One step further... There is progress!
I managed to get the smog test for the truck. This is what I did:
I searched Nissan forums for an explanation on the P1440 EVAP Small Leak and it turned out that it might be a simple gas cap that is not keeping the gas vapors in the gas tank. Apparently, modern cars have this evaporation system pressurised in order to reduce emissions and save on fuel consumption.
Anyway, for about $8, I bought a new gas cap from Autozone and installed it. Next I needed to get rid of the Service Engine Soon (SES) light that was still on. Since Autozone doesn't check/reset the codes anymore (starting from about 6months ago), I went back to the forums. Reading the service manual for engine control on the Nissan Pathfinder 1998, I found out a way to reset the on board computer (ECM) by turning the diagnostic screw on the ECM back and forth. Unfortunatelly, I had little luck locating the diagnostic screw.
After reading the forums up and down, reading and re-reading the service manual, I just could not find the diagnostic screw, so I got so pissed off, that I went to the nearest Kragen shop and I bought an OBD2 scanner for about $75.
I erased the code and redid all the tests. It took about 12 hours until all tests completed. Of course the EV (evap system) test was the last one to clear, but in the end, all of them were OK.
I went back to the smog check garage and got the smog with no problems. The truck's emissions are below 20% of the maximum allowed.
So to summarise: with $8 for a new gas cap, I saved about $700 in repairs, which don't seem to be necessary. The overall investment was about $200, but now I have an ODB2 reader I can use in the future. This makes me feel so good about it ;)
In the next episode, finalising the registration at DMV.
To be continued...
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