Monitors won't complete

A smog tech in Malibu has a question on a 2001 Ford E350 (Engine: V10; Transmission: AUTOMATIC). He wrote this to our online help site. Any thoughts?

TheProblem: CAN NOT GET MONITORS TO COMPLETE. IN MODE 6 IT PASSES EVERY TID EXCEPT 56. THE MAX VALUE IS 5000 BUT THE MEASURED VALUE CONTINUES TO CLIMB THE LONGER THE CAR RUNS. ENGINE TEMP IS IS OVER 194. COULD FIND NO VACUUM LEAKS BUT FUEL TRIM WAS AROUND 18 ON BOTH BANKS. CHANGED THE MAF AND RESET ADAPTIVES. LTFT IS NOW AROUND 10. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR PENDING CODES. DRIVEN FOR 40 PLUS MILES.

How do you run the drive cycle for this. alldata does not say anything about it. i have driven the car for over 60 miles now. when i check the KOEO tid 56 it shows 5000 max and 0 measured start it and let it idle and it still shows 0, start driving it and it starts climbing and within 1 minute is over the 5000 and fail. i have seen it as high as 60,000 plus. i tested the signature of the crank sensor and it looks perfect. i have not tested the cam sensor yet and there it no pid for it. there is also no pending or current codes and the car runs perfect.

Let's tackle the Ford first.  The relearn happens during decels from 60 mph to 40 mph...no braking.  Simply driving it will not relearn the profile.  Here's the info from Ford that may help:

The HDR Misfire Monitor uses a high data rate crankshaft position signal, (i.e. 18 position references per crankshaft revolution [20 on a V-10]). This high resolution signal is processed using two different algorithms. The first algorithm, called pattern cancellation, is optimized to detect low rates of misfire. The algorithm learns the normal pattern of cylinder accelerations from the mostly good firing events and is then able to accurately detect deviations from that pattern. The second algorithm is optimized to detect "hard" misfires, i.e. one or more continuously misfiring cylinders. This algorithm filters the high resolution crankshaft velocity signal to remove some of the crankshaft torsional vibrations that degrade signal to noise. This significantly improves detection capability for continuous misfires. Both algorithms produce a deviant cylinder acceleration value which is used in evaluating misfire in the "General Misfire Algorithm Processing" section below.

Due to the high data processing requirements, the HDR algorithms could not be implemented in the PCM microprocessor. They are implemented in a separate chip in the PCM called an "AICE" chip. The PCM microprocessor communicates with the AICE chip using a dedicated serial communication link. The output of the AICE chip (the cylinder acceleration values) is sent to the PCM microprocessor for additional processing as described below. Lack of serial communication or an invalid crank or cam sensor output sets a P1309 DTC.

"Profile correction" software is used to "learn" and correct for mechanical inaccuracies in crankshaft tooth spacing under de-fueled engine conditions (requires three 60 to 40 mph no-braking decels after Keep Alive Memory has been reset). If KAM has been reset, the PCM microprocessor initiates a special routine which computes correction factors for each of the 18 (or 20) position references and sends these correction factors back to the AICE chip to be used for subsequent misfire signal processing. These learned corrections improve the high rpm capability of the monitor. The misfire monitor is not active until a profile has been learned.

i am using a snap on solos pro. no volvo software yet. mode 6 showes not available on all but one and the one that has a value passed.

DROVE IT AGAIN STILL WON'T RUN THE O2 OR O2 HEATER. ALL MODE 6 TESTS ARE PASSED OR INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE YET. IT DOES NOT HAVE AN EVAP MONITOR BUT I JUST PUT GAS IN IT JUST IN CASE AND WILL TRY DRIVING IT AGAIN. ANY OTHER IDEAS?

First, the Ford.  You say the monitors won't run.  And that it doesn't have an EVAP monitor?  I'm betting it does...never saw a domestic without one.

When looking at the status of the monitors, you will only see a few different responses.  Complete or Incomplete and Ready or Not Ready mean the same thing.  An Incomplete monitor or Not Ready monitor is one that has not completed its testing, or it can't complete its testing because of a problem.  The continous monitors, that is Misfire, Fuel and Comprehensive Component generally read Complete right away but the others can take quite a bit to get them to complete.

Any monitor that says NA or Not Available means that the car doesn't use that monitor.

Each monitor has its own drive cycle...that is, the conditions of operation in a specific order that must occur for the computer to run its tests. The EVAP monitor is the most involved, often requiring an overnight cold soak followed by very specific driving conditions.  One criteria is that the full tank be between 1/8 to 7/8 of a tank.  A full tank will not allow the monitor to run.

So, please go back and tell us the name and status of all the monitors your Solus lists, and let's go from there.  But I suspect that now, the EVAP monitor is the one hanging you up.

THE ONLY MONITORS OTHER THAN MISSFIRE AND COMPONETS ARE O2 SENSOR AND O2 HEATER. CAT AND EVAP BOTH SAY NOT APPLICABLE. MODE 1 IS ALL THE DATA FIELDS WHAT DATA DO YOU WANT?

Sticking with the Ford for now...

It is not possible to have a "not available" cat monitor and I doubt the validity of a "not available" evap monitor.  Have you tried another scan tool?

If the 02 and the 02 heater monitors are "not complete" then suspect a fault in the 02 heaters/circuit.  The 02 won't complete if the 02 heater isn't complete first.  Look for pending codes in mode $07.

THE SCAN TOOL HAS THE FORD SOFTWARE AND HAS NO PENDING CODES, IT IS A HEAVY DUTY VEHICLE AND I ASSUME THAT IS WHY IT DOES NOT HAVE A CAT OR EVAP MONITOR. I COULD NOT BELIVE IT WHEN I SAW IT AS WELL BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE THOSE MONITORS. THE SCAN TOOL JUST GOT THE LATEST SOFTWARE AND THOSE MONITORS WERE N/A ON THE OLD AND NEW SOFTWARE.

I TALKED TO ANOTHER GOLD SHIELD STATION THAT HAD THE EXACT SAME CAR WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. HE CHANGED O2 SENSORS, THERMOSTAT AND TEMP SENSOR THEN FINALLY SENT TO THE DEALER AND TOLD THEM TO PUT A NEW ECU IN IT. THE MONITORS WERE DONE BEFORE IT GOT BACK TO HIM.