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OBDII Drive Cycle – a specific mode of vehicle operation that provides
conditions required to set all the readiness monitors applicable to the
vehicle to the “Ready” condition. The purpose of completing an OBD II drive
cycle is to force the vehicle to run its onboard diagnostics. Some form of a
drive cycle needs to be performed after DTCs have been erased from the
PCM’s memory or after the battery has been disconnected. Running
through a vehicle’s complete drive cycle will “set” the readiness monitors so
that future faults can be detected. Drive cycles vary depending on the
vehicle and the monitor that needs to be reset. For vehicle specific drive
cycle, consult the vehicle’s Owner’s Manual.