Help me understand "drive cycle"

[T4R_Finally]

2000 Limited. Got a P0420 on the way home from buying it (10 miles into a 250 mile drive). Stopped at the nearest Advance Auto, had the code scanned and cleared. 20 miles from home, CEL comes back on. Take it to local Advance auto the next day and it's the same code. Didn't clear it. Ordered new O2 sensor, also bought an Actron scanner that can read/erase codes but also displays realtime data. Disconnected the battery to install new O2 sensor, which also cleared the CEL. Since installing O2 sensor, have driven a couple hundred miles. One highway speed trip, an hour each way, with some around town driving in between. Several short trips since then. So far, no CEL.

I followed the link below re. drive cycles because my Actron still shows "inc" for the the catalyst monitor. That's the only monitor that still shows "inc". I can't get it to change.

I find it hard to believe the drive cycle circumstances (I assumed page 22 is what I need to follow) have to be satisfied before that monitor will come out of "inc" status. I certainly didn't go through any conditions like that on my way home when the code came back before I arrived, after clearing it once. Do I just need to drive this thing until it completes on its own? Or is this process akin to reprogramming keyless remotes where it has to be repeated a dozen times before it is successful?

https://sites.google.com/site/raydo...ssmonitordrivepatterns.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

 

[02SE]

Assuming the O2 sensor fixed the problem, just driving it will eventually show the catalyst monitor as "Ready".

Following the specific drive cycle to the letter, will help it set as "Ready" more quickly. Again, that's assuming the the new O2 sensor fixed the problem.

 

[T4R_Finally]

Yes, assuming it fixed the problem is what is bugging me. I was hoping to speed up the process by following the drive cycle directions. Its not easy to find a road to drive 25mph on for 40 seconds, stop and idle for 10 seconds and then do it over again 9 times. And then when it doesnt do what it is supposed to do, its even more frustrating.