem. had to drive the car about 50 miles and take it to get it inspected. had to leave the engine on. the tech confirmed that the PCM cleared out its readiness state when it was turned off. Why is this happening?

 

Sounds like the battery cables, and don't forget the negative cable where it grounds out, the nut may be loose. Or the cables may be corroding internally. Check all terminals, make sure everything is tight.

 

may b keep alive wire has got some power prob

 

i was cruising the web and found this...

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/im/obd/.../420f08009.pdf


apparently these vehciles have problems with the memory inside the PCM which causes it to reset once the car is turned off. Took the car to a dealership and they reflased the PCM and its supposed to be all fixed now.

(Recall Campaign #678). The readiness issue with these vehicles is an improper design that causes all monitors to set to “Not Ready” following every ignition key-off event.
TSB 18-005-01 applies to non-California vehicles and will be performed at no cost, even if the warranty has expired. A similar agreement between ARB and Chrysler has been established for CA vehicles.
Table 2: Recall Campaign #678 Vehicles
MY
Make
Model
1996
Chrysler
Cirrus
x
Chrysler
Concorde
x
Chrysler
Intrepid
x
Chrysler
LHS
x
Chrysler
New Yorker
x
Chrysler
Sebring
x
Dodge
Avenger
x
Dodge
Intrepid
x
Dodge
Neon
x
Dodge
Stratus
x
Jeep Eagle
Talon
x
Jeep Eagle
Vision
x
Plymouth
Breeze
x
Plymouth
Neon
x
Plymouth
Voyager
x

 

Very interesting. Gotta try and remember that.

 

My old 96 had to repeat the emissions test three times because of this. Makes me wonder if it actually read correctly the fourth time, or if they just passed me to get me out of there...

 

I just checke dit out the other day with my OBD2 scanner and the monitors are set so the dealer fix actually is working. The car is GTG.

 

im wandering if maybe this is the problem im having

 

If the recall he is talking about covers your year model, then it could be.

I would also double check the wires leading into the O2 sensors as I have read several posts lately where the wires got worn through in various places causing shorts, blown fuses, and error codes.