P0442 2001 Chrysler 300M P0442 EVAP Trouble Code

I failed the smog test solely because of the MIL functional test (I recently had DTC P0442 and disconnected the negative terminal of the battery but drove only 50 miles before taking it in for a smog check). The check engine light has not gone on yet.

Do you know what kind of driving I need to do in order to have the OBDII complete all of the readiness flags and tests before I can go in for a re-test? Also, if the P0442 code comes back, do you have any suggestions on how to diagnose it (I've already checked to ensure that it's not a loose gas cap and visually inspected some of the hoses under the hood)?

Answer:

Tightening of the gas cap usually clears up the P0442 EVAP Small Leak Detected trouble code. We don't expect this trouble code to re-appear soon (not yet at least; 50 miles since reset). As far as setting the emission monitors (readiness flags)... this will require approximately 200 more miles of driving. It is recommend to drive a vehicle which has had it's battery disconnected or trouble codes cleared, to be driven for 1-2 weeks prior to obtaining a smog check. The parameters required to run readiness tests are not public available; and smog stations charge a fee to perform this procedure, should they take the responsibility on at all. Continue driving your Chrysler for a few more days. This will allow for you to ensure the EVAP trouble code doesn't re-appear, as well as ensure all the required emission monitors get set.

posted by SmogTips Support