§ 86.132-96 Vehicle preconditioning.

(a) Prepare the vehicle for testing as described in this section. Store the vehicle before testing in a way that prevents fuel contamination and preserves the integrity of the fuel system. The vehicle shall be moved into the test area and the following operations performed.

(b)

(1) Gasoline- and Methanol-Fueled Vehicles. Drain the fuel tank(s) and fill with test fuel, as specified in § 86.113, to the “tank fuel volume” defined in § 86.082-2. Install the fuel cap(s) within one minute after refueling.

(2) Gaseous-Fueled Vehicles. Fill fuel tanks with fuel that meets the specifications in § 86.113. Fill the fuel tanks to a minimum of 75 percent of service pressure for natural gas-fueled vehicles or a minimum of 75 percent of available fill volume for liquefied petroleum gas-fueled vehicles. However, if you omit the refueling event in paragraph (f) of this section, refuel the vehicles to 85 percent instead of 75 percent. Draining the fuel tanks at the start of the test is not required if the fuel in the tanks already meets the specifications in § 86.113.

(c)

(1) Gasoline- and methanol-fueled vehicles shall be soaked for at least 6 hours after being refueled. Petroleum-fueled diesel vehicles and gaseous-fueled vehicles shall be soaked for at least 1 hour after being refueled. Following this soak period, the test vehicle shall be placed, either by being driven or pushed, on a dynamometer and operated through one Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS), specified in § 86.115 and appendix I of this part.

(2) Once a test vehicle has completed the refueling and vehicle soak steps specified in paragraphs (b) and (c)(1) of this section, these steps may be omitted in subsequent testing with the same vehicle and the same fuel specifications, provided the vehicle remains under laboratory ambient temperature conditions for at least 6 hours before starting the next test. In such cases, each subsequent test shall begin with the preconditioning drive specified in this paragraph. The test vehicle may not be used to set dynamometer horsepower.

(d) For unusual circumstances where the need for additional preconditioning is demonstrated by the manufacturer, such preconditioning may be allowed with the advance approval of the Administrator.

(e) The Administrator may also choose to conduct or require to be conducted additional preconditioning to ensure that the evaporative emission control system is stabilized in the case of gasoline-fueled and methanol-fueled vehicles, or to ensure that the exhaust system is stabilized in the case of petroleum- and methanol-fueled diesel vehicles. The preconditioning shall consist of one of the following:

(1) For gasoline- and methanol-fueled vehicles. (i) Additional preconditioning shall consist of no more than 50 miles of mileage accumulation under typical driving conditions, either on the road or on a dynamometer.

(ii) In the case of repeat testing on a flexible-fueled vehicle, in which the test fuel is changed, the following preconditioning procedure shall be used. This additional preconditioning allows the vehicle to adapt to the new fuel before the next test run.

(A) Purge the vehicle's evaporative canister for 60 minutes at 0.8 cfm.

(B) Drain the fuel tank(s) and fill with 3 gallons of the test fuel.

(C) Start the vehicle and allow it to idle for 1 minute.

(D) Drain the fuel tank(s) and fill with the new test fuel to the “tank fuel volume” defined in § 86.082-2. The average temperature of the dispensed fuel shall be less than 60 °F.

(E) Conduct a heat build according to the procedure specified in § 86.133-90.

(F) The vehicle shall be placed, either by being driven or pushed, on a dynamometer and operated through one UDDS, specified in § 86.115 and appendix I of this part.

(G) Following the dynamometer drive, the vehicle shall be turned off for 5 minutes, then restarted and allowed to idle for 1 minute. The vehicle shall then be turned off for 1 minute, and allowed to idle again for 1 minute.