2015 Genesis Sedan emissions not ready after dead battery

[PeriSoft]

So, I have a 2015 Genesis 3.8 AWD with ~65k on the clock. About a month ago the door got left open and deadified the battery; we jumped the car and a couple of weeks later took it to get inspected. Four emissions checks came back 'not ready', so we drove it more, and more, and more, and more, to no avail.

I finally took it back to the dealer today. They said, "We don't know what you need to do, just drive it more."

At this point it's been driven 600+ miles, and the inspection is expired. I've seen byzantine and impossible-to-legally-complete instructions for 2009 Genesis sedans, but those threads say the issue was "fixed" for 2010+, and of course this is a different car entirely (though I think the engine is the same basic thing?). I dug around but can't find any info on a drive cycle for the 2015/16 3.8.

The car is perfect. Never a CEL, never a stutter, never a powertrain issue in the time I've had it (since 17k miles).

Anybody have any ideas? If I can't figure this out I'm gonna have an $18,000 paper weight pretty soon!

 

[Suburbazine]

So, what we first need to determine is what is not passing readiness- there's a whole boatload of diagnostics that can be done for each emissions item not reaching readiness. Do you have a pending CEL code? History codes? Miles driven since last CEL?

You don't even need a fancy dealer tool to do this- any OBD-II compliant tool should pull emissions status and codes. Even your local auto parts store should be able to get you a print out.

I'm assuming that the dealership did their due diligence and made sure to update the ECM to the most current calibration. There's a few VINs that got a series of emissions-related calibration updates.

By the way, leaving a door open can't kill the battery. You can't even leave the lights on and run it dead unless there's a serious electrical malfunction. What you can do is run it into lockout which requires a couple of steps to reset...or jump it off and damage sensitive items like ECM diodes or drivers. You're really, really not supposed to jump it off with other running cars or with battery chargers.

 

[PeriSoft]

As I said, there are no codes. There's never been a CEL. The dealer ran a code check and found nothing; I can dig up which ones are reading 'not ready' but the upshot is the same; the car hasn't been through a drive cycle, and I don't know what it wants to finish a cycle.

 

[PeriSoft]

You're really, really not supposed to jump it off with other running cars or with battery chargers.

So, how exactly are you supposed to get it going again, out of curiosity? And why are there terminals in it specifically for jumping it if you're not supposed to jump it?

 

[EdP]

As I said, there are no codes. There's never been a CEL. The dealer ran a code check and found nothing; I can dig up which ones are reading 'not ready' but the upshot is the same; the car hasn't been through a drive cycle, and I don't know what it wants to finish a cycle.

Most take 50 to 100 miles. You need a cold start or two. I'd think in 600 miles you'd be good.
I'd try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes and try again. There may be one thing hanging up and maybe a reset will clear it.

Varies by state but some will give you some time if you failed. I'd carry the paperwork from the test station that you went.

 

[skipgen]

Most take 50 to 100 miles. You need a cold start or two. I'd think in 600 miles you'd be good.
I'd try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes and try again. There may be one thing hanging up and maybe a reset will clear it.

Varies by state but some will give you some time if you failed. I'd carry the paperwork from the test station that you went.

Couldn't you go to Auto Zone or the like & just have them reset it? I think they'll do it for free...

 

[PeriSoft]

Couldn't you go to Auto Zone or the like & just have them reset it? I think they'll do it for free...

It's not a code. There's no CEL. The issue is that four of the emissions checks are "Not Ready". Even the dealer can't reset that because there's nothing to reset.

 

[skipgen]

It's not a code. There's no CEL. The issue is that four of the emissions checks are "Not Ready". Even the dealer can't reset that because there's nothing to reset.

That's f@cking weird...

 

[3.3 Rulz]

All cars are like that when you disconnect the battery, it's designed to not fool emissions into thinking there are no codes... after the customer tries to reset the system by disconnecting the battery.
It will take many on/off cycles and some driving for the ECU to check everything and make sure it's all good, then it will be ready for inspection.
Get a OBD2 scan tool from any auto store, plug it in, go to where it says Inspection readiness and check to see if it says it's ready, if it's not ready yet, just drive around for half an hour or so at a time until it is ready, then you can get the inspection done.
It's always good to have a scan tool, so if you get a check engine light, you'll will be able to read the code(s) and know what's going on, instead of being left in the dark.

