Drive cycle for Viper

[New2Venom]

Hi Guys,

Just picked up my 1st ACR 2008 model and I have passed 500 or so miles and still showing catalyst, 02 sensor and Evap not ready. No check engine light. It had codes below probably from disconnecting the batteries from the dealer, I reset the codes since and the codes been clear for a few days.

Does anybody knows how to properly do a drive cycle to get these 3 ready? or know how many miles it needs to drive before it clears? I have tried some of the you tube videos and no luck. I am thinking the reset is car specific.

Thanks in advance.

[Bill Pemberton]

Could you be a bit more specific about what you mean about passing 500 miles (confusing). Are you simply stating you have gone that far since the battery was reconnected or did you find an essentially new 08 a Dealer had been holding?

So, give the miles and it might be good to know where you are in Northern California so Club Members can suggest a good Viper Dealer to see if the issue can not be solved. I know Normandin down in San Jose has a good rep and the owner has had Vipers himself.

[Steve-Indy]

General info Drive Cycle:

https://justsmogs.com/2014/01/chrysl...ness-monitors/

Best asnwer for you today:

Call Dan Cragin in SoCal at Specialty Performance Team...310-597-6295...as he can tell you ALL of the requirements as they pertain to YOUR Viper.

[New2Venom]

Thank you Bill and Steve.

I did a bit more research using this website and VCA website (such a powerful tool - even today) I connected with Nor Cal region - Brian. I also reached out to Dan Cragin, both have been very helpful guiding me and since I am in Nor Cal he connected me to Ted from Valaya Motorsports which is 35 min away. (nice guy and have many vipers in the shop) Dan also had me check the PCM and found the PCM has Mopar Part #: P5155254AB so I had no success clearing the Catalyst, O2 and Evap monitor even driving the car for +500 miles and trying every drive cycle test I can find in you tube.

I immediately called and emailed the claws below to the dealership since they did not disclose the hidden mods during sales and hoping they will pay for the cost (finger crossed) to get the car to where I can register the car and enjoy it.

Mopar Part #: P5155254AB
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This device is not legal for use on pollution-controlled vehicles certified for use on streets or highways. Once this device is installed and programmed, use of the vehicle on a street or highway is a violation of the Clean Air Act, potentially subjecting the operator and the installer to civil penalties of up to $32,500 per vehicle depending on the circumstances.

Stay Tuned to the next episode! I will post some more and hopefully someone can benefit to my experience.

[kriskyk]

That's interesting typically by California law car has to pass smog in order to transfer title

[New2Venom]

I believe Title can be transferred separately but registration requires smog. I purchased the car out of state.

[kriskyk]

Yea your correct on that...

[Steve M]

Yep...Mopar PCM would definitely not pass a plug-in OBD-II test. Sorry you had to find that out the hard way. Once you get the stock PCM in and married to your car, you can always swap back and forth between the two if needed. Of course, it also likely means the car was previously modded beyond just the PCM, as it was rare to install the Mopar PCM unless you had exhaust mods that required it (e.g. headers) since the stock PCM tends to only like the stock exhaust. It shouldn't raise any alarms, as these cars are pretty stout, but just keep it in mind in case other issues crop up in the future.

[Josh-SF]

YEP. My ACR has Belanger and high flow cats. Installing OEM PCM tomorrow and we will see what happen.
Thanks Steve

[Steve M]

The OEM PCM with the stock calibration will likely not like the headers/high flow cats. That's why the Mopar PCM exists - it is a plug and play solution that eliminates the check engine lights due to mods like these, but as has already been discovered, is not emissions compliant.

[Josh-SF]

You are correct Steve. You are correct, now I have Bank 1 and Bank 2 P0037 and P0057 O2 sensor code and check engine light is on. Going to the dealership next.
Very frustrating.

[RedTanRT/10]

You are correct Steve. You are correct, now I have Bank 1 and Bank 2 P0037 and P0057 O2 sensor code and check engine light is on. Going to the dealership next.
Very frustrating.

Josh, the Venom controller hid those codes. Not sure if you need to go to a dealer, many shops can clear codes. Once you get the codes cleared you need to get the stock ECM to read "ready." I went close to 300 miles before I finally go it to read ready. Go on-line and look for a Chrysler drive cycle and take a look at the link that was listed. There are some very specific driving actions you need to take, a number really don't happen naturally. Once I figured the correct drive cycle, it only took 20 miles.

Also, once you get the codes cleared, don't lug the motor, keep the revs up and don't shift into 5th or 6th. Good luck, Mike

[New2Venom]

Thanks Mike, I keep resetting the code but the check engine light comes back each time I restart the car.
I followed the drive cycle but did not do 300 miles since the pcm has been replaced. I will try again today.

