daddys jeep

i just bought another jeep grand cherokee this is a 97 i owned a 98 up until 6 months ago i bought a used explorer piece of **** and i missed my old jeep so i bought one last week which is one year older than my first any way. my 98 did not have a vehcile information center like the 97 does. my 98 had a little cubby hole in place of the v.i.c. well it doesnt work i had no idea what it was i read the owners manuel [cant believe the owner of the still had it] and it tells me the center has 4 major functions. 1. Display the current time and date. 2.Monitor specific vehicle operating systems and alert the driver if a malfunction occurs.3.Display a service reminder or indicate distance to service. 4. Display 2WD/4WD transfer case modes of operation.NOW MY QUESTION IS DO I NEED TO FUNCTION IN ORDER TO PASS SMOG CHECK ? THE JEEP WAS VERY WELL KEPT UP ITS GOT 140,000 MILES ON IT I AM THE THIRD OWNER OF IT THE SECOND OWNER BARELY PUT 50,000 MILES ON IT AND SHE OWNED IT FOR 18 YEARS . SHE RUNS SMOOTH NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ON NO DASH LIGHTS ON AT ALL ,BUT THAT DOESNT MEAN ANYTHING IF I NEED THAT V.I.C. TO BE WORKING IN ORDER FOR THOSE LIGHTS TO GO ON OR WHAT . I LEFT IN STAND STILL MODE CAUSE I DONT WANT TO PAY EXTRA MONEY THAT I DONT HAVE TO GET THE V.I.C. WORKING TO SEE IF THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES OR ANY ISSUES AT ALL WHEN I DONT HAVE TO . CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THIS V.I.C. IS All about thank you

dave1123

Well, I don't live in CA, but I live in NY which is just about as bad. They don't use a tailpipe sniffer YET, and allow 1 monitor to not be set. My 97 ZJ 4.0 had a VIC that functioned. As far as I know, the VIC is just a driver alert system and is not necessary for the emission system to work. The "Cubby" is from an earlier jeep like maybe an XJ. They are getting EXTREMELY hard to find now.

I would think that as long as you don't have any codes set or a CEL that's on, you should pass. The only real way to know is to talk to a friendly inspector or try to get it to pass before it's due. I know that the system can be checked with a DRB III scan tool before it's connected to the state's computer for the actual inspection.

4.3L XJ

The rules for CA smog vary with county, but the VIC is not included. You need to have all smog related equipment hooked up. Included the air cleaner all the way to the back side of the cat. Any exhaust with a muffler is OK. You cannot have a check engine light. No stored codes. So, clear your codes by disconnecting the battery if you have any. Then drive it at least one hundred miles, or it won't pass. Also, put a tank of premium gas in it. It is easier on the cat and will pass with a marginal cat enough you don't have to replace it. Some counties require a dyno check to verify transmission shifts at the proper speed. I have never had this done since my part of the state does not require it. Good luck

97grand4.0

I believe in NY up to 2000 you are allowed 2 incomplete monitors

jon-d

i pulled the VIC and installed a cubby, but you don't need to have a functioning VIC to pass smog. for our years they do run it on a tread mill during the test. BTW, if the test is taking awhile that means you are failing the test. the computer runs it longer to see if the jeep will pass. short run indicates you easily passed.