 

[EdP]

All cars are like that when you disconnect the battery, it's designed to not fool emissions into thinking there are no codes... after the customer tries to reset the system by disconnecting the battery.
It will take many on/off cycles and some driving for the ECU to check everything and make sure it's all good, then it will be ready for inspection.
Get a OBD2 scan tool from any auto store, plug it in, go to where it says Inspection readiness and check to see if it says it's ready, if it's not ready yet, just drive around for half an hour or so at a time until it is ready, then you can get the inspection done.
It's always good to have a scan tool, so if you get a check engine light, you'll will be able to read the code(s) and know what's going on, instead of being left in the dark.

Dealer checked and found no codes. He already drove 600 miles so it should be set by now under normal driving.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[PeriSoft]

Dealer checked and found no codes. He already drove 600 miles so it should be set by now under normal driving.

Yep. And a month of driving. Disconnect happened a week before inspection was due, so I'm driving around with expired inspection. Supposedly in NY they're not bothering to enforce right now, and I've got a stack of documentation of me trying to get it resolved, and can't get an extension with all the DMVs closed, so... kinda gotta take a chance there.

I've got a reader, but it'd sure be nice to have some idea what the heck I need to do to the thing to get it to say it's ready. If 600+ miles and dozens of on/off cycles haven't done it, what will? Eventually something's got to give, because without it able to pass inspection it's literally worthless, and the dealer already told me that if driving it more doesn't fix it, they have no idea what to do...

I'm tempted to try the disconnect thing mentioned above, but then another part of me wonders if I'm 50 miles from it being OK and would need to drive for another 5 weeks if I reset it again. That's why I was hoping someone here had some experience with what the drive cycle is supposed to be.

 

[Suburbazine]

So, how exactly are you supposed to get it going again, out of curiosity? And why are there terminals in it specifically for jumping it if you're not supposed to jump it?

If the battery is truly dead (or too low to crank), you use a charger in a regulated AGM mode (no linear chargers!) to bring it back to starting voltage, use another car (not running) to supplement the battery, or a quality jump start battery pack. The issues with a jump start from a running vehicle is that the output voltage can potentially spike upwards from the alternator after being unloaded and cause significant damage to the Genesis electronics. A jump-start charger is an utter abomination that substitutes high voltage output for the obvious lack of amperage it can supply- a 75A "boost" charger will put out 18+ volts of power whereas the rolling abominations that claim to supply 200A will push the voltage as high as 22vdc- well above the maximum 15.5vdc the car's electronics are designed to handle.

If 4 of the 6 emissions tests are not reaching ready and you have no codes, you need to at minimum pull the battery cables off and wait a while to let residual power discharge. If you reconnect and drive more than 80 miles with the same systems not reaching ready, prepare to need an extensive diagnostic to determine if certain circuit drivers in the ECM are not failed. Think a certified technician using a multichannel oscilloscope to test outputs. Generally a stalled emissions readiness like you describe means an error is occurring outside of the scope of internal diagnostics...you may need a replacement ECM if that is the case.

 

[glennk]

With COVID, I think they are giving you a 60 day grace period.

As a side note, wouldn't pulling a fuse reset the system?

 

[PeriSoft]

Think a certified technician using a multichannel oscilloscope to test outputs. Generally a stalled emissions readiness like you describe means an error is occurring outside of the scope of internal diagnostics...you may need a replacement ECM if that is the case.

Any guesses on where I could find such a technician, given that apparently my dealer doesn't have one?

Do I want to know how much an ECM costs, and whether it's covered under extended emission warranty? Heh...

 

[Suburbazine]

Any guesses on where I could find such a technician, given that apparently my dealer doesn't have one?

Do I want to know how much an ECM costs, and whether it's covered under extended emission warranty? Heh...

An ECM with replacement is probably around $1500 at a dealer. You have to use a new ECM programmed to the car, can't reprogram a junkyard ECM. As for being under emissions warranty, those generally only apply to the catalytic converters themselves.

As far as a qualified technician, I'd look at high end import shops that service BMW and Benz. Those cars have much the same issues and similar diagnostic requirements.

 

[PeriSoft]

Lots of used ECMs out there. If they're useless, who's buying 'em?

 

[Suburbazine]

Lots of used ECMs out there. If they're useless, who's buying 'em?

People who don't know any better. Look for the "sold as-is" or return disclaimers on them.

 

[PeriSoft]

People who don't know any better. Look for the "sold as-is" or return disclaimers on them.

There are places that will re-man them; any opinion on that?

 

[PeriSoft]

There are places that will re-man them; any opinion on that?

Never mind, I dug around more and it seems like 100% of them are outright scams.

Well, f*ck. That's a bitter pill.

 

[Suburbazine]

There are places that will re-man them; any opinion on that?

The only way to re-manufacture them is to have access to the original (Bosch?) ROMs to with specialized jigs to flash them back to factory firmware. Basically not happening for the same reason there aren't any tunes for them.