[New2Venom]

Hi Mike, I have a question and just want to make sure I follow the proper step. Were you able to clear by following the clear using the instructions? If not, would you mine sharing the correct drive cycle? Thx again.

[Steve M]

Also, once you get the codes cleared, don't lug the motor, keep the revs up and don't shift into 5th or 6th. Good luck, Mike

This seems to be key right here.

You might be able to do a very intricate dance to get the car to pass with headers and the stock PCM, but if it does, it will be just barely. Once you do, you'll want to toss the Mopar PCM back in there for every day driving.

You might also talk to Todd at A&C Performance and see if he has any suggestions. I'm sure he's dealt with this many times, and may be able to help. I don't know how close his shop is to you, but he's at least in CA.

[RedTanRT/10]

Thanks Mike, I keep resetting the code but the check engine light comes back each time I restart the car.
I followed the drive cycle but did not do 300 miles since the pcm has been replaced. I will try again today.

Just seeing this. If the CEL comes back on immediately you have another issue. Thinking the OBD bungs are bad or not on the exhaust. Hard for me to help, I can find the drive cycle protocol tomorrow but something is wrong that the CEL is coming back on immediately

[Steve M]

He brings up a good point...you may not have all of the emissions equipment even installed.

It is very common for guys running headers with the Mopar PCM to unplug and remove the secondary O2 sensors (post-cat on both sides). The Mopar PCM doesn't even check for them, so unplugging them makes no difference. That would also immediately throw a check engine light with the stock PCM.

First check is to make sure you even have post-cat O2 sensors on both sides, and make sure they are plugged in. Hopefully you at least have bungs where they need to be.

[New2Venom]

He brings up a good point...you may not have all of the emissions equipment even installed.

It is very common for guys running headers with the Mopar PCM to unplug and remove the secondary O2 sensors (post-cat on both sides). The Mopar PCM doesn't even check for them, so unplugging them makes no difference. That would also immediately throw a check engine light with the stock PCM.

First check is to make sure you even have post-cat O2 sensors on both sides, and make sure they are plugged in. Hopefully you at least have bungs where they need to be.

I was told there are O2 sensor installed downstream but both of those are showing the codes and with CEL. Is it normal for the CEL to come on when O2 codes appear in obd? Could be that the O2 need to be replaced, the cost is cheap, just need to remove the side panel to access the 02 sensor.

I am also currently discussing this issue with the dealer. Does anyone know if having the Mopar Race controller is legal to sell in North Carolina? This was not disclosed during sale and I am hoping the dealer will pay the cost of getting it back to OEM.

[Steve M]

Yes...anything emissions related can and likely will trigger a check engine light. That can be anything from unmetered air entering the system to O2 sensor malfunctions. That goes for any car, not just the Viper.

You already posted the Mopar PCM disclaimer above, so you know full well they should not have sold it as-is by the letter of the law.

The question here is did they do it knowingly? Most dealerships won't know anything about a car they take in on trade, especially if it is modified. They just want it off their lot. They knew at first glance it wasn't throwing any check engine lights, they just didn't know how it wasn't throwing any check engine lights. A dealership would have to have pretty intimate knowledge of Vipers to even know to look for this. It sounds like it was sold with headers, which is already a no-no from the EPA's standpoint. I honestly wouldn't expect much love from the dealership on this one. I'm sure you could take them to court, but at what cost? The previous owner should have included the stock PCM in the sale, so you'd be better off tracking that person down and seeing what they did with it. It would have done no one any good to buy it since it is married to that vehicle. Hopefully they wouldn't have thrown it away. Did you buy the car sight unseen?

If you are intent on putting it back to OEM, then you will need the factory exhaust manifolds as well as the stock catalytic converters. That's the only way the stock PCM is going to be happy with the exhaust. Even high flow cats with the stock exhaust manifolds will throw a check engine light on the factory calibration. I know this for a fact, because I've done it.

I can't tell what your intent is right now. It seems like you want to keep the headers, but also have it pass emissions. The headers should trigger an automatic fail based on a visual inspection alone. The stock PCM will not be happy with them regardless. The stock calibration is overly sensitive to comply with EPA regulations, and Dodge did a good job with it when you look at it from that perspective. You can't really have your cake and eat it too with this one. If you really want it to pass emissions, you need to put it 100% back to stock. If you still want the headers, put them back on after you get it inspected along with the Mopar PCM.

Something else appears to be going on here; whether that is missing secondary O2 sensors or just bad ones doesn't matter much. The side sills need to come off, and you need to stick your head in there and have a good look around. All we can do on this end is take a best guess based on incomplete info, and it doesn't sound like you have all the info either.

[New2Venom]

Hi Steve - you know it! the headers sounds so good and the race PCM will help when I sign up for the track so I really would like to keep it if possible. However, street driving is more important so it needs to be first priority. The original PCM could have been sent as a core deposit as well but I did ask the dealership to contact the last owner. I have the name of the owner in the title so I can hopefully track him via google search

I received a quote today for OEM replacement and passed that on to the dealership. The dealership is a McLaren dealership so I hope the they will do the right thing. I truly believe at minimum they have the duty to inform the buyer that the car is "off road use only" regardless of any situation. I was asked by No Carolina Atty General who handles automotive consumer protection to file a claim to avoid the lawyer expense and they will send a letter to the dealership. For now, so frustrated - I posted my ACR for sale and see if I can get the money back that way.

Thank you again for all the knowledge.

[Steve M]

I honestly don't know of anyone that returned their original PCM as a core deposit, but the guy could very well have tossed it not understanding the potential issues down the road for someone else. It's certainly not impossible, but most Mopar PCMs that I know of were sold outright, leaving you with a way to go back to stock should a scenario like this come up (selling the car out of state).

Definitely keep us updated...I'm sorry that this has turned into a learning experience for you, but hopefully you can get it sorted and move on to the more enjoyable aspects of Viper ownership. This is a tight knit community...I've learned a lot over my many years of owning my 2008. Lots of great resources on your side, especially in CA.

[New2Venom]

Will do - Thank you! I enjoyed the Viper Community and love driving the car. If this does not work out - at least I got V10 and Viper checked off my bucket list.
Stay Safe Everyone!

[RedTanRT/10]

Hey New 2, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I think this is the drive cycle I used since its the only one that called for a 60 mph to 0 mph cost down without hitting the brakes. I found a medium long uphill off ramp when there was light traffic

https://www.smogtips.com/smog-questi...s-Will-Not-Set


To some of the questions you posted. No one traded them in and most folks were smart enough to know to keep them. You have the prior owners name, reach out. For the stock ECU there is i a different part and part # for a coupe and convertible, I don't think the wrong one will cause CEL's, but will have issues with the body control module at minimum.

You say that you have a stock ECU and then later you say you asked the dealer for a replacement, I'm confused?

You need to solve the core emissions. The headers will eventually cause a CEL, but not immediately. Maybe you need to get an FCA dealer to clear the codes after the stock ECU install. Ask Dan if he can send you to someone local to look over the exhaust and OBD. I skimmed this thread again, you do have Cats, don't you??


Steve M, my G4 passed CA smog with bellangers and hi flow cats. But it's if not when you will get a CEL. Last time I tried to get the emissions to read ready I drove my '08 over 300 miles and no CEL. The key is to not lug the engine, never use 5th, etc.

Yeah CA does a visual but your going to an independent shop, not the state. There are 6 shops near me, 2 will not do vipers with headers, the other 4 will.

[New2Venom]

Will do - Thank you! I enjoyed the Viper Community and love driving the car. If this does not work out - at least I got V10 and Viper checked off my bucket list.
Stay Safe Everyone!

[New2Venom]

Hey New 2, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I think this is the drive cycle I used since its the only one that called for a 60 mph to 0 mph cost down without hitting the brakes. I found a medium long uphill off ramp when there was light traffic

https://www.smogtips.com/smog-questi...s-Will-Not-Set


To some of the questions you posted. No one traded them in and most folks were smart enough to know to keep them. You have the prior owners name, reach out. For the stock ECU there is i a different part and part # for a coupe and convertible, I don't think the wrong one will cause CEL's, but will have issues with the body control module at minimum.

You say that you have a stock ECU and then later you say you asked the dealer for a replacement, I'm confused?

You need to solve the core emissions. The headers will eventually cause a CEL, but not immediately. Maybe you need to get an FCA dealer to clear the codes after the stock ECU install. Ask Dan if he can send you to someone local to look over the exhaust and OBD. I skimmed this thread again, you do have Cats, don't you??


Steve M, my G4 passed CA smog with bellangers and hi flow cats. But it's if not when you will get a CEL. Last time I tried to get the emissions to read ready I drove my '08 over 300 miles and no CEL. The key is to not lug the engine, never use 5th, etc.

Yeah CA does a visual but your going to an independent shop, not the state. There are 6 shops near me, 2 will not do vipers with headers, the other 4 will.

I will PM you my cell if you dont mind calling back. I would greatly appreciate it!