PAgent’s Progress

Here in the great state of Oregon, when the time to renew your vehicle registration looms near, you receive a handy form in the mail instructing you to report to your local Department of Environmental Quality so your car can be tested for emissions.

I’m all in favor of emissions testing. Back in the day I spent quite a bit of time in the southern Indiana/Louisville region, and at that time Kentucky had emissions testing, but Indiana did not. The difference in air quality while sitting in traffic was not just noticeable, but dramatic. But I digress.

This little chore is the bane of my existence. The registration renewal form gets shuffled, misplaced, and generally forgotten, and it always becomes a mad rush to get it done by the deadline. In fact the last time this happened, I completely MISSED the deadline, and drove around with expired license tabs for a couple of weeks.

I resolved that this would not happen again. This time, I tacked the renewal form up in a prominent location. I double- and triple-checked the due date for renewal. This time, I was ready. So, even though I didn’t have to get it done until April 28, I drove down to the Sherwood DEQ testing station after work last night.

The Sherwood DEQ testing station is located beneath some huge power transmission lines. In dry weather everything you touch there will give you a static shock. I also think I can hear them humming. But again, I digress.

I pulled up, got out of my car, and the nice DEQ Examiner plugged my car into a computer. And immediately came over to talk to me.

“Your ‘Check Engine’ light is on.” he said.

“Yeah, it came on right after I had the 60,000 mile maintenance done. Go figure.” I said.

“Well, the error code says the engine is running too lean. It’s an automatic fail. Go to a garage and get it fixed, then come back and try again.”

“Come…back?”

“Yeah. Make sure you drive it around for a couple of days after they work on it before you get it retested.”

So. The one time I actually get there in time, I get an automatic fail. And now I need to take the damn car in to get the computer adjusted, or whatever has to happen. At least this explains why it’s been on the edge of stalling every time I’m starting out in first.