so after spoending close to a year dicking around with this truck i brought it down to be inspected which it failed because the check engine light does not come on. i am so sick of this truck. every time i think i"needs some work" special and i have been chasing my tail since thanksgiving 2017. i pulled the cluster assuming the crep i bought it from pulled the bulb for a quick sale but now i see that there is no bulb and it is in fact an LED sodered to the cluster circuit board. in fact, i am not even sure where th light is and what it looks like on these trucks. is it the wrench? does it look like a motor? does it say CEL or check engine? ugh. !!

 

 

Agreed. Here in California, there's only a problem if it is on. I've never heard of a test to verify its functionality. Then again, maybe the PCM is sending a signal that the shop is picking up, but the CEL isn't lit. THAT would be a problem.

How many miles were on it when you bought it? What have you had to do to it? How much did you pay for it, and how much have you dropped into it since?

 

 

another good reason not to live or own a truck in NY ?

 

exactly, i am sure the other posters have just asssumed this is not part of the test because their light alway lit . i was a NYS inspector and part of the inspections was to turn key on, engine off and verify CEL operation,
all the monitors were set , and no codes stored or pending. the only issue was the lack or CEL . i am in connecticut.

 

That sounds like it's a part of the "visual inspection", and may not be what the OBD II is testing for.

I am in California. Every smog guy I've been to so far has allowed me to slide on the "visual" things like not having CARB EO NO stickers. Some of the parts on the car, I don't think that the tech even knew needed a sticker. I doubt if the smog technician knows that the underdrive pulley is not the OEM pulley. The ignition coil pack is black, just like the OEM unit. The can't "see" custom tuning. And for whatever reason, they never asked about the cold air intake. I am just assuming that the smog techs see so many aftermarket parts that they just ignore it. They figure that once they hook up the car to the computer, and it passes, then they it's no big deal.

 

 

For ALL states with mandated emissions testing, a visual check of the MIL is mandatory. Federal requirement (EPA). If the inspector isn't checking it, he's not doing his job.

An F150 will not be at >8500 GWVR threshold, it's much lighter.

 

Just because some have never seen their CEL get checked at inspection doesn't means it doesn't happen. Common sense says if the visual warning indicator (CEL) doesn't work then there's no way to notify the driver of an issue, so therefore it must be checked for proper working order.

 

 

 

I think the guys are right it only makes sense that the inspector would see the cel light at key on at the beginning with no problem it only takes a glance . I knew they are all supposed to check it . Perhaps someone found a way to disable it . I would think it would use the can bus system . Possibly a bad dash cluster or solder joint .Send it in for repair or replace .The logic may be all right, it could be the power feed to the led.
I know of a guy up there in eastern NY that can fix about anything -- Eric O @south main auto on you tube . That guy is a highly competent diagnostic mechanic ,he was born to it . He shouldn't be that far from you . He is a state inspection facility also .
The guys in the industry call the CEL--- the money light .
Besides that light they see all codes when they plug in the obd tool .Some states allow one code and not fail ,I'm told ,doesn't make sense to me . It is only right that the normal driver would be made aware of an issue .
Maybe an 07 owner will tell you the position of the light and what it says ,I doubt its the same from year to year .

 

For as far back as I can remember, the scam was an underhood inspection, checked your gas cap, put your car on the rollers, and put a snifter into your tailpipe. It use to be such a mystery, that the tech would always find something "mysteriously" faulty, and you would have to pay $$$XXX to fix it. They take your money, bring the car in the back for 30 minutes, then tell you to drive it at least 50 miles down the freeway and come back. Then the car "passed", and you can't really figure out what they were doing. It was never a question of "is my car running okay?". But more a question of, "how much are they going to rip me off for?".

A few years back I found a smog tech through word of mouth. All he does is plug his computer into my OBD II port, and the truck passes every time. With all the aftermarket parts, deleted exhaust system, and a custom tune. He told me that The State only sees the information reported by what the car's sensors are monitoring. If the car's computer is good enough to satisfy whatever The State is interested in seeing, then it's fine.

A lot of states are going to the OBD II testing. Supposedly harder to cheat.

Smog guy told me that the next generation of cars will be able to report faults directly to The State. So that your check engine light and diagnostic trouble code will upload into The State's computer, and that information will be used to determine if your car needs to be inspected.