First time here! Thanks for an awesome forum. Just bought a used clean title 2011 F-250 6.2l gas. First Ford Truck for me. Question: How do I get this to pass emissions? I keep reading about diesels, but I don't know if the same procedures are done for the gas engine. Local mechanics say to do drive cycle then bring it back for testing. I cannot find accurate steps for drive cycle. Recommendations or thoughts would be welcomed? Also, I commit to give feed back after completing recommendations.

 

I believe by drive cycle, he just means drive it, get it to temperature and then let it cool back off. He may also want you to run the crap out of it or "blow the soot out of it". How many miles are on the truck and is the check engine light on?

 

Get it hot and pull some hills with a heavy pedal. Blow the cobwebs out of it. What's you mileage? Maybe it is time for new plugs?

 

An '11 with emissions issues should be showing you a CEL. (Check Engine Light) UNLESS it's been tampered with.

If your mechanic has not put a scanner on it, find one who will. For any OBD 2 vehicle, that's the first step.

 

100 percent correct...

to pass emissions.. no check engine light..= PASS.
but they do not look for the light.. they plug into truck computer.. for Pass.

No errors or failed codes...

I have NO idea what your mechanic is trying to do.
retired mechanic.

 

In order to pass the computer check the engine has to have had a certain set of conditions occur since the last time the computer was reset (for example, by disconnecting the battery). Usually it's some number of start/drive/heat up cycles, along with a certain number of accellerate/decelerates and a time or mileage quota.

So basically get in it and drive it for an hour or two, including some stop and go traffic as well as some highway. Then the engine computer can report its status as 'valid'