sdwndr

Does anyone have any personal experience with trying to pass an ODB emissions test with a pending DTC, but no check engine light? I suspect there may be differences between the states, so I am specifically looking for people from Illinois. I have searched all over the internet and have read conflicting opinions on this matter, so I am looking for actual personal experiences. So, has anyone either passed or failed emissions due to a pending DTC, no check engine light, and with all readiness monitors ready (in other words, no sneaky business with MILs or unsupported monitors)?

I've got longtube headers (with cats), but have a long history of occasionally throwing codes and a check engine light, despite getting a dyno tune and some follow up tweaks from a reputable local tuner. He finally gave me a tune that just deactivated the monitors. This helped me pass, but it never made me feel very good, and apparently Illinois has recently changed the law and now this trick doesn't work any more.

So, after the last test I got another dyno tune from a different tuner, and now the check engine light never goes on even after two years of driving. However, when I check it with my scanner, it is showing a pending DTC.

I know the easy answer would be to just take it in and have it tested, but since you have a limited number of attempts before additional headaches, I thought I'd ask and see if anyone around here has any experience with this.