Understanding your 2017 Honda Civic’s OBD2 system is crucial for vehicle maintenance and ensuring you pass emission tests. The On-Board Diagnostics II (OBD2) system monitors various components of your car to ensure they are functioning correctly and within emission standards. Sometimes, after a battery disconnect or repairs, the OBD2 system’s readiness monitors may not be set, which can cause your 2017 Honda Civic to fail a smog test. This article outlines the OBD-II drive cycle specifically for your 2017 Honda Civic to help reset these monitors.
To initiate the OBD-II drive cycle on your 2017 Honda Civic, start with a cold engine. This means the coolant temperature should be below 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) and the air and coolant temperature sensors should be within 11 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) of each other. It’s important to ensure the ignition key is not turned on before this cold start, as it might prevent the heated oxygen sensor diagnostic from running correctly.
Here are the steps to perform the OBD-II drive cycle in your 2017 Honda Civic:
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Initial Idle: Start the engine and let it idle in drive for two and a half minutes. During this step, turn on the air conditioning (A/C) and the rear defroster. This allows the OBD-II system to check the oxygen sensor heater circuits, air pump, and EVAP purge system in your 2017 Honda Civic.
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Moderate Acceleration and Steady Speed: Turn off the A/C and rear defroster. Accelerate your 2017 Honda Civic to 55 mph (88 km/h) at half throttle. Maintain a steady speed of 55 mph for three minutes. This stage allows the OBD-II system to monitor for ignition misfires, fuel trim, and canister purge functions. It also checks the EGR, air pump, and O2 sensors.
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Deceleration: Without braking or depressing the clutch, coast down to 20 mph (32 km/h). This step is crucial for the OBD-II system to check the EGR and purge functions during deceleration in your 2017 Honda Civic.
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Re-acceleration and Steady Speed: Accelerate again to 55 to 60 mph (88 to 96 km/h) at half throttle and hold this steady speed for five minutes. During this phase, the OBD-II system in your 2017 Honda Civic monitors catalytic converter efficiency, misfires, EGR, fuel trim, oxygen sensors, and purge functions more comprehensively.
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Final Deceleration and Stop: Coast down to a complete stop without braking. This final deceleration allows the OBD-II system to perform a last check of the EGR and canister purge systems in your 2017 Honda Civic.
Completing this OBD-II drive cycle provides your 2017 Honda Civic with the necessary conditions to run its onboard diagnostics and set the readiness monitors. After performing the drive cycle, you can use an OBD2 scanner to check the status of your readiness monitors. If they are set, your 2017 Honda Civic should now be ready for an emissions test. If monitors are still not ready, you may need to repeat the drive cycle or consult a professional mechanic to diagnose potential underlying issues with your 2017 Honda Civic’s emission system.
