Car won't pass emissions?

Be aware that in the 1999 Camry 4 cylinder (5S-FE) there are two different drive cycles for the catalyst depending on whether the vehicle is 49 state or California. See the source. Both also require the cycle to be done with air temperatures above 14F, which can be an issue in some cold locations right now.

Many Toyotas are very touchy about the conditions for setting catalytic readiness.

Were factory (Denso) O2 sensors installed? If not, replace them with factory ones. Toyotas and Hondas are very sensitive to aftermarket O2 sensors. Using aftermarket sensors do no set fault codes but can cause all kinds of issues. If some codes were recently cleared and/or the battery was disconnected, it will also take a while (sometimes weeks) for the monitors to be ready.

You can also see a mechanic with a scan tool that can check live sensor data and checking if the engine is running in closed loop. Also check O2 sensor data, start unplugging O2 sensors and check if you have reversed O2 sensor connections (downstream O2 sensor connected to an upstream harness). Good luck.

The 2.2 1999 Camry was non-interference. You bought a new engine and only needed a new cam belt.If they did that to you make sure they didn't just steam clean your engine and throw in a new cam belt. Could be other problems though. Have the EGR valve checked. They will clog with carbon after years and years and your NOx reading will be too high. Cleaning it out will make it like new.

Whoever put the new O2 sensors in used the wrong ones.

Anonymous, this is not my car. I'm asking for a friend. He had the engine replaced and I was told it was an interference type. The cat was replaced because the downstream sensor was oscillating just like the upstream sensor which indicates the converter was almost spent, but I suppose it didn't quite go long enough to set a catalyst efficiency code. New cat is CARB approved, and the owner of the car has the paper from the emission test site stating the car was rejecting because the catalyst monitor is incomplete. This is in Indiana, by the way.

Don't count on government agencies to respond back in a timely manner. In the end, they can't care less.

You need a new Mechanic. It's not an interference engine so you wasted a lot of money replacing it.

All testing jurisdictions that I know of allow one monitor to be un-set and still pass. Did your so-called mechanic tell you it wouldn't pass?

Why was the cat replaced and was the new one C.A.R.B. approved?

No kam memory, an obd2 reset kills it all.

I emailed Indiana Clean Air Car Check to ask about the one monitor, I'll post asap when they respond.

A shame about the old cat if there was no 420 code, factory cats are way better, it probably just wasn't hot enough when watching the waveforms.

FlagMike is probably right about the temp too, there's a sensor in the air intake and the cat diagnostic only runs steady state above 50 mph from memory so you can't sit around waiting for it.

As of today, Mar.15, no response.